Bella & Edward, Life Continues sequel
by vickisan
Summary: What if Edward finally realized his mistake and came back for Bella . . . only to find she had run away with her best friend, Jacob!  This is the story of his searching for and finding the love of his life. Follows the story Bella & Edward, A Love Story
1. Chapter 1  Home

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors Note:** This story directly follows _Bella & Edward, A Love Story_, and though this story will stand on its own, it is far better if you preface it with the other story!

**Chapter 1 Home**

**BPOV**

I awoke to find the face of my husband inches from mine, his cool arms around me.

"_Good morning"_, he said as he nuzzled his face in my neck, _"I love you this morning!"_

His voice was so soft and loving, his movements so tender. I put my arms around him and pulled him closer to me as he tucked his face into my shoulder trailing soft kisses up to the edge of my lips. I curled my hand in to play with the silky hair at the nap of his neck, my other hand tracing the defined muscles of his chest. He kissed me so softly, barely a kiss really, and pulled back slightly to look at me.

"_Are you alright this morning, love?"_

His velvety voice held some uncertainty, some other unasked question this morning. I stroked his face and kissed his lips gently, my lips molding to the rigid form of his.

"_I could not be better, sweetheart. I love you and you're here with me!"_

His eyes softened and he let out the breath he had been holding. This was my gentle, caring, over thinking and absurdly careful husband in bed with me this morning, not my vampire. I thought back to yesterday and realized that my overly cautious husband would be mortified by the lovemaking session he had participated in yesterday as my vampire. A sigh escaped my lips as I held him to me and remembered.

I hitched my leg over him, realizing we were both still naked as he traced circles on my back and down the leg that was clutching him to me. We lay there for hours or minutes, exchanging soft kisses and gentle caresses with no agenda or destination in mind. His hair was so silky and amazing to run my fingers through and he loved it when I scratched his scalp with my nails. I would almost swear he purred. I guided my tongue over the outline of his lips as we kissed and he opened his mouth to me, our tongues exploring each other.

"_I need a human minute",_ I whispered as I started to sit up on the edge of the huge canopied bed.

Only then did I take notice of the room. It had been dark last night when I had awoken briefly with Edward, but light from over the distant mountains was starting to stream in the window on one side of the room. Room - that word seemed like an injustice when used to describe the area we were in. We were on a huge black wrought iron bed hung with wisps of cloud like see through beige material accenting the sculptured vines of rosebuds that were the posts and frames of the bed. There were windows on either side of the room as well as windows on each side of the huge stone fireplace that faced the foot of the bed.

A photo of Edward and I in sitting in the backyard of the Cullens house in Forks hung over the mantle. I hadn't seen the photo before. We were sitting facing each other on a bench, the river in the background, and Edward was tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It was obvious that the two people in the photo were in love.

The floors were hardwood and the ceiling was vaulted in this fairy like room. It was adorned with touches of blue and cream. One door in the room was open and it appeared to lead into a hallway, so I walked toward the other door, Edward watching me from our bed, propped up on his elbow.

I had found the bathroom. Calling it a bathroom, however, was also an injustice. There was a closet to my left that was the size my bedroom had been back in Forks, and it was filled with clothing for both myself and Edward - no doubt the result of the shopping Alice had mentioned. In front of me was a room adorned with white tile and outlined with tiny mosaic tiles forming the patterns of delicate blue flowers. There were windows looking out on a similar view that the Cullen house had, but not as high in elevation . . . there was a large meadow and a lake. Nestled in front of the bay window was a sunken jacuzzi tub large enough to teach a child to swim in!

I felt Edwards cool arms encircle my waist and his chin rest on my shoulder as he kissed my neck.

"_Welcome home, love! Do you like it?"_

"_Edward, this is amazing!"_, I said turning in his arms to face him. _"I love you!"_, I said as my lips crashed into his.

"_How about a warm bath, love?"_, he looked at me sheepishly, _"You have to be sore."_

"_You run the water,"_ I said as I excused myself to use the smaller room that held the toilet.

Edward was sitting on the side of the tub, water and bubbles filling it and the most wonderful smell of strawberries filling the air. He stood and held his hand out to me. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My husband, naked in all his glory, helping me into a hot bath he had drawn for me in our home that he had built for me.

"_Edward, this is amazing. All this"_, I gestured around the room, _"all this is for us?" _

"_Yes, love. All for you and me. You didn't really think it took me hours everyday to hunt, did you?"_

He looked at me with a smirk. I smacked him on the shoulder with my palm. _"So, you took advantage of the fact that the human doesn't know how long it takes a vampire to have a meal, did you! I thought you were feeding more often than I had ever known you to! In high school, you only left very couple of weeks, I was happy that you had been going everyday! I figured you were recuperating just like I was!"_

He laughed. The most wonderful sound on earth was my Edwards laughter, I had heard it so rarely. _ "I have been recuperating, sweetheart, and I did hunt something almost everyday. I couldn't tell you I was going hunting and not do it, but it doesn't take me long at all to find something in our backyard here and there was a lot of work to do to build us a home! Emmett and Jasper spent most of their nights here, and we hired a crew to work during the day as well to speed things along! I wanted it done before your birthday!"_

"_So this is where you were moving to that would make it easier on Jasper!", _I recalled part of the conversation I had heard between Alice and Rosalie.

"_Yes, love, this is where WE were moving to that would make it easier on Jasper. My being aroused all the time was causing him to spend many many hours with Alice . . . not that she complained!"_, he explained as he helped me into the tub.

The water felt amazing. Just under being too hot to be comfortable.

"_Aren't you coming in with me!"_

I asked as I looked up to see the adoring eyes of my husband. He was behind me in an instant. This was our home and he had no need of human pretense here, he moved at vampire speed. I reclined back onto his chest and relaxed into his arms. We didn't speak for the longest time and I wondered why the water didn't seem to be cooling until I saw Edward adjust the dials on the side of the tub that controlled the heating element. He had thought of everything - I suppose with the addition of his icy body into the water, it would have been like dropping in a cube of ice had there not been a way to keep the temperature up.

His hands gently massaged my hips and softly sucked on my neck and licked his way to my ear, nibbling on the earlobe so carefully as his cool breath blew across my neck and down my chest.

I turned to face him, his eyes closed and his head reclined back on the edge of the tub. His face seemed strangely warm as I stroked it and kissed his lips. _ "I love you"_, I whispered to him as I turned to straddle him and rest my chest to his. His eyes opened immediately and he leaned forward to kiss me and nuzzle his face into my neck

"_I know I keep asking, but I'm worried about you, I'm so sorry that it hurt you for us to make love, are you sore, sweetheart"_, my husband asked. _"A little"_, I answered, dipping my head and breaking eye contact with him as I looked down his chest to the firm flat planes of his stomach. I placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed him gently, sweetly at first . . . then my kiss deepened. When his eyes opened, they were molten black fire, alive with his desire for me.

I found my fingers entwined in his soft hair, pulling his face to me as his mouth devoured mine. He was always careful to keep his razor sharp teeth away from my tongue, preferring to invade my mouth with his, dancing and caressing. I loved his chaste kisses, the ones that filled my nights a year ago, but these kisses were amazing. He kissed my bottom lip, gently sucking it into his mouth and squeezing gently then moving to trace soft open mouth kisses and licks down my neck and across my collar bone.

"_I'm so sorry about these"_, he said as he kissed bruises that looked like fingerprints on each of my shoulders. _"I never meant to hurt you, love."_

"_You never hurt me, Edward! You could never (kiss), ever (kiss) hurt me (kiss)"_, I whispered as I stroked him and kissed his neck. His breathing sped up and his lips found my mouth. I pulled away slightly and stared into the loving eyes of my husband. A smile crossed his face as he dipped his head down licking a trail across my chest. When he had paid equal attention to each breast, his hands took over stroking them. I have no idea where he learned to do that, but there had to be a direct link between my breasts when he did that and the nerves between my legs because I instantly had the overwhelming need for him. Now.

My hands stroked his silky hair and if I didn't know better, I would have sworn my husband purred. I decided to be bold, having no idea what I was doing except that Edward seemed as pleased as I was with every movement. His head immediately flew back and a snarl escaped his lips. The coolness I was expecting wasn't there, my husbands body was warm, the warmth of soaking in the tub had an effect. It felt amazing as I started to rock my hips into his. His gaze met mine and I was overwhelmed with emotion. We moved together for long moments, gently, softly, the intensity building with every moment and the strength of our movements increasing, but never the ferocity. He caressed my thighs, my sides, my shoulders . . . he gently ran his fingers through my hair. This was my husband making love to me, my gentle, caring unbelievably loving husband. We moved together as though we were made for each other, perfectly synchronized. When the tension and pleasure in our bodies became more than we could endure, we were both overcome. I screamed his name, his head once again thrown back in ecstasy as he let out a roar. God I loved this man. He was mine. He had meant every word that he had said to me, he would never leave me and looking at him now, his pleasure consuming him, I knew this.

We held each other, just lying together for a long moment, until my very human stomach growled loudly! Edward laughed, _"Guess you just can't escape being human for long! I'm afraid there is no food here yet, baby, we will have to go back up to the other house. Is that OK?"_

"_More than OK, but we should probably dress first, don't you think?"_

"_If you insist"_, he chided, _"but I prefer you like this, naked and straddling me!" _He gently placed a kiss over my heart. We stood and Edward held his hand out for me to hold as I stepped out of the tub and into the soft towel he had waiting.

"_Edward!"_, I exclaimed, _"Where is this coming from? Where is my up tight, no you can not even open two buttons of my shirt and no tongues husband?"_

"_I got over it"_, he said quietly as we searched for clothes in the cavernous closet.

I turned to him amazed. He finished slipping on his jeans and looked over his shoulder at me. _"What?"_, he queried.

"_You got over it'?"_

I looked at him, shocked. He walked over to me, sauntered really, bare chested and barefoot this Adonis like creature, placing his hands on my shoulders and staring into my eyes.

"_Bella, this has always been me. Since the moment I met you, I have always wanted this",_ he gestured to the space between us. _ "I was just afraid. I didn't want to take away any of your human experiences, the things you might want in your life. . . and I was afraid of what I am, afraid I would hurt you . . . that I might kill you."_

"_I left to try and protect you from me, Bella, but you are too much a part of me. I can't live without you - I know that now. And I don't believe that I will ever hurt you, not after yesterday. Bella, in my mind, I completely lost control yesterday. My feelings overwhelmed me and my instincts took over. I was no longer just your husband, I was a vampire and you were my mate. When you passed out and I saw that you were bleeding, a thousand thoughts went through my mind in a split second. I was paralyzed with fear that I had injured you, that after all we had been through, it would be at my hand that you would be hurt. But I didn't. I didn't hurt you, well not really",_ he said tracing the bruises on my shoulders. _"I see now that you aren't just my soul mate, you are a part of me. I could never harm you. I feel safe to be myself around you, unbuttoned shirt and all!_", he laughed.

I stood there blubbering like an idiot. I couldn't help it, Edward had just declared his feelings for me in terms so clear, a fool could understand. He loved me. This was real, it was really real and I could be with him for the rest of my life.

"_Edward,_" I said unable to look at his face, "_I just never want this to end and I . _. . ", he cut me off. He cupped my chin in his hand and brought my eyes to his.

"_If you still want me to change you, I will. I'll do it myself, anytime you want me to, Bella. You were right all along, one lifetime would never be enough for us to share. I want you with me forever, if you'll have me". _

Tears streamed down my face and kissed him in a way that almost consumed both of us with its intensity.

A loud voice roared up the stairs coming from my new brother, Emmett. _"Hey get descent, now! At least let the girl eat, Edward! Breakfast is on the table down here, move it!"_

We both laughed. _"Welcome to my family! Even in our own house we may not have privacy!"_

"_We all heard that!"_, Emmet shouted. I looked at Edward,_ "We all?" _Did that mean what I thought it meant? Of course, as we came down the stairs, the faces of the entire family met us.

Luckily the delicious smell of bacon and coffee hit me as well, and my embarrassment was momentarily overshadowed by hunger! There were hugs all round as we made our way to the kitchen and I thanked them for my breakfast.

"_Do you like it, dear!"_, Esme asked, gesturing to our new home.

"_I haven't actually had a chance to see any of it yet, Esme, except the bedroom"_, I said with my face blushing.

"_Eddie, what the hell!"_, Emmett said, _"Are you trying to kill my little sister, going all 'vamp' on her like that?"_

Oh God, I thought, here we go with the vampire hearing and the no secrets in this house! I looked over at my husband to see a sheepish grin cross his face.

"_Don't you dare Emmett Cullen! My husband knew just what I needed, thank you!"_, I glared as I reached out and hugged my husbands waist as I sat eating my breakfast. His answering smile was blinding!

"_We thought we'd be back sitting in the waiting room at the hospital at the very least the way Carlisle and Alice raced over here yesterday with his medical bag!"_, Rose smacked Emmett in the arm as he said it, but it was out now, and I turned to look at Edward, my face crimson.

"_Carlisle was here?"_, I looked at Edward inquisitively as he sat down beside me.

"_Yes"_, Edward said flatly, _"He came to check on you. I was terrified that I hurt you when you passed out, and he reassured me that you were fine._" His eyes were pleading with me for understanding, he hid nothing from me. He must have really been frightened and I decided I would discuss it with him later when we were not in front of our entire family.

_It's my fault, I sent Carlisle over here"._ Alice admitted. _"My visions of you came back yesterday, Bella, whether it was some decision you made about the future or what, I have no idea, but I can see your future clearly now. Both of you. When I saw Edwards distress and realized you were still and there was blood, I panicked! _

"_Well, I am absolutely fine and I really want to see my house! Who wants to give me a tour?"_

"_We all just came to say good mornin', darlin'," _said Jasper in his deep southern drawl, _ "I think we better clear out and let my brother here give you the tour before he has us for breakfast while you eat yours!"_

They all laughed at Jasper's statement, but he wasn't far off the mark. As much as he loved his family, it was obvious that Edward wanted us to be alone! My family left and I finished my breakfast. Edward had the dishes done before I even realized he took my plate and he reached for my hand to show me our new home.

"_I really hope you like it, love. You can change anything you want, I just wanted to surprise you and Esme helped design and decorate it for me. We can move or . . . "_

I put my finger to his lips to stop him from babbling on._ "Enough,_" I said. _"I love it!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Really!"_, I said as he hugged around my waist and swung me around and around.

"_At least the part of it I have seen!"_

"_Well, Mrs. Cullen, let me show you!"_

**EPOV **

My wife seemed genuinely happy as I started to show her through all the rooms in our new home. I had been so worried this morning waiting for her to wake up. I just didn't know what to expect! Though I knew she loved me, I had let my nature take over when I had first attempted to make love to my wife and instead of her husband, she had ended up in bed with her vampire claiming her. Not that the two were actually separable, I was after all, a vampire, and lovemaking for a vampire could be intense and last, quite literally for days. I hadn't wanted to overwhelm her but in my defense, it was my first time as well and I was just as uncertain as to how it would go or what to do as she was. I had read the minds of hundreds of people over the years, thousands of thoughts and scenarios involving sex that I would love to try, and planned to try, but when it came to that moment, my animal nature had taken over and I behaved purely out of instinct. She told me it was exactly what she had needed to see. Our gentle lovemaking this morning had calmed both of us, she had taken control and I adored her for it.

I recalled the thoughts of my family as they had approached earlier this morning:

_They're probably not dressed, she doesn't know how to use her closet_

_We should have called him first_

_I hope she likes the breakfast I made for her_

_I wonder how much damage they did to the bedroom that we will need to repair_

_I am so glad to see him in love and happy after all these decades_

And they were there to met us at the foot of the stairs to the living room. They had all been there for me, helping to find her and encouraging me. I loved my family.

I showed my wife thru the dining room to the great room with its massive fireplace and floor to ceiling windows looking out into the front yard and the lake beyond. There were soft brown leather sofas and the room was all shades of brown and tan with tiny accents of green and rust. Beautiful earth tones that I hoped reminded her of the desert in Phoenix that she loved. I had filled the office/library with two walls of books that I thought she might enjoy, some first additions of her favorites, and the remaining walls were covered in light toned wood with judges panels.

"_I replaced your copy of Withering Heights, sweetheart, along with a few other classics I thought you might enjoy."_

"_Edward, this is a first edition! I can't believe you did this!",_ she said her eyes wide. As her hands traced over the rows of books, she started to notice many first additions. _"This,"_ gesturing to the library, "_this is too much, this is so thoughtful. How did I get so lucky!",_ she said as she put her arms around my neck and kissed me.

"_I love you, Mrs. Cullen! I always want you to be happy and have things you enjoy!"_

"_I have everything I want and enjoy",_ she said pressing her body close to mine, "_right here",_ she exclaimed quietly as she rocked her hips into mine.

My response was immediate. She had no idea how she had gotten upstairs when I abruptly stopped with her just inside the door to the only guest room that was furnished. I crossed the room and laid her in the middle of the king sized sleigh bed. As I snuggled her to me, I said, "_and this is the guest room. It's the only other room upstairs that is furnished, though there are 4 bedrooms. Since you have chosen to be so forward as to grab me, Mrs. Cullen, this will be the end of our tour!"_


	2. Chapter 2  Vampire

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 2 Vampire**

My response was immediate. She had no idea how she had gotten upstairs when I abruptly stopped with her just inside the door to the only guest room that was furnished. I crossed the room and laid her in the middle of the king sized sleigh bed. As I snuggled her to me, I said, "_and this is the guest room. It's the only other room upstairs that is furnished, though there are 4 bedrooms. Since you have chosen to be so forward as to grab me, Mrs. Cullen, this will be the end of our tour!"_

"_Mr. Cullen, I have had you in hand like this every night for the last few weeks, since we came home from the hospital! What is different about it now?"_

"_I think, Bella, that this is part of what you overheard Rose and Alice talking about. The part about hurting me, and me being a masochist?" _I was hesitant to bring it up, but she needed an explanation of what she had heard.

She looked at me so startled, "_Explain Edward, please, I don't understand!"_

"_Sweetheart, you needed reassurance that I was with you, really with you when we came home from the hospital. Your hand on me, there, comforted you, it let you be secure enough to sleep, Bella. It let you feel close to me and know that I would give you anything even something as intimate as that. You said it yourself, before I would not even leave two buttons of my shirt unfastened around you. What my sister Alice was talking about, was something you were completely unaware of. You had no intention of hurting me or causing me to be uncomfortable."_

"_Edward, please," _she said stroking my face and holding me close, _"how did I hurt you?"_

"_You didn't exactly hurt me, baby, not like you think. It's just that, being aroused like this, like I am right now, is impossible to manage without doing something about it, without finding release, Bella, even at my own hand. That was impossible to do with you holding on to me for hours - an amazingly good feeling but my body becoming impossibly hard to the point of being painful - we couldn't make love then, sweetheart, you needed to heal first."_

"_Oh my God! Edward, I'm so embarrassed, and so very sorry! I didn't know, sweetheart, I had no idea. I've never been around men, I mean I've never . . . "_

She was turning a shade of red that couldn't possibly be healthy.

"_I just wanted you to know to answer your questions about what you overheard them saying, Bella. I could have spoken up at any time if I had wanted to. I love your hand on me, I love my hands on you. I don't want there to be anything we can't do with each other."_

"_I want that, too, sweetheart."_

"_Good," _I said as I all but destroyed her blouse and yoga pants in my haste to get them off of her, though taking care not to damage the cast that remained on her leg.

"_That is so unfair, Mr. Cullen. Your clothes, off!"_

"_Your wish is my command, wife",_ I said as my clothes were gone in an instant.

We had laid with each other naked before, she had insisted we sleep naked a few times while she was recuperating, but never when we could do something about it. She had a playful look on her face that instantly gave me cause for concern. She threw her arms around my neck and rolled us over and over from the top of the bed to the bottom, laughing and kissing me, my arms holding her tightly to me.

"_Well, we can do something about it now, can't we!"_

Her hand left my neck and trailed down my chest and across my stomach causing a small shutter to run through my body.

"_I have no idea what you would like, sweetheart, or what would hurt you, can you show me?"_

God I loved this woman! I wrapped my hand over hers and very carefully, taking care not to hurt her hand, moved both our hands up and down my length. I could not stifle the moan that left my lips. I moved my hand to her waist as she continued. She trailed soft kisses across my chest and down my stomach. She licked her lips. Dear God the woman licked her lips! Without any further warning, she took me into her mouth. I had no idea she would do that!

"_Bella, b . . baby"_, I tried to speak, _"you . . d.d..don't . n . need . . t . to . d . d . do . this . . ._"

I stuttered, overwhelmed with the pleasure she was giving me. I made a lame attempt to wriggle away from her, but her arms held my hips and she was intent on devouring as much of me as possible - and she was nearly succeeding. Who was I kidding - I loved it. She was amazing! I grabbed for the headboard, afraid to put my hands on her head like I wanted to. I pulled myself up slightly, but she just crawled up me further. My unnecessary breaths became ragged. I resisted the temptation to thrash about, the intensity of pleasure was overwhelming. I could no longer stop myself from rocking my hips. The sensations were unbelievable. How did she know to do what she was doing . .. oh my . . . "_Bella!"_, I roared,

"_Bella . . . don't stop . . .oh . . but . . can't . . . ahh . . . Bella! _"

pulling myself up towards the headboard, trying to remove myself from her before it was too late. She would have none of that. She crawled up the bed following me, never releasing me. I came absolutely unglued, splintering the headboard with my grip and turning it into kindling wood. She took no notice of the destruction I was causing,

"Oh . . . my Bella . . . you have to . . . Bella you can't . . . no . . ."

I could not hold back my release any longer. I though my toes would curl up into the back of my throat. She released me and I was instantly hard again against her cheek. She looked up at me with the most surprised look, her eyes questioning.

"_Vampire"_

I said by way of answering, _"Just ignore it," _I told her apologetically. She crawled further up my body to kiss me, the taste of me still on her lips. This woman would be the death of me. I was on top of he in an instant, nestled between her legs, my weight held off of her by my elbows. I still refused to put much weight on her ribs - so many of them had been broken and it had not been long enough for the to be fully healed.

"_You really can have me as often as you want"_, I told her while I stroked her cheek with the back of my hand.

"_You're serious, Edward. You recover immediately?"_

"_Um, just like that. Just like you just saw love . . . and I ALWAYS want you!", _I told her as I traced kisses from the edge of her lip down her neck.

"_I haven't discussed it with you because, well for one thing you were still recovering, and two, I didn't want you to think it had to be that way, that I was weird or something or that once was not enough for me at a time. Bella . . . my body requires no down time in between, I don't need to breath, I never get tired, I have no need of bathroom breaks and I don't get thirsty but every couple of weeks, so, yes - we can make love as often and for as long as you want . . . and we will!"_

"_Edward! You're serious!"_

"_Sweetheart, vampires can and do, quite literally, make love for DAYS at a time!_

_ Allow me to demonstrate . . . "_

I kissed her cheek and just the very edge of her lips and then just the top lip . . . and just the bottom lip, pulling it into my mouth to carefully nibble on it. She tasted of me, and I was lying fully on top of my wife, in our home, and nothing could be better than this. I traced the backs of my fingers down her side, down her trim waist to her full hips, turning my hand over to cup her backside and pull her impossibly closer to me.

She cocked her head at me and closed her eyes, her hips rocking into me now of their own accord. Her hands pulled at my hair and she moaned almost constantly. She screamed my name so loud I was uncertain if the family would be there in an instant to check and see whether I was killing her or not. I looked up to see her eyes staring at me. There was nothing on this earth more beautiful, and she was mine. A light sheen of sweat covered her face and her hair was damp from it. Her eyes were hooded in bliss and my name lingered on he lips. I put my arms around her and hugged her to me, kissing her lips and nuzzling my face into her neck to give her a moment.

Her breathing slowed and she began to stroke my shoulders and back as I lay with my head on her shoulder, my body covering hers. She ran her fingers through my hair and brought her foot up to gently rub the backs of my thighs. I tried to be patient, but my body burned for her. My breathing started to grow ragged as I noticed hers increasing as I kissed her passionately, hoping her lips would not be bruised but finding it difficult to care. My Bella wanted me and she wanted me now.

I settled against her, rocking my hips into her all the while kissing her hard. I only hoped she would tell me if I was too heavy for her or I started to hurt her in any way. The way she was moaning and writhing under me, rocking her body into mine, I certainty didn't think she was feeling any discomfort. She screamed my name and bit my neck.

She Bit My Neck.

Any control I was maintaining was once again out the window. I cried out her name and snarled. Her gaze met mine and we starred into each others eyes, unable to look away. My arms snaked under her shoulders and held to her as hers clutched at my neck and shoulders, all the while pushing into each other as hard as she could and as hard as I dared.

I told her I loved her more than anything else in the world, all the while never breaking our gaze at each other. I stilled and relaxed onto her. As we rolled to our sides and I once again became impossible hard, our eyes met. All I could say was

**vampire. **

She laughed at me, such a gorgeous laugh, a laugh that could make the mountains smile as if the sun were shining on them. I moved a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"_See, I told you I wasn't kidding. Maybe I should have come with an instruction manual so that you could see what you were getting yourself into, Mrs. Cullen."_

"_If I knew you were this easy, Mr. Cullen, I would have tried even harder to get us past that first time years ago!"_

"_So is that a yes?"_

"_Definitely a yes, Mr. Cullen!", _she said as she rolled on top of me and breathed me in.


	3. Chapter 3 Confessions

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 3 Confessions**

**BPOV **

I awoke in my beautiful canopied bed. I was ecstatic. I had gotten everything I had ever wanted.

Edward loved me and we were married.

Jacob had encouraged our relationship and he was still my friend.

I had a beautiful new home and a family I loved.

Edward agreed to change me himself when ever I wanted.

I just needed Charlie to come around, to see how amazing Edward really was. Of course my dad still viewed Edward as an 18 year old kid. Rich, maybe, but still a kid! He hadn't taken it well when I left the hospital with Edward.

"_Edward!"_

"_Yes, love_", he answered from the bathroom, toothpaste still in his mouth.

"_Did I hear correctly that Carlisle was making arrangements for my father to come and visit?"_

"_Yes, love."_

"_Why is that? I have talked to dad at least a couple of times each week and he never mentioned anything. If you wanted him to come for a visit, why didn't you ask him?"_

"_Because he won't talk to me, love."_

I peered around the door of the closet where I was dressing to look at Edward's reflection in the bathroom mirror, _"He won't talk to you?_", I asked.

"_No. I thought Carlisle could persuade him to come for a visit, you know, father to father. It seems to be working, though there is no date set. I just thought you would like to see him and I wanted to surprise you for your birthday."_

I put my arms around my husband as he finished brushing his teeth, a human habit he had adapted, no doubt for me, to insure his breath was tasty fresh. _"Thank you!"_

"_For what, sweetheart!"_

"_For trying even when he is difficult. I know you hear many more terrible things from his mind than he is willing to say. Just, thank you for trying . . . I know you do it for me."_

"_He is important to you, so he is important to me,"_ Edward said, sitting on the sink, his arms around me. He kissed the top of my head. _"I thought I would try again, just to see if he had eased up a bit."_

"_Edward, why don't you let me call and talk to him, he is always in a better mood when he hears from me, right? I'll tell him you have something you want to talk with him about and he won't want to say no in front of me! Let's try!"_

"_I'll try, Bella, just don't get upset if he doesn't want to talk to me! He still has images of guns and fantasies about shooting me!"_

We went down to the kitchen and I phoned my dad while Edward made me breakfast. I had slept in and it was already 10 AM here, so I should be able to still catch him at home before he left for work.

"_Dad, Hi! I'm good, how are you this morning? No, nothing new going on here, well, except that I got a new house! Yes, house! Edward had it built for me as a surprise so that we didn't have to live with his parents! No, no, dad, it isn't far from them. Just down the hill a bit, really. Yes, I'm doing much better, I have a smaller cast on my leg now. Yes. Dad, Edward has just finished making breakfast for me, and I'm going to eat it while it is hot, but Dad . . . Edward wants to talk to you!"_

"_All yours, baby!"_, I said as I handed him the phone, "_He seems to be in a great mood!"_

"_Chief Swan, Good morning!"_, he said as he walked out onto the porch and away from my ears.

"_Yes, Sir, that's what I was calling about. Dad spoke to you about it then. Good. I just thought, after all she has been through, it would be nice to have you here for her birthday. No, no party really, she hates that. Yes Sir, there is a ticket waiting for you at the on call. Friday, yes sir. We will pick you up in Atlanta. No sir, I haven't given any thought to the car. I guess we'll have to figure that out. Yes, and thank you, Chief. Bella will be really happy to see you! Goodbye."_

Edward looked like a kid with candy as he walked back to the kitchen to tell me he was coming!. I was bounding off the walls I was so happy. _ "Is Sue coming? Is mom coming? Edward, tell me!" _

"_Charlie is coming on Friday, love, I don't know about Sue. We can call him back and invite her if you want, and I haven't invited Phil or Renee - but that's a great idea if you want to call and invite them up!"_

"_Edward, this only gives me a few days! The house is perfect, so at least I don't need to clean anything, but what do we do if Sue or Mom comes along, can we put beds in the other rooms for them?"_

"_Anything you want, love. I can have beds in the rooms tomorrow if you decide you want them, but you have to pick them out, along with the rest of the furniture for the house, I have chosen too much of it without you already! Why don't you call and see if Sue will come, and your mom so that we can arrange flights, then we will worry about where they sleep."_

"_You're right. I'll call. Then I need to make a grocery list and decide what to cook!"_

"_Speaking of cooking, love. I know you slept in and just had breakfast, but Esme is fixing lunch for you at the other house. We should go up there after you make your calls, alright? I need to sit with the computer in the office for a little while. Make your calls then come get me!"_

**EPOV**

I was surprised the conversation had gone off at all with Charlie. She was right, he felt forced to talk to me once she handed me the phone and as much as he hated me, he couldn't turn down the opportunity to see her on her birthday. After all, he would be checking to see if I was taking care of her properly and he probably was still in shock at the idea of us having our own house, I hadn't counted on her telling him that! He had taken comfort in the fact that Carlisle would be in the house with her, he must be worried now that she isn't being looked after.

I clicked on the computer to tend to finances. Jasper had taken over looking after the financial accounts and investments along with Alice while I had been gone. It was a job that Alice and I normally handled.

Years ago, before the stock market fell before the war, I had occupied my time by hanging out on Wall street and picking the brain of the top financial advisers of the time. Mind reading came in handy when it came to purchasing and investing. I had managed quite well, using the funds left to me by my parents and the substantial income Carlisle made as a doctor. It was a hobby, really, as together, Carlisle and I had all the funds we would ever need coming into us already. Alice joining our family meant the addition of her being able to predict trends and see the future of potential investments.

Our financial worth catapulted into eight, nine, even ten figures. I kept the monies in various accounts around the world, invested under the names of all the members of the family. Individual accounts were set up, of course, for any spending needs we might have and we all had our own checking accounts and credit cards, in addition to the household accounts.

I had set up an account for Bella as son as we had arrived back here from the hospital, but there had been no need to discuss money. I had told her that everything that was mine was hers, and she knew I was somewhat well off, but as she was injured, she had not expressed any interest in buying anything or even wanting to shop on the Internet. I had a folder waiting for her, here on the desk in our office with her new drivers license, credit card, check book and bank statements. I had included a copy of my bank statement for my individual account as well as one for a joint account I had opened for us to run the house out of, and a list of our personal assets, in case she wanted to know or be a part of the decision making in that regard. I wanted us to be partners in every way. I knew Bellas' family had always had to watch their pennies and that she was not accustomed to being able to buy anything she wanted, when she wanted. I was concerned that it would upset her. Even with Alices' spending, my family could not begin to spend even the interest off our investments. Bella never had to worry about money. Ever.

"_I called Dad back",_ she said as she entered our study and came to sit on my lap, _"He is coming alone, he wants to wait and maybe bring Sue for Christmas, but Mom and Phil would like to come up! I just wondered if I should tell her to drive, or . . . what to do, I didn't know if we could send her plane tickets or even if you might want to!"_

"_Sweetheart, why don't you see what she wants to do. If she would rather fly, you can go on line and have tickets waiting for her at the airport. We're picking you Dad up in Atlanta, anyway so whatever you and she want to do is great with me! I think it is about an 8 or 9 hour drive from Jacksonville to here, and if they would rather drive you could send them a card for gas!"_

"_Edward, can we afford that? I mean, you just built us this house! You did this, right, not Carlisle?"_

"_Love, I may look 17, but I promise you my bank account doesn't reflect it!"_

I looked into her eyes and kissed her forehead. I guess now was as good a time as any to discuss money.

"_Bella, I paid for the house and everything in it from our joint account, yours and mine. We can go and buy whatever you want for the house and purchase anything you desire and it probably won't even make a dent in the account. If you want your parents here, by all means, have first class tickets waiting for them at the airport and don't even give it a second thought."_

"_Edward!"_, she exclaimed, starring at me with her eyes wide in disbelief.

"_Bella, the envelope there on your desk has a copy of all our current bank statements along with checks for your personal account as well as our joint account. There is a new drivers license and passport there as well, in the name of Isabella Marie Cullen, and a credit card that has no limit."_

She just starred at me in disbelief. _"Edward . . . I . . . but . . . it's your"_

"_Stop! Stop right there!"_, I told her putting two fingers against her lips to quiet her. _ "What is mine is now yours, we're married. That's how it is supposed to work and you'll need to get used to having money, Bella."_

"_Edward! Money is not just unlimited, you have to be careful with it and . . . "_

I reached over to my computer and pulled up our joint account. It was a little low from the expenses incurred in building the house, but there was still well over half a million dollars in it. She starred at the screen in disbelief. I clicked over to her account and showed her the half million I had put there, in case she wanted cash for something. She almost passed out.

"_I told you, love, you can buy anything you want. These are just our regular checking accounts, not our investment accounts or holdings or stocks. We also have several dozen homes all over the world. I have had 80 years or so to do this, love. You really do never have to worry about money again. Ever. If you want to be involved, we can invest together, if it interests you, other wise, Alice and I do all the finances for everyone in the family."_

"_I had no idea, I mean . . . I knew you didn't worry about money, but I had no idea you were the financial wizard behind the funds! I must say that I am impressed beyond belief, my husband! I didn't know I married a multi millionaire! You never fail to surprise me! Who would have thought it, and at only seventeen!_", I snickered.

"_Billionaire, thank you very much if you are going to bring my youthful appearance into it!",_ I chided, laughing at her.

She walked around to the front of her desk and opened the envelope like an excited child at Christmas, complimenting my choice of check designs and soft leather checkbooks for her - one in brown and the other in tan, her favorite desert colors. She put the checkbooks, statements and passport into the drawer and left the credit card and drivers license on the desk. Her mood changed on a dime, and I saw tears in her eyes! I jumped up and had my arms around her in a flash,

"_Bella, what's wrong, love?" _

"_Nothing, sweetheart, absolutely nothing is wrong! I'm just so happy! I can't help it, I just can't believe everything that has happened! I love you so very much, Edward, with all my heart. You are all I ever wanted, and I can have you forever! I have married a man that I love, who loves me, will always have the body and sex drive of a seventeen year old, never tires, has limitless funds and can offer me eternity as well. That about sums it up," _I mused, _"oh and a family I love as well . . . forever!"_

I smiled her favorite crooked smile, hugged her to me and lifted her from the ground so that I didn't have to bend to kiss her lips.

"_Edward, if you own properties around the world, why did all of you choose to move here and design a new house in Highlands? Why not go to an existing house?", _she asked looking confused.

"_When we left Forks, Carlisle and Esme thought it would be easier for me if we went somewhere new, a fresh start with new surroundings."_

"_But it didn't work,"_ she stated.

"_No, it didn't. I couldn't be here with them." _ I knew she was going to ask and I would have to explain, and I had been dreading this for weeks.

"_Where did you go?"._

It was a simple question, I could give her a simple answer, but there was so much more to tell her.

"_Come, lets go sit on the sofa so that you can be more comfortable. You aren't really supposed to stand on that leg much yet, you know, even if the cast is smaller."_

We moved to the sofa and I put my arm on the backrest and turned to face her, her hands in my lap.

"_Bella, I spent most of the time that I was gone from you . . . ",_ I stopped. I had to start over.

"_Sweetheart I don't even want to tell you because I don't want you to know just how badly I handled everything."_

She cupped my chin in the palm of one of her hands and gently ran the fingers of her other hand through my hair. I looked up to meet her gaze. She deserved to know, I wanted no secrets between us, I just didn't want her to think less of me for acting so badly and being so wrong about everything . . . inflicting so much pain on both of us because of my foolish notion that I was right.

"_I spent most of the time apart from you curled up in an attic in an abandoned building in Rio."_

There, I had said it. I hoped she wouldn't walk out the door and leave, realizing just how crazy I had been.

"_Please don't leave me" _

I said it quietly, not knowing if she would hear me or even if I wanted her to hear me. If I could have cried, tears would have been streaming down my face. I sobbed regardless. My wife was the most amazing woman on the planet. She pulled my face to her breast and wrapped her arms around me, still stroking my hair and gently rocking our bodies back and forth.

"_Sweetheart, I won't ever leave you. I can't live without you, either, remember!" _

She continued to rock us gently back and forth, holding me to her.

"_I'm just so very sorry that I put us through all that pain, you and my family! I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted you safe, Bella, I only feared for your safety. I'm so sorry I was unreasonable about what you wanted, about changing you. I need you love, please don't ever leave me!"_

She nuzzled her face in my hair and kissed my head and forehead as she continued to stroke me and rock us back and forth. _"Edward, why Rio?"_, she asked softly. Was there no end to the horrible things I had to tell her, of my incompetence.

"_I had been tracking Victoria, intending to end her, and I lost her trail there."_

"_Victoria! Edward! Why would you do that!" _She pulled back slightly to look into my eyes.

"_I didn't want her to continue existing after she had tried to hurt you."_

She was quiet for a long time, then she spoke oh so softly,

"_Edward, what made you decide to come back?"_

I pulled away from her and looked into her beautiful chocolate eyes.

"_I just could not go another hour or even minute without you. Nothing else mattered but you. I hallucinated about you and woke up kissing the cobwebs on my knee. I told myself I was just going to check on you, to make sure you were alright. I hadn't fed in months and after I did and my head cleared somewhat, I realized I was going to find you and beg you to take me back."_

She was crying, but I continued.

"_I fed again in Houston, at Alice's insistence. I had called her from the airport in Rio and told her I was going to find you. My family hadn't heard from me in weeks, and Alice hadn't been able to see me, so they were all worried as well. When I got to Seattle, I went to your house and Charlie told me you were gone, that you had left with Jacob. I left him the car keys and walked away. Alice says she and Jasper found me in our meadow and after a few weeks were able to convince me that they would help me find you if I would only try. And that's what happened. I had a private investigator and a staff of four looking for you in addition to my family. We had been to the telephone booth that you used to call Charlie in Alabama, and then Emmett was going to the races because he and Rose were obsessing over some small little girl that had been winning races on Harleys!" _ I smirked as I said the last part about the races.

"_Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry."_

"_You have nothing to be sorry for, love. It was entirely my fault, and I am just so thankful that you forgave me and that you are with me . . . wife!"_

"_You left keys with Charlie? Keys to what?"_

I smiled sheepishly at her, I had all but forgotten the car, _"I bought you a car."_

"_You bought me a CAR?",_ she exclaimed, looking at me with her head cocked to one side, "_Why on earth would you leave keys to a car that you bought me . . . Edward . . . this makes no sense!"_

"_Well, some guys bring candy and flowers, I brought you a car! You weren't there, so I just left it. I hadn't thought about it till just now when I was telling you about being at Charlie', but yes . . . I bought you a car. I thought maybe your truck would have died and you might need one."_

"_Edward! A Car!"_

"_Bella, in my defense, it's a really fast car!"_

Just then I heard a truck turning into what would be our driveway once the concrete was poured. Bella heard it as well.

"_What's that truck doing here?"_, she asked as she peered out the window.

"_Just delivering the materials to finish the garage, love. I hadn't planned to show you the house till after this weekend, when everything was completed. The garage still isn't finished."_

"_You're making no sense, baby",_ I said as I pulled him by the hand thru the kitchen to the door that led to the attached garage. We walked into the garage and I flipped on the light. Edward's Austin Martin sat there beside the Volvo. I turned to look at him, my head cocked as I gestured to the cars and the garage they were parked in.

"_See. Full. Where is your car supposed to go? We have no space for motorcycles! Obviously, we need more room!"_

My wife nearly fell to the floor she laughed so hard at me. She couldn't even get her breath!

I kicked at the floor with my hands in the front pockets of my jeans as I waited for her to calm down. I was being serious and practical and she was laughing.

"_I understand why the Vanquish has to have a garage, but why can't my car . . . geez I can't believe I'm even saying this cause I don't even need a car, we have the Volvo, but whatever Edward . . .why can't my car sit outside?"_

I'm sure my mouth dropped open when I looked at her, I just didn't understand or maybe she didn't understand. _"Bella, I bought you an R8! It can't just sit outside!"_

My wife sauntered over to me and put her arms around my waist. _"Why can't the Volvo sit outside then?_

I just looked at her dumbfounded. Leave my car outside! OUTSIDE? Never.

"_Edward, I don't speak Car and Driver! What kind of car did you get for me?"_

"_I bought you a midnight blue Audi R8. It's a two seated sports car, sweetheart."_

"_I take it by the way you reverently say the name, that it is also an expensive car, am I right? I want to know. How much did you spend on the car, Edward?"_

"_Not as much as on my Vanquish!",_ I threw that out there to dissuade her. It didn't work!

"_How much?"_

"_Alright, a hundred and twenty thousand . . . or so . . . "_, I mumbled hoping it would help.

"_Edward!"_ I almost ducked to avoid the wrath that I was sure was headed my way. She moved her arms from my waist up to encircle my neck, playing with the hair at the back of my neck, and kissed me. Really kissed me. Hard. _"Thank you, sweetheart!"_

I looked at her astounded. Her response shocked me so completely that my knees nearly buckled, almost knocking a vampire on his ass. She shrugged her shoulders and said, _"If I am going to be with you forever, I suppose I had better get used to accepting gifts nicely, and I love blue! Come on, show me where the other garage is going!"_

Did I mention that I really really loved this woman!


	4. Chapter 4 Charlie

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 4 Charlie**

**Charlie POV**

"_Charlie is coming on Friday, love, I don't know about Sue. We can call him back and invite her if you want and I haven't invited Phil or Renee - but that's a great idea if you want to call and invite them up!"_

~oo0oo~

"_So it's all ready then?,_" I asked Sue as I came into Bella's room.

"_All cleaned with fresh linens",_ Sue turned to look at me, _"but I don't want you to get you hopes up, Charlie! She may not want to come back here at all!"_

"_Sue, come on. She has been gone six months. She's been there with him for over two months, you know she has to be homesick and missing her room! He has had to wait on her hand and foot what with her injuries and her leg in that cast and all. Carlisle says that Edward hasn't let anyone else help very much, so you know he is getting sick of tending to her!"_

"_Charlie, he may love her and want to take care of her, and she . . . "_

"_Sue!,"_ I interrupted,

"_No, you listen to me Charlie Swan, she MARRIED him. She loves him, and it just may be that he loves her and WANTS to take care of her!"_

"_Don't be ridiculous, Sue. The boy is 18. No eighteen year old wants that, and even though they're married, you know when she has so many broken bones and that cast on her leg, he can't be . . . um, you know . . . he can't be getting anything out of it . . . not yet! I want her home before that happens. She is just a kid, Sue. She needs a chance to be a kid, grow up, she hasn't even gotten her diploma from high school yet for goodness sake!"_

She walked over and put her arms around me, _"Charlie, I just want you to realize that it may not turn out the way you are thinking!"_

"_I'm her dad, Sue,"_ I told her, _"It will be fine!"_

I grabbed my bag from my room and started down the stairs to set it by the front door. Sue was driving me to the airport in Seattle this morning, she had been there for me during this entire ordeal ever since Billy had died and Bella had left. Even before that really, I had been there for her when Harry had died last year. I was real glad to have her around, it had been a long time since anyone had taken care of me, well, other than Bella. I had to pick up my ticket at 'will call' whatever that was and Sue and I were going to sort that out together.

It was kind of a tense ride. Sue seemed to think that I didn't have a good grip on the situation, but I knew my daughter. She could be head strong, and she had always seemed irrational when it came that to this boy, but surely in this length of time she would have seen through him, seen the light and I was sure she would be willing to do the right thing now that she had plenty of time to think it over! I had told everyone here that she was in a rehabilitation hospital, so her story was covered here, she wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone.

We arrived, parked, and found the 'will call' with not a lot of effort. I gave them my name, showed them my id, and the agent cheerfully handed me my ticket. It as a first class ticket. FIRST CLASS. Well, that certainly wasn't Bella. Bella was tight with money, just like me, partly out of necessity and partly because she was raised to not waste money. Sue looked at the ticket and starred at me, shrugged her shoulders,

"_Just enjoy the time with your daughter, Charlie! Just try and reconnect with her and have a good time!" _

I hugged her and got on the plane. Sure was different to be in the front of the plane. Drinks and food were offered right away, well, it was a long flight and they were serving a meal as well. I was anxious about seeing Bella. I talked to her almost every day but seeing her was something else entirely. I leaned back and tried to take it easy. I guess we would just see how things were when I got there and then figure it out.

As I went to collect my bags, I saw Bella standing just behind the short wall, waiving to greet me. He was there, his arm around her as she waved enthusiastically to me. I grabbed my bag and went to meet them -

This might be more difficult than I thought.

**BPOV**

I was so excited about my dad's visit! Edward always seemed to think of everything! I was walking on cloud 9 lately. Edward was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. His family had lovingly excepted me into their midst, and I already thought of them as my family. We had our own absolutely gorgeous home and Edward and I had spent the last week decorating the upstairs bedrooms to prepare for our visitors.

I sighed as I remembered the reason we had to replace the bed in the guestroom. I hadn't noticed the afternoon it had happened, and Edward had moved us to our bedroom to sleep for the night, so I had not woken up there. When I had gone in the next day to change the sheets and spread, I was horrified at what I found. Well, not so much at what I found as at the fact that I had not heard or noticed it when it happened. The thick wood sleigh bed had chunks torn out of the headboard. It appeared as though someone had simply ripped the two inch thick wood apart with their bare hands. Chunks were missing, places that were gripped as though to pull up on and too much pressure had been applied, splintering chunks off of the once beautiful headboard. It had to have made noise . . . it would have been terrifying to see. I had been so focused on what I was doing, I hadn't seen or noticed the full effect that putting my mouth on Edward had elicited.

I am apparently exceptionally unobservant when I am otherwise occupied.

I heard his moans, of course, I felt him writhing beneath me and I had known that he tried to pull away from me, but I had crawled up him as he moved, not allowing him to escape before he found his release. I loved the way my husband tasted and I loved that I could drive him that crazy. Edward had always held his physical reactions in check around me, making me wonder if he even wanted me physically at all. I was wrong. My husband was an extremely passionate man, and an even more passionate vampire!

I waved wildly when I saw my dad reaching for his luggage on the turnaround in the airport. He smiled at me, then seemed to scowl when he noticed Edward with me. I would have a talk with him. He would see just how wonderful Edward was, and how happy I was.

**Charlie POV**

"_Bella! Um I'm so glad to see you! You look great!",_ I said as I hugged her tight.

"_Edward",_ I nodded my head in his direction as he picked up my bag and gestured that we should head for the car.

"_Glad you could make it, Chief Swan. How was your flight?" _

"_Good, it was good. Really something that first class, you didn't needed to do that."_

"_Dad, I made the reservation for you! I'm so excited to see you! Mom and Phil will be here in a couple of days, they had to wait till after Phil played in a weekend game, and they wanted to drive._

"_Bella, you don't need to be spending your money like that on me. Back of the bus gets here just the same time as the front. Besides, I didn't know drag racing was so profitable!",_ I said as we approached his car. It was the same Volvo that he had in Forks, and the same car he had driven her away from the hospital in. I started to say something about the blue car he had left in my driveway six months ago, but I decided that discussion was better left for another time!

"_Dad, I had not given that any thought! I think Jake said something about money for me, or racing pay, but I just told him to hang onto it till I saw him! I told him we would talk about all that, and the wreck when he came for a visit. I haven't discussed racing with anyone yet dad, even Edward. Everyone has been kind enough to not ask questions and let me just start to talk about things in my own time."_

"_I have just concentrated on my husband and recovering from the wreck, and now my new house! Can you believe it, dad! Edward built me a house while i was recuperating! Wait till you see it!" _She was so excited and so happy. She looked good and the boy still could not keep his eyes off of her.

Getting her to come home with me might just be harder than I thought.

Bella insisted I sit in the front seat with Edward so that I could see the scenery on the way to the house. I think it made the boy just as uncomfortable as it made me. She slipped into the back seat behind him and put her arms around his neck.

"_Fasten your seat belt, Bella, no need in not being safe!", _I said in an effort to get her to let go of him.

I have to admitthat the ride was really pretty. Tall majestic oaks with their canopies covering the rolling hills that seemed to steadily get taller and more pronounced the further North we went. A couple of hours out of Atlanta and we were surrounded by the beginnings of the Appalachian Mountains. We headed up a small two lane curvy road for the last few miles, then turned off on a gravel drive. Before me was a beautiful new two story white house with a covered front porch and enclosed breezeway to the garage. It was the perfect compliment to the surrounding forest. The front yard was actually a long expanse of field with what looked like about a three acre lake on the far end bordering the forest. The house itself sat nestled in tall old oak trees on a slight rise so that the front field and lake looked like they were in a valley, spread out before it.

After helping Bella up the few steps to the front porch, Edward disappeared inside with my bag and headed up the stairs leaving me alone with my daughter. I looked around the downstairs. Leather sofas and recliners were tastefully grouped facing the fireplace, bar style counter top separating the kitchen area and dining room and what appeared to be a study or library off of the other side of the room. Bells was so excited, just waiting for my response.

"_You are our first guest, Dad! Let me show you the upstairs!"_

"_You don't need to do that, Bells, how's the leg coming along anyway?"_

"_It's fine, Dad. Carlisle changed my cast just last week to this smaller one. I can even get it wet in the bathtub with me . . . so much easier than wrapping the cast in plastic and worrying the whole shower that you are going to get all the padding in it wet and have to have a new one put on or worrying Edward that I am going to fall!"_

She headed up the stairs, determined as ever. Why should that surprise me, you would think I was used to that about her! My suitcase was in a large room with a four post bed decorated in cream and light blue.

"_This is really pretty, Bells!",_ I told her.

"_You really think so, Dad? Esme did the decorating downstairs and Edward picked our our furniture as a surprise to me, but I picked out the furniture and the colors in here! Well, Edward and I did. I had you in mind when I went with blue! I'm so glad you like it!"_, she said as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me.

The other guest room was pretty, pale beige and creams with a little green or rust color added as an accent, but what was stunning was her room. My daughters bedroom was the size of my entire upstairs and then some! The huge canopied bed that covered one wall was amazing, looked like it was made of wrought iron, the four posts covered in trailing vines of roses, all of wrought iron and all painted black. Real pretty, but not what you would think a man would choose. The bathroom was huge, complete with jacuzzi tub and I glanced into what appeared to be a closet on the way out. It was filled with women's clothes, huge amounts of clothes! All this was a lot to take in but as I came back into her bedroom, I stopped cold.

There was a large framed photo, no, it was a painting, of my daughter and Edward. It hung over the fireplace in their room. They were just sitting on a bench looking at each other, trees and a river in the background - probably in the backyard of the Cullen's house in Forks - but it was the look on their faces that had caused me to freeze. Why had I not noticed it a year ago, almost two years ago. There was no mistaking the fact that the two people in the picture were in love.

Getting her to come home with me might just be hard to do.

Edward walked into the room, encircling my daughters waist with his arms and kissing her on the neck before looking at me. _"Do you like it, Chief?", _he asked politely.

"_It's something, I'll say that for you, it is really something!"_

"_Dad, do you need to freshen up? I have diner cooked and I thought we could eat, then go up and say hello to Carlisle and Esme. Is that alright with you?", she asked as she held his hands in hers._

"_Sure, Bells. I'll be down in a minute, ok?"_

I washed my face and hung up a couple of shirts and slacks to make sure they were not too wrinkled for her birthday party in a few days and sat down on the bed. It was a really nice room. It was a REALLY nice house. The boy was in love with her, he wore it on his sleeve. You'd have to be blind not to see it.

Yea, getting her to come home with me might be really hard to do . . . but I had to try.

**EPOV**

"_He hates me!"_, I said into her hair, her arms wrapping tightly around me.

"_Sweetheart, he doesn't even know you. He just sees you as the guy that took his little girl away from him and he thinks we're too young!"_, she kissed my neck and up my jaw, reaching for my lips. I bent my head and kissed her lightly, sighing into her hair.

She cocked her head to one side, _"We could tell him you're 110 and see if he still feels you're too young!"_, she said with a sparkle in her eyes, teasing me.

"_Lets do that! We can also tell him that I'm an immortal vampire and you will be too one day and we will live happily ever after forever!"_

"_Edward! Maybe we shouldn't spill ALL of that, not all at one time!",_ she laughed, going along with the humor in my words, _"Alright, we will just tell him that we will live happily ever after . . . forever!"_, she stated matter of factly.

"_What's that about happily forever?"_ Bella turned to see her father standing at the door to the kitchen, glaring at us with our arms around each other by the table that Bella was setting.

I stroked her back and quickly dipped my head to whisper in her ear, _"It's okay, that's all he heard, not to worry!"_

"_Just Edward and I, Dad. We were just talking about how we got our happily ever after, after all."_

Charlie's mind raced as she said that. His mind immediately started going through images of how bad off Bella was the last time I left her and thoughts of how bad it would be when it happened again. There was a time and not too long ago when these images would have sent me crumbling to the ground, my knees giving way. I had to remind myself that she was here, safe with me and that the pain was in the past. She had forgiven me for it and we were past it!

He seemed to have no doubt that something would happen to break us up. I concentrated on his thoughts. Charlie had always been difficult for me to read for some reason, maybe in part it was what led to Bella being totally unreadable for me. The predominant thought in his head right now was his intention to take Bella home with him.

With him.

Without me.

My wife was standing in our kitchen, in our home, telling her father that she had gotten her happily ever after and his thoughts were of how to take her home with him, away from me.

I filled with rage. The hair on my neck stood up, I tightened my arms around Bella as she stood by me . . . I was certain my eyes were black**. **No one would ever come between Bella and me again, no one. I needed to respond to his spoken word, not his thoughts. I had to try hard to remember that as I spoke.

"_We got our happily ever after and we will NEVER be apart from each other again. It almost killed both of us",_ I said directly to Charlie as I starred at him.

His thoughts momentarily blanked. He saw something in my eyes at that moment, something that even he did not want to argue with. Good.

Bella moved to loosen my grip on her so that she could finish moving the food to the table. As we sat down to dinner Charlie's thoughts shifted to something a little milder, his missing Bella's cooking, how good dinner smelled, how much better Bella looked . . . Bella brought plates of spaghetti to each of us and put garlic bread on the table. She had placed half a piece of bread, hidden under spaghetti on one end, so that it would look like I had eaten half of it, as soon as I moved the sauce off the top. Inventive. It also served to make it look like I had more spaghetti than I really did. She had been kind, I really had very little on my plate! I really loved this woman.

I moved the food around on the plate and even chewed and swallowed several bites as we made small talk.

"_Seems nice here, warm in the days and cool evenings. Not raining all the time like at home, huh Bells! I bet you miss home don't you!"_

"_Right, Dad, you know I hate the rain!"_, Bella frowned, _"Actually, it rains here almost every afternoon during the summer, but it is only for an hour or two then back to sunshine. The southern Appalachian mountains are actually a temperate rain forest, Dad!"_

"_That so, well, at least you are used to the rain!"_, Charlie offered, _"This is real good, Bells, real good." _

Charlie spoke without looking up, like he wanted to compliment her, but he didn't want to do or say anything that would make her think that he approved of her being here. It was a tough place he had put himself in, on the one hand, he wanted his daughter to realize that she needed to be home with him and leave this madness, but on the other he needed her to know that he was proud of her, thought she was amazing, loved her cooking, and he even thought the area was beautiful, along with the weather. Actually, he could find no fault with anything that he had seen yet, and it was driving him mad.

"_Let's go out on the porch and have dessert, Dad"_, Bella said as she got to her feet.

"_I'll clean up here, sweetheart, if you want to go and sit with your dad,_" I told her as I got to my feet and lightly kissed her lips. They disappeared through the door and I had everything cleaned and put away in moments.

I just couldn't believe her Dad! I waited a few minutes then stuck my head out the door, _"Ready to go see Carlisle?"_, I asked both of them. We used the car rather than my carrying her up the trail and raising suspicion as to how I could do that and not even break a sweat.

Carlisle and Esme were on the porch as we pulled up and welcomed Charlie to their home. Bella and I waited downstairs as Charlie got the grand tour of the house. The furniture that Bella and I had used downstairs had been moved upstairs to the bedroom that was originally intended for me, and the room that had served as Bella's room to recuperate in had been returned to a dining room, for show.

"_Eddie, how's it going with the in laws visiting?",_ Emmett laughed as he asked. Bella and I sat on the sofa in the den. Jasper noticed my tension and tried to calm me, as Rose smirked.

"_Everything is fine, Emmett, just fine."_, Bella answered as she looked at me, her eyes insistent. She was determined to make it fine. Emmett's thoughts betrayed him. He didn't buy it for a minute. He saw my face and read the tension there.

"_Don't worry",_ Alice added, "_Charlie will come around in time!"_

"_I hope so Alice",_ Bella sighed,_ "he just seems so tense and like there is something he isn't saying. Edward says he still hates him and I'm really hoping to change that!"_

"_Don't hope for too much change there, Bella. Charlie still sees Edward as having taken you away from him. It may take time for him to come around, even if Edward is putting his best foot forward and trying to make himself likable."_

We all watched the sunset from the back porch. It was absolutely beautiful, as always. The last rays of the sun danced across the valley floor as the peaks of the distant mountains slowly blocked out it's rays.

I stood and turned to Bella, offering her my hand,_ "Let's go home, sweetheart, it's getting late!"_

We stood and headed toward the door, Charlie saying his goodbyes and following us to the car. I pulled into the garage and we entered the house.

"_Charlie, is there anything we can get for you before we go to bed?"_, I asked him politely, _"Please help yourself to anything you want and make yourself at home!"_

He glared at me momentarily, wiping the look off his face before Bella noticed it. His thoughts were clear. The only thing he wanted from me was my absence.

"_Well, you remember where your room is I'm sure, Dad, and the TV remote is on the table if you want to watch a game or the news or something." She_ walked over to him and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, _"Goodnight, Dad."_

"_Goodnight, Chief",_ I said as I put my arm around my wife and we headed toward the stairs. At the foot of the stairs, I lifted her bridal style, kissed her and carried he to our room. I smiled, knowing he was watching and fuming over it. He still just didn't get it. She was about to celebrate her 19th birthday. We were young, from all appearances, but we were married and he needed to accept that we were going to STAY married . . . and together!

**BPOV**

I was overcome as the door closed, desperate with my desire for him. My hand grasped his hair as I pulled him to me with all my might, kissing him as passionately as I was able. He carried me to our bed and put me down beside it, never breaking our kiss. When I needed air, he trailed kisses down my jaw and toward my ear.

"_What's all this about, love"_, he whispered into my ear.

"_I just really, really love you!"_, I cupped his face in my hands and said it again, _"I really love you, Mr. Cullen! Thank you for finding me!"_

"_I would have searched to the ends of the earth for you, Mrs. Cullen,"_ he said as he stood and gently removed his clothing and mine. He wrapped his arms around me and gently pushed, causing me to fall backwards into our bed in his arms. _"Goodnight, sweetheart",_ he said as he snuggled my head against his chest.

I waited.

"_Edward, what are you doing?"_

"_Letting you get some sleep, love. Why do you ask?"_

"_Edward. You have made love to me every morning before we have left this room and each evening when I went to bed, every day since you first showed me this house over a week ago. What's different today? Are you alright? Have I upset you in some way?"_

"_Love, no, of course no", _he propped up on one elbow, his head in his hand and the other hand gently tracing circles on my chest and playing with my breast._ "You have done nothing wrong and I'm not upset with you at all. I just figured that with your Dad so close by you wouldn't want him to hear us", _he starred down at his hand rather than looking into my eyes.

"_You're absolutely right, sweetheart . . . ",_ she said as she rolled over onto me, _"Better be kinda quiet!"_

~oooOooo~

Charlie wandered around the downstairs for awhile, admiring my new house and looking in the library before he climbed the stairs to his room. As he looked around the room and noticed what good taste his daughter had and remembered the glow on her face tonight when she was with him. Yea,

Getting her to come home with me might just be harder than I thought.


	5. Chapter 5  Early Surprises

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 5 Early Surprises**

**Charlie POV**

I woke to the smell of coffee coming from downstairs. I had no idea what time it was, as it was still dark outside, but I slipped on my jeans and a t shirt and headed downstairs. I might have a chance to catch Bella alone so that I could talk some sense into her. I had to admit though, I couldn't remember ever seeing her happier. She was so proud of her decorating job in the guest room I had used . . . and it was a real good job she had done on it, and this house was something, I'd give him that, the boy had good taste. As I entered the hallway and headed for the stairs I saw no light under what would have been Bellas bedroom door at the far end of the hall. The house was designed so that all the guest rooms were on one side of the house and the master bedroom had its own side of the house. Privacy, I suppose. She was getting around much better than I thought she would at this point and that damned 18 year old boy right there with her, sleeping with her . . . alone. God knows if she had been able to keep him off of her or not . . . or even if she wanted to keep him away. Damn, she was only 18, surely I had raised her better and they weren't having sex, she had better sense than that. She had to know to wait, to save that for the right person . . . husband even. Son of a bitch, I keep forgetting he IS her husband. Damn him.

Sue was right, getting her to come home with is going to be harder than I thought.

I shook my head as I turned from starring at their door and headed down the stairs. I couldn't let myself get caught up in this house or her infatuation with him. I knew what was best for my daughter and she was coming home with me, she had years ahead of her to have a house and husband, one that would not leave her and hurt her the way Edward had. She would find a nice young man in a few years and I would have to let her go, but not now, not when she was still a teenager!

I found my way into the kitchen with my mind set that I would speak to Bells now if she were alone, before the party tomorrow. She would probably be relieved that I understood and had everything waiting for her at home. I turned the corner to find Alice sitting at the kitchen counter staring into a steaming cup of coffee that she held between both of her hands.

"_Good morning, Charlie!"_

"_Alice! Nice to see you this morning, where is Bella?",_ I said as I looked around the kitchen and saw no one else.

"_Bella?"_, Alice laughed, smirked really, _"Edward tries to get her to sleep as late as possible, she needs her rest still to continue to improve."_

"_Right, I know that's right, Alice. I guess I just remember her always being up when I got up or before and when I smelled the coffee, I thought it was Bella down here."_

She looked at me like there was something I was missing. _"Charlie",_ she said kind of quietly, _"Even if she was awake they wouldn't be down here this early. They have only been in this house a little over a week and getting them to come out of their bedroom can be a challenge! They are newlyweds, after all!"_

"_Alice!"_, I damned near dropped the coffee I was pouring for myself, _"Surely you don't mean that he is taking advantage of her while she is injured and all!"_ I brought my coffee over to the counter and stood on the opposite side of it to face Alice.

"_Charlie, we need to talk. Let me fix you some breakfast."_

Before I cold protest, Alice had eggs broken in a bowl and toast in the toaster. I sat down with my coffee. _"You seem to be under the impression that Edward is somehow forcing Bella to be with him, Charlie."_

"_No. Alice, I know he isn't forcing her, I have eyes. She just isn't thinking clearly right now is all."_

"_Does she seem coherent?"_

"_Well, yea, I guess she does, Alice."_

"_Have you seen the look on her face, Charlie, have you taken the time to see the light in your daughters eyes?"_

"_Well, yea, I can see that, Alice. Bells seems real happy, that's for sure. I guess I have never really seen her like this, now that you mention it",_ I mused, _"But Alice, that doesn't make it right. That boy will hurt her again, Alice, and I have to protect her from that. I'm her father, damn it!"_

Alice put a plate of eggs and bacon with toast in front of me, steaming hot. It smelled great and I picked up my fork as she sat across from me and folded her hands on the table. _"Charlie, I know you think of us all as kids, and I know that you just want what is best for your daughter. She is my friend, Charlie, and I want that, too. You need to open your eyes and look around. She has everything that most women spend their lives looking for and working towards. Let's look at it from your eyes, father's view."_

"_Alice . . . ",_ I tried to interrupt. _"Hear me out!"_, she said. _"Bella has a husband that loves her more than anything else in the world, as she loves him. She has financial security, the type of finances that you as a parent could only hope for your child, and a new family that adores her. All you need to do is open your eyes and let go of the idea that she is only 19. She is happy, Charlie, can't you see how much they love each other? Doesn't it just ooze from every room they are in?"_

"_Just because Edward's dad is rich, Alice, you really can't use that. It's not like he worked for all this,"_ I gestured around me.

"_Yes, Charlie, he did. As a matter of face, Edward helped physically build this house, Charlie, in addition to paying for it. OPEN YOUR EYES! My brother is something of a financial genius and just because he doesn't flaunt it or talk about it or let everyone know about it in Forks does not mean he isn't amazing! He has always kept to himself until now, always alone, Charlie. Oh sure, he went to school, but other than that he played his piano and managed our family's finances . . . alone."_

I starred at her, Alice was on a roll and I guess I had never really taken the time to think about Edward in any depth, other than how I would kill him if her hurt my daughter again and all the months of blaming him and hating him for how she was while he was gone.

"_Edward would never tell you this and he would never want Bella talking about it either, but I am going to tell you right now because something has to jar you to your senses! Yes, Charlie, Edward has money. He bought her the car and I told you it probably didn't even make a dent in his checking account. He opened a joint account for them and built this house out of it. Paid in full. Charlie, Edward is one of the richest men in this country, despite his age. He is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and because of his investments, so is the rest of the family. Carlisle works because he loves it, Charlie, not because he needs to. None of us do and it is all thanks to Edward!"_

I was stunned. I guess I really hadn't thought about what she said when she had left my house and mentioned the little blue car in the driveway. It was just hard to think of an 18 year old boy as a man even, much less as a breadwinner and financial expert. He was just a kid for God's sake, and what the hell did I care if he had money or not, I cared if he had my daughter!

"_If everyone has all that money, Alice, why did you move away from Forks, why did Edward leave her to begin with?"_

"_Carlisle loves his job, Charlie, and we all love Carlisle. We are a family and Edward was 17 years old, he had no choice but to go with the family when Carlisle took the other job offer. If my dad had realized how things were between Edward and Bella, he would have made a different decision, I assure you!" _

"_You came here with the idea that you would take your daughter home with you, I see it in your eyes and you need to think again. They are a part of each other and neither will survive long if they are apart, even a fool could see that - you lived through it, surely you don't want that kind of life for her! Watch them, Charlie, it is as clear as day and there for all to see if you will just open your eyes!"_, Alice's rant was abruptly interrupted by the sound of people clamoring through the front door and voices approaching the kitchen.

Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper walked into view.

"_Morning, Charlie!"_, Carlisle said as he extended his hand to shake Charlie's.

"_Ready for some fishing?"_, Emmett blurted out.

"_Fishing . . . today?"_, I thought about it and realized I had no gear with me.

"_We heard that there was great fishing here, Charlie, bass as well as trout from what I hear and we thought you might like to spend a day on the lakes and streams around here"_, Carlisle offered. _Bella is always talking about what a great fisherman you are and how much you love it so we were hoping you would come to the outfitters with us this morning and help us all get the right equipment, then go out and show us how to use it today! How about it, will you come?"_, Carlisle asked.

"_We all going?"_, I asked.

Edward walked into the room about then, pajama pants on and hair ruffled from sleep with my daughter right behind him in a robe. In what looked like just a robe. I fumed. I guess I really wasn't being very realistic was I, I thought to myself. She was married to the boy she loved and had pined away for for months and they were just moved into a home together . . . their home. Of course they were close, slept together and all.

I needed to face it . . . this was REALLY going to be harder than I thought!

"_Good morning, Dad",_ Bella said as she walked over and hugged me, _"What's all the noise about?"_

"_Man, I didn't expect to see you, little sister!",_ Emmett said as he picked Bella up and hugged her, _"You guys never come up for air this early if you ever even get out of bed these days!"_

Bella blushed a color that could not be healthy and Carlisle cleared his throat and looked away, as Jasper just chuckled.

"_Bella, darlin'"_, Jasper said in his Southern drawl, _"Don't let your obnoxious brother get to you, he wouldn't be downstairs at all if he was the newlywed!"_

Everyone laughed and Emmett admitted that probably was right. Edward moved to stand by my daughter and put his arms around her, hiding his face in her hair as she hid her face in his chest.

"_Enough with the teasing, guys! You know, I built us a separate house for a reason! You can quit embarrassing my wife any time now!", _Edward told his brothers, seemingly annoyed.

I looked at him as he said this matter of factly . . . his wife. Huh.

He continued, _"Why are you all here this early, anyway, dad?'_

"_Fishing!",_ Carlisle said by way of explanation, _"We want to take Charlie fishing, all the guys. You, too, now that you are up!"_

"_So if we had stayed in bed, I would have missed out on this?",_ Edward said as he acted like he and Bella would sneak back off out the door and up the stairs to bed.

"_Oh no! You are up now and since you are, you can go fishing with the guys while Rose and I take Bella shopping!_", Alice was nearly jumping up and down as she said it.

"_Alice, I don't think Bella is ready to go shopping with you, she hasn't been out on that leg yet", _Edward said protectively as he still held his arms around her.

"_Edward! She is our family too, and you have to let go of her once in a while! You have been hogging all of her time! She will be fine while you are gone, now go get drest - you are holding up the fishing!", _Alice scolded.

We all got into the huge jeep that was waiting outside and headed to town. They were all hell bent on going and I was never one to complain when it came to fishing. That Edward though, I thought as I starred at him in the backseat, he looked like we were torturing him. Carlisle had a hard time getting him to come with us. Almost had to pry him away from my daughter, nearly one more kissed her to death in spite of the fact I was standing right there! Huh. He seemed like he really didn't want her on that foot to go shopping even though Carlisle had told him it would be fine, and he was the doctor that was taking care of it and all - he should know if it was alright! It was like it physically hurt him to be away from her. Well, they would get over that. It would pass, she would see as soon as I got her home. He was probably just used to making sure she was alright and feeling guilty about her. That's all this was I told myself.

The little town of Highlands was a lot like Forks in some ways. It had a personality all its own, built kind of rustic like back home but no logging going on that I could see. We turned into what looked like a thicket of rhododendron bushes, but turned out it was the parking lot just encircled by the tall plants. The store just said 'Outfitters' on the outside but it looked like the typical camping/hiking/fishing store that you would find in the mountains.

"_Dr. Cullen!"_, we were greeted by what appeared to be the owner - a tall thin man with greying hair named Alan. He shook hands with Carlisle as we were introduced._ "These are my sons, Emmett, Jasper and Edward, and this is Edward's father in law, Charlie." _ After all the introductions were made and the talking and nodding put behind us we got down to the business of getting fishing poles.

Carlisle asked me to help pick out some for all of them after he explained that he wanted to fish for both trout and bass and needed the poles to be good for either. That was easy. Each of us selected a pole and the tackle we would need. When I got to the counter, Carlisle had also asked Alan for waders and vests for all of us. I pulled out my wallet to pay for mine, but I was handed an arm load of things to carry to the car instead as Carlisle told Alan to put it on his account. Guess this really was a small town if that just ran up an account at the store. I was just uncomfortable with so much being bought for me, spending all that money. He never even asked what the damage was!

That Emmett could not stop joking about how he was going to out fish everyone and how his was bigger and I didn't think he was talking about the fish. That boy was kind of crude, I'd say. Edward and Jasper were quiet, they had just thoughtfully selected what they needed and seemed intent on getting the right things for the job at hand. Edward kept looking off into the distance like he really didn't want to be here. I guess the cop in me just kept noticing details about all of their behavior. They really were a close family, seemed to really care about each other, I'd give them that.

The day turned out great! Fishing was great and Carlisles' boys were a riot to be with. That Emmett just never seemed to quit, what a sense of humor! Seemed like he enjoyed whatever he was doing at the time. It just seemed like we all were relaxed and calm all day! Fish were biting too, that made it all the better!

"_This is a really great area you are in, Carlisle",_ I told him, _"though I'm sorry not to still have you as the doctor in Forks!"_

"_Thanks, Charlie. We like it here, well . . . we like it here now that Bella is with us. It almost broke our family, leaving Forks and seeing what it did to Edward. We came close to loosing him, Charlie. I don't know if you know that"_, Carlisle said quietly as we watched his three boys splashing and shoving each other downstream from us.

"_Alice said something about it being hard on him but honestly, Bella was so bad off I never even stopped to think of Edward, except to be mad at him for hurting her. She had to be medicated, Carlisle. She wouldn't talk or eat for months. I never saw anything like it."_

"_I know what you mean Charlie, and I'm so sorry. If I had any idea they were that close I never would have made him leave. It's hard for me to think of Edward as being so attached to her, he has always been quite a loner and quite intent on focusing on his studies and finances. Nothing ever seemed to phase him before this and although he is quite a capable man in many ways, he is after all only 18 years old."_

"_That's the thing, Carlisle. Bells is only just 19. She heeds to do some growing up, finish high school, live some of her life before she ties herself down. I didn't know about your boy having a hard time while they were apart and I'm sorry about that, too. I thought he just left her and didn't care about her. Still, I think they are a little young for all this and I think Bells should come home with me, at least for a few more years, maybe after college . . .", _ said as I cast my line into the water again.

Carlisle looked at me like I had spoken a foreign language. He was dumbstruck. _"Are you talking about getting them both to move back to Forks? Tell me you are, Charlie, because otherwise it would mean that you want Bella to leave Edward and move back with you."_ His face was stern, almost angry. I had never seen Carlisle with anything other than a calm face, even when Bella had been in the hospital having surgery, he was worried, sure, but he did not have this face. He looked angry, really angry.

"_I am taking her home with me, Carlisle. She is too young for all this . He is too young"_, I said nodding towards Edward.

"_You're wrong, Charlie. This time you are dead wrong. Those two kids are a part of each other, neither one can exist without the other. You know it. You have lived it just as I have, you just need to realize it. She is a legal adult, Charlie, as he is, and you will never get them to part from each other. Today is one of the first times he has been out of earshot of her since he found her at the racetrack. Look at him, he is uncomfortable without her, even just for the morning! Be careful what you do here, Charlie, you don't want to have her hate you and not want you around. If you reject him and their marriage, that just might happen."_

I thought about what Carlisle had said as we packed up our gear to head home. He had a point. I had to be very careful.

It might just be harder than I thought to get her to come home with me.

**EPOV**

I was glad the fishing trip was over. Charlie had enjoyed himself and that had been what this was all about. Carlisle had come up with this idea as a kind of bonding session for me and my new father-in-law, but it had not worked that way. I had enjoyed the time with my brothers, they were a riot as always, but Charlie had stuck pretty much with Carlisle the whole time.

I had read his mind, of course. Charlie was here to take Bella home with him. As astounding as it seemed, he actually thought I would be tired of the strain of caring for her by now and she would have gotten me out of her system and be ready to go home. Amazing. It must really be difficult to be a parent and both Bella and I considered him a good parent, but this . . . I was just amazed at how much he didn't understand or maybe just didn't want to see.

I was looking forward to getting back to the house, too, because I knew that Phil and Renee would probably be there and I wanted to know how the shopping had gone this morning, as well as make sure things were alright with Bella and her mom. Alice had assured me that today would go well when I had asked her what the hell all this was about this morning. My family had not mentioned the fishing trip to me, or I had paid no attention to them if they had, so the whole thing was kind of a surprise and I made sure with Alice that she saw no problems in Bella's future if I left her for the day.

We pulled up at the house and Bella all but ran to meet me before I could even get out of the car at human speed. She jumped into my arms and threw her arms around my neck with such force that I faked a gasp to appear human! Tears were streaming down her face as her tongue was insistent against my lips. She kissed me passionately, as though we were alone even though our entire family looked on, and I obliged her. I had missed her terribly and I wanted her every bit as much as she was showing that she wanted me. Emmetts' cat calls snapped my back to reality after a long moment and I lowered her so that her feet were on the ground, releasing my grip just enough to be able to look into her eyes,

"_Bella! What's all this about, what's wrong, love!"_


	6. Chapter 6  Sisters

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 6 Dishing**

**APOV**

"_You're just going to love this little shop, Bella! "_, I told her enthusiastically as I tugged on her arm, _"Even Rose loves this store!"_

"_She's right. I do!",_ Rose chimed in, _"This little town, who would have thought, but the owners of this shop have a wonderful selection of unique pieces!" _

"_I really don't need any more clothes, you guys!",_ I said as Alice all but drug me into the shop. Spoiled Rotten. That was the name of the shop. Figures.

I had to admit, there were some cute things! No outfits, really, just unique jeans, jackets, shirts and even skirts and dresses. There were belts and scarves of all types, all unique and really cool looking! I found a couple of pairs of jeans that had tapestry down part of the leg in earth colors of brown and greens and rust - my favorites. I tried them on and they really did fit well! They were skinny jeans, jeans that sat low on my hips and really hugged my figure. It even looked like I was starting to gain enough weight back that I had a butt again - something I had been missing as my jeans had just hung on me in the months after Edward had left.

Hum, I can actually say it, at least to myself, and not cringe. Edward had left. There, I said it again . . . and I began to realize that it no longer hurt so much. The pain was duller, more distant now. Edwards presence was a soothing balm to the open wound.

"_Those look great on you, Bella!"_, Rose exclaimed, bringing me back to the present. _"They do don't they, Rose! I think I'm going to get them - it will be good to start wearing things that don't have to stretch on over my cast!"_

"_How's your foot doing with this walking today, anyway?"_, I asked even though I had already seen her answer. _"It's much better!"_, Bella said as she strapped the velcro fasteners back over the removable cast that Carlisle had put on her leg. She had pitched a fit to have the cast off by her birthday, and Carflisle had given in only on the condition that she not take it off till her birthday, and then only if she was not walking around. I knew what she had in mind and I didn't blame her. I would want to be able to make love to my husband without a cast on my leg and she had not yet been able to do that, though I am pretty sure my brother had not even noticed much less minded!

"_Do you have a shirt to go with the pants?"_, Rosalie asked, _"Because if you don't, this green stretch top would look great, and show off the colors in the tapestry of the jeans!"_

"_It really is perfect with them, isn't it!"_, Bella said as she admired them together. I added a belt to the mix and we all eyed the combination approvingly. Then Bella looked at the price tag. _"Two hundred dollars for jeans! Do they really look that good, cause even though I have my new credit card and all, I just don't know about spending that on a pair of jeans!"_

"_It doesn't matter",_ said Rosalie, _"Cause you are not the one buying them. Happy birthday, Bella! The outfit is on me!" _

"_The next store is on me!",_ Alice chimed in! _"Did you really think we brought you shopping for you to pay for your own clothes! Really Bella, sometimes I wonder what kind of friend you think I am. Family, now I suppose I should say family instead of friend!"_, I almost squealed with excitement at that statement!

"_You are both too much, really! Thank you both!"_

"_Bella, we are just so glad to have you get presents that you like this year, we wanted everything to be perfect - not just to make up for last year, but because you are now our sister!"_, said Rose as she looked up from adjusting the strap of her shoe. Bella was starring at Rose, and Rose answered her glare, _"What? It's not that I ever disliked you, Bella, I just don't agree with your choices and if I am being totally honest, I was really jealous of you for the longest time. I get it now though, neither of you are capable of being without the other - that much is clear - so you're becoming one of us is just the natural order of things."_ Rose whispered, just for Bella to hear, _"One lifetime would never be enough and I for one do not want to be around Edward if you grew old and left him!"_

**BPOV**

I should not have been surprised when the next store they took me to was called Eye Candy.

The store sold only lingerie.

Expensive, designer lingerie.

I had never had anything remotely similar to the things in this shop. The closest I had ever come were a satin pajama set, long pants and long sleeves that had a collar and buttoned down the front! I normally wore flannel sleep pants and a t shirt, or even sweat pants. I wore yoga pants and a camisole even now, to sleep with Edward.

"_Alice, why do I need these?",_ I asked her quietly, _"I don't know how much you have seen, but if Edward gets any more interested, we will never leave our bedroom!"_ Alice and Rose both laughed, I had forgotten about vampire hearing.

"_It's just to keep it interesting, Bella! And you are so going to dish out some information about just that sort of thing when we finish here!"_, smirked Rosalie!

"_Rose! Information about what, exactly?"_, I asked.

"_Bella, I have waited over 80 years for Edward to get laid, we are dying to know just how good our big brother is, especially since he has been privy to reading out minds and thoughts about sex for nearly a century! He must have some moves and we want to hear about it!"_

"_Rose! I can't! I can't talk about any of that! It's private!"_, I blushed.

"_Alice and I can wait till we have you alone at lunch, though I'm sure Alice has already seen more than enough! Let's get some things here to really get big brother going!"_

Oh. My.

I had almost been able to forget that Alice saw things, even things that she probably really didn't want to see! Since I knew I was already blushing as bright a shade of red as was possible, I walked over to look at some of the tamer nightgowns. Actually, some of them were really pretty, elegant and flowing, almost fairytale like. Alice and Rose selected several gowns and added them to the pile I had over my arm and I walked into the dressing room.

I slipped on the one that was my favorite. It was midnight blue, flat in front with spaghetti straps. It dipped just low enough to show the tops of my breasts in front and in back, well there was no back really. The full skirt and train that sort of trailed behind was kept on by a series of laces in the back, starting just below my shoulder blades and ending just in time to keep you from seeing the crack at the base of my lower back. I had seen Julia Roberts wear one similar only in white in the movie Pretty Woman, and I had always thought it was the sexiest gown I had ever seen.

I tried on all the rest, but I kept coming back to the blue one with no back. Anything that showed my stomach was out. I had an almost puzzle like pattern of scars crossing my abdomen from the surgeries after the wreck. There was even a small scar just beside my breast where they had a tube into a lung for days while I was unconscious. I guess I had never look at myself naked since the accident, but Edward had. I felt sick. How could he want me, want this. It looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie. How had I missed this! I thought back to all the times he had knelt below me, looking at me, looking at all these scars. How could he!

He had gently kissed every inch from my neck down my chest and across my abdomen, he had to know these scars better than I did myself! How could he possible want this! My knees gave way and I landed hard on the bench in the dressing room, I felt nauseous.

"_Alice, I have to go"_, I said as I came out of the dressing room almost in tears. _"Don't you like any of the gowns, Bella?"_, she asked as I put them all down on the table. _"I actually like this blue one, Alice, but I really don't need any of it."_ I almost ran out the door and sat out in the garden area in front of the store. Rose came with me, and Alice followed shortly, bag in hand. She had obviously purchased the night gown for me, even though I was behaving so badly.

"_What's wrong Bella?"_, Alice and Rose asked, almost at the same time. "_Is your leg hurting?" _they looked worried.

I just sobbed. I covered my face with my hands, desperately trying to gain control of my silly emotions. _"No, I'm fine",_ I said, trying to brush away the tears and using the tissue Alice had given me. She must have known this was going to happen - vampires would have virtually no need of tissues. I collected myself as best I could and said, _"I saw myself in the mirror. I saw all the scars . . . I guess I just never looked before."_ They both looked at me like they still had no idea why I was upset. _"I never realized I looked that bad, you know, naked. I never thought about how I looked to Edward . . . what he was seeing!" _ My tears broke out again, and I could not stop sobbing.

"_Bella, is that all?"_, Alice let go a sigh of relief. _ "Honey, I thought something was really wrong when you started crying so! Edward doesn't care about that, you must know that by now!"_

"_That is so true, Bella. Any more lust coming off that man and Alice would have to lock Jasper up in chains! Edward is so hot for you we barely even come over there when he is home, which is all the time - and you know it! "._ Rose stated bluntly.

That was true. Edward had been exceptionally attentive. We had yet to get out of bed, or go to bed in the evenings without making love one way or another, usually spending a good part of the day either naked or kissing, or both! Naked. I just had no idea. Edward looked glorious naked, his chest having just that light sprinkling of hair to decorate the hard planes of his chest. And his stomach, his flat, perfect stomach with the six pack of muscles and the trail of soft bronze hair leading south. I just did not compare to him in any way, he was just so perfect. Before the accident, I at least didn;t have all these scars, and I could work on having the ab muscles and flat stomach! My cell phone rang. I had almost forgotten I had one till now, and it was Edward, of course.

"_Hi sweetheart, how's shopping going?"_, he asked. I could hear my dad telling someone how to put away gear in the background, and what sounded like water splashing and flowing over rapids or something.

"_It's ok. I miss you", _I tried hard to keep my voice from letting Edward know that I was upset. I was being silly. It was just me that had really seen them for the first time today, not him. He obviously already knew about all the scars, he had certainly seen them for the last week, and before . . .

"_I miss you, too baby",_ he breathed heavily,_ "You have no idea. I hate being away from you! Are you having a good birthday my love?"_

"_I am. Rose and Alice are showering me with gifts!"_

"_Good! I just called to tell you that Renee called Carlisles' house and Esme called to let me know that they will be at the house in just a few minutes, Esme gave them directions to her house thinking that you would like to be the one to show her our house. Are you nearly ready to come home?"_

"_I am so ready to come home, but I'll go to Carlis_le's first and wait for you so we can show her our house together, is that good with you?"

"_Great! We have caught all the fish here so we're leaving. See you soon, I love you!" _

I wondered why mom hadn't just called my cell phone to tell me she was almost here, but then again, I couldn't have given her any directions. I had no idea of the way to anywhere around here yet, except the path up the hill to Carlisle and Esme's house from our house. I still liked the sound of that - our house.

"_My mom is almost here, how about we go to your house and wait for her!"_, I said to my sisters.

"_Sounds good, let's go. We have done at least a little damage here for your birthday, one outfit to wear tonight to the party, and one to take off! afterwards", _Rose laughed.

"_I can't believe you said that, Rose!"_

"_Believe it, Bella, and I haven't forgotten that you didn't dish out any information on my brother yet!",_ she said as we got into her little red convertible!

"_Guys, my mom is almost here! How do you expect me to talk about that!"_

"_Fine. Yes or no then!"_, Alice insisted, _"and I go first."_

"_Fine!"_, I said, turning impossibly red.

"_When you make love the first day you went to the new house, did it hurt?"_

"_Yes, but the hot bubble bath Edward took with me the next morning made it feel much better."_

"_Ah, extra information. Our brother took a bubble bath? Nice!_", smirked Rose. _"Did he see to it that you got to come first?"_

I decided that two could play at this game, "_In bed or in the bubble bath? In any case, yes, Edward is a gentleman and always allows a lady to come first . . . repeatedly!"_ Both Alice and Rosalie's eyes widened with surprise at my willingness to throw the game back at them, and I laughed as hard as they did!

"_Well, well. Brother has some skills! I'm glad to know that all that mind reading has been good for something other than making money!"_, Rose laughed.

"_Ok, is he hung like a horse, or like a hamster?", _Alice asked.

"_Alice! You know I have nothing to compare to!"_

"_Right, well, is it more than both of your hands can cover?"_

"_Rose! Why would you want to know that about your brother?"_

"_I'll give out Emmetts' measurements if it makes you feel better!"_, Rose offered.

"_NO! NO! NO!"_, I squealed, covering my face with both hands. _ "Ok, no, both hands won't cover it - there, is that enough!",_ I asked still blushing.

"_Not even close"_, Rose looked at me and asked, _"What were you doing that caused the guest room sleigh bed to be destroyed?"_ I didn't answer. _"Bella, what were you doing - oh, wait, you were doing something to him weren't you! Ok, yes or no - had you ever, you know, on a guy before?"_

"_No! Never!"_

"_Ha!",_ exclaimed Rose! _"You were doing my brother and he ripped the headboard apart! That's it, isn't it! I knew he wasn't such a prude as he always made himself out to be!"_

"_Rose, Alice, your brother is definitely not a prude and he is not the least bit shy or timid. He is thoughtful and caring and more than happy to try anything new! There, is that enough for you for today!"_, I stammered. Thank goodness we pulled up to the house just as I finished speaking, and my mom was just getting out of her car with Phil. The Spanish inquisition was over!

I got out of the car and hurried over to greet my mom as Esme came out of the house. We rocked back and forth and hugged for a long time. She was crying, I was crying.

"_Bella, you look great! You look absolutely wonderful sweetheart and I am so glad to see you!"_

"_Mom, I missed you! You remember Esme, of course"_, I said to my Mom as we walked over to Esme. _"We are so glad you could come, Renee, Phil! Come inside!"_, Esme gestured to them.

"_Bella! I forgot the bag in the store!",_ Alice panicked,_ "Rose is going to drive me back to town to pick it up! See you in a bit!"._ That was strange, I mused, vampires never forget anything. I let it go, too excited about my mom being here to think it through any further.

"_I just love the house, Esme",_ my mom said as she sat down in the living room, _"Can I have the tour?"_

Esme beamed, _"Of course! Let's start with the downstairs!"_

Mom an Esme headed to the kitchen and I heard my mom ooh and aah over the stainless steel appliances and the view, and then I walked to the door of the master bedroom and heard her tell Esme that the bedroom and jacuzzi overlooking the mountains was just unbelievable. Esme was delighted. She loved designing homes, and having someone admire it just made her day.

"_Bella must love this room!",_ mom said as Esme showed her Carlisles' study filled with floor to ceiling bookcases full of books. _"She just loves books and reading, she always has ever since she was just a little girl!"_, mom was telling Esme.

Mom loved it. Alice arrived back as I was ushered upstairs, saying it was time to get ready for the party! Esme offered my mom a cup of tea out on the back porch and promised to continue the tour tomorrow.

"_Bella, I am so happy you are here! I just want you to know that I really really missed you and even though you are my sister now, you are still my very best friend!", _Alice gushed it all out as she led me into her bathroom and I sat down at the vanity.

"_Alice, I feel the same about you . . . well, if you limit the amount of shopping I have to do with you!"_, I laughed. As I looked around the bathroom, the counter was cluttered with all type of beauty products; softeners, moisturizers, mud plasters . . . "_Alice, what's all this! Do I really look so terrible that you need all this to fix me, because I know none of this would have any effect on the perfect skin on your face!"_

"_Bella! I don't ever remember being human, you are the only one I get to do all this with! You wouldn't want me to miss out on anything, would you?"_, she looked at me with that pouty face she was so good at making.

"_Fine, Fine!",_ I giggled as she finished my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror after putting my new outfit on and I had to admit, the new jeans really did look good. Sexy even! I really hoped Edward liked them!

Jasper walked into the room just as Alice finished with me. I was so goad to see him, I worried that it being my birthday would bring up bad memories for him as well. I knew he still felt guilty over taking a nip at me on my last birthday.

"_Hi Jasper! Did you guys get any fish?"_

"_Darlin', the lakes and streams of Highlands are now fish less we did so well!"_, he laughed. _"Emmett and I came home in the jeep and left Edward to talk and ride home with Carlisle and your dad. They should be here in a few minutes." _He must have noticed that I looked around to see where Edward was!

Alice stepped out of the room and I walked over to Jasper so that I could look into his eyes and let him know how important what I was about to say was. It wasn't necessary to be close, he could feel my emotions, but it mattered to me.

"_Jasper, I just want you to know that I am really excited to have you as my brother. I want you to know that what happened last year on my birthday . . . forgiven. And you need to know that Edward leaving me would have happened regardless, if it hadn't been that night, it would have been something else equally as trivial as a paper cut. It was no ones fault, I need you to know that I don't blame you. Please know that!"_

"_You mean it, don't you. You really are happy to be around me, Bella. You are amazing! I am sorry about trying to bite you, though. I hate being weak."_

"_Jasper, you feel every ones' emotions, right? They are amplified when they get to you?"_

"_Yes"_, he nodded.

"_Then Jasper, you are not the weakest, you are the strongest! Everyone in that room was fighting the blood lust that my paper cut caused, weren't they. _

"_Well, yes Bella. We are vampires, after all, and it is our nature even though we try to overcome it", _he said apologetically.

"_I am Edward's singer, so his must have been terribly overwhelming, Jasper, he was probably just barely containing the urge to kill me himself. Each of them was handling their own feelings, but Jasper, you were handling ALL SEVEN! You are not the weakest, you are probably the strongest of all of you!"_

He looked at me like a bolt of lightening had hit him. I saw Alice over his shoulder and she was elated - her eyes dancing they were sparkling so bright!

"_I never thought of it like that, Bella. Thank you. Really thank you. It means a lot"_, said Jasper as I hugged him. _"To both of us!",_ said Alice as she came up behind him, her arms around his waist.

"_Now, let's go to the party!" , Alice exclaimed._ _"Oh, Alice . . . party . . . really?"_, I questioned.

"_Bella! You're going to love it!", _she danced toward me as she spoke.

"_That's what you said last time, Alice!",_ I gave her the serious face, then started laughing. _"Come on, sis. Take me to my party!"_

~oooOooo~

"_Bella, you look wonderful!"_, my mom said as she stood from her chair and walked over to put her arms around me. _"You really do, Bella!",_ Phil added.

"_Thanks mom, Rose got me this outfit today for my birthday, and I really like it, too! I'm just so happy to see you, mom!"_, I cried. _"This mountain air must be good for you, or is it being with a certain young man that has you glowing like this!"_, my mom whispered. I was blubbering like a baby, and I had no idea why. Everything was just so perfect, I just didn't want it to change or to have something go wrong like last year. Edward had left after the party last year . . . remembering just started my tears flowing more freely. I was being silly, and I knew it. He would never leave me again, I knew that. I happened to look out the front window as I wiped my face, only to see the volvo pulling up with Carlisle, Edward and my dad. I ran outside to Edward as fast as I could and threw my arms around his neck. I didn't care who was there, I kissed him like we were alone in the middle of the night!

"_Bella! What's all this about, what's wrong, love!", _Edward asked as he pulled my face away in his hands so that he could look into my eyes.

"_Nothing is wrong, I love you and I missed you!"_, I told him.

"_If this is the welcome I get, maybe I should leave for a few minutes each day so that I could come home to this!"_, he smiled as he joked with me.

"_No you don't, mister. Anywhere you go, I can come, too!"_, I chided.

"_Yes you can, love, always! I don't need to be anywhere that you can't go"_, he stated flatly. I knew he meant it and I loved him for it.

We walked inside, arms around each other to talk to my mom and Phil while Emmett drove Charlie to our house to shower and change.

"_Phil, nice to see you again. I am so glad you could be here for Bellas birthday! How was the drive?"_, Edward asked as he shook his hand.

"_Good, really good. We loved the drive up the mountain especially!"_, Phil allowed, "Thank you _for inviting us to the party, Edward. Renee has been anxious to see Bella since she left the hospital and when Bella told her that you had a house built for the two of you for her birthday, well, you can imagine how hard it has been to keep her from just jumping in the car and driving up!"_

We all laughed as my mom turned slightly red, _"I just had to see all of this, Bella! I'm just so happy for the two of you!"_

"_Very responsible of you to want your own place, Edward. I like that in young people. I'd like to hear your plans, if you two are going to college, or work, or still racing bikes!"_, Phil chuckled.

Everyone but Edward smiled or laughed, but his lips were set and there was no humor in his face. _"We haven't really discussed what our plans are, Phil, but whatever Bella wants is fine with me. College, travel, whatever she wants. As long as we do it together!"_

Edward kissed the top oh my head as he tightened his arms around me.

"_Are we ready to go to the party?"_, Carlisle asked as he came down the stairs with Emmett, showered and changed from the day of fishing.

"_Ready as I will ever be!",_ I answered.


	7. Chapter 7  Birthday

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 7 Birthday**

**BPOV**

Carlisle smiled, knowing I was remembering last years party and said, _"We did try to reign Alice in and Edward didn't let her get away with too much!"_

Edward and I got into the car with Phil and my mom and Carlisle and Esme got in the Mercedes for us to follow them so that they could show us the way to drive to my house. Though Edward was in the car with us, it was just easier to follow another car. The others simply headed down the path and I knew that they would be there long before I ever got there!

It was a short drive to Edward's and my house. It seemed longer because we had to go down the mile long curvy driveway of the Cullen house, get on the road for a mile, then drive down our I had no idea how long drive. Walking, it was barely a quarter of a mile up the path - just outside of vampire hearing range, purposefully on Edwards part. He had wanted me to not always feel like someone was listening and in truth, he probably wanted some distance from them hearing us as well.

"_This is just a beautiful area, Bella! I am so excited to see your house! I just can not believe it even when I say it, my baby girl has her own house! Edward it is just amazing! I am so glad you two worked out whatever differences you had! I love seeing you both so happy!"_

Edward squeezed my hand and smiled at me. He must have read something else in my moms thoughts as well. Mom pulled me into a hug when she saw the house. It was so perfect, English Tudor in design, two story, a creamy white color with dark brown woodwork on the outside and a stone foundation. The second story roof line was steep and the stone fireplace chimneys stood tall at either end of the house. It had the most beautiful roof, slats of wood overlapping each other giving it the look of belonging in the woods. The hand laid stone walkway leading to the house curved and twisted gently with flower beds placed in each curve. It even had flower boxes flowing over with colorful impatience in each window of the downstairs. Edward had outdone himself. Our house looked like something out of a fairytale, the ones that end in _'. . . and they lived happily ever after.'_

Edward held his arm at my waist as I managed the few steps up to the front door. Stairs were still a slow process even with the smaller cast on my leg. I would be so happy to be able to actually take it off to sleep tonight! Edward would be so surprised. He had never said anything, but making love would take on a whole new dimension when I could actually bend my leg!

I walked into my house, listening to my mom tell me how beautiful my house was and how she could not believe that Edward had surprised me with a house. I was met with a round of

"_Surprise! Happy Birthday!"_, from my family.

As much as I had hated surprises in the past, I loved them for it. The living room of my home had been transformed into a wonderland. Wildflowers in vases covered every available surface and hung from garlands that were draped across the room and a buffet style dinner was set out on the counter with a birthday cake in the middle of the dining room table, also covered in wildflowers! I should have known something was up when Alice excused herself to go back for the package she said she forgot. Vampires forget nothing.

I tried not to think of my last birthday party, of course. So many people had suffered as a result of decisions made because of that party. lt hadn't really been the party, just the clashing of our two worlds. The Cullen family's choice to rebel against their nature did not change the fact that humans were the natural food source for vampires. Edward's idea of keeping me safe had been to deny me his presence and that of his family. It was in the past now and I refused to let it ruin the day. I had told Jasper to let it go and I had to do the same.

Edwards arms around me and cool breath on my neck did worlds to comfort me. _"You look amazing in that outfit, love. I am not sure we will be staying at this party for long!"_, he growled into my ear.

"_Thank you, all of you!"_, I blurted out, trying to fight back the tears. _"Edward turned me towards him and cupped my face in his hands. "Happy birthday, wife!"_, he said lovingly, then he kissed me. In front of the entire family, including my parents, my husband kissed me as though we were alone. It was a gentle kiss, but it expressed so much, he was trying to wipe away any memories of my last birthday, he was proclaiming his love for me openly, unabashedly for all to see. I fucking loved this man.

"_Let's have dinner so that we can open presents!"_, squealed Alice as she tried to contain herself from jumping up and down. Alice will be Alice, she is a force to be reckoned with!

The buffet set up was a perfect disguise to keep the Cullens from having to actually eat the food. They were pros at making it look like they were eating, and the trash cans under the table and in the kitchen were filling fast. Charlie and I along with Mom and Phil did actually enjoy the meal. It was amazing! I had no idea that my vampire family knew how to cook roast beef or spaghetti squash or even mashed potatoes without me helping, but everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned!

"_Esme, this meal is amazing!",_ I said in front of my mother, _"I had no idea you were even cooking! You must have done all this while we were in town shopping!"_

"_I did cook this morning while you were out, dear. I hope you don't mind me cooking in your kitchen! Yours seems to be better supplied with utensils and cookware than mine has ever been!"_, she laughed. "_Edward!"_, I said simply as an explanation, as I laughed knowing the secret behind the statement. The only supplies in Esme's kitchen were for show, and what had been needed to cook for me while I had been recuperating there. Edward knew I loved to cook and had supplied every tool and gadget imaginable in the gourmet kitchen he had built for me here.

"_Time for cake!_", Alice trilled, "_And since we did not have a chance to have a wedding cake for the two of you, this one is going to double as a birthday and wedding cake!"_

It was a beautiful cake and now that I looked at it, it was indeed a wedding cake. Three layers on pedestals were adorned with the most intricate blue flowers trailing in garland like arrangements down the sides of the cake.

Alice lit the candle that was on top of the cake, in the place where the bride and groom figurines would have been, and the lights dimmed for me to blow it out. Everyone there sang happy birthday to me as Edward played it on the piano for them to follow. Before I had even finished making a wish in my head and started to blow the candle, Edward's arms were around me from behind. He softly kissed that spot just under my ear and whispered,

"_Happy Birthday Isabella. I love you! I will never ever leave you again."_

When the clapping stopped and the lights came back on, Alice brought out a knife and insisted that we both put a hand on it as we cut the cake together. We did as we were instructed, there is no point arguing with Alice. When two slices were cut, she handed us each one and insisted that we feed each other cake.

"_Go ahead, love"_, Edward said as he shrugged his shoulders. We bit the cake from each others hands and grinned like fools with the icing smeared all over our mouths. _"I love you more every day"_, Edward said just before he kissed me just so that he could smear the icing around our faces and make an even bigger mess! I loved playful Edward! He had even cheerfully eaten cake with me and there had been lots of photos snapped to remember it!

Now it was time for the presents. Carlisle and Esme wanted to give me theirs first. It was an envelope, just like last year.

"_Once again, Bella, you have been looking a little pale lately, so we thought you and Edward might like this'_, and said lovingly as she squeezed my hand and handed me the envelope, along with a letter opener.

I could not help but snicker at the letter opener! I looked at my vampire family and they were all trying to stifle their grins and amusement that I had been given a letter opener this year to avoid the paper cut that let to blood spilling and Jasper taking a snap at me last year at my birthday party. Though the memory of the event wasn't funny, somehow the letter opener was!

The envelope contained a letter, written in Carlisles' perfect script.

_Dearest Bella,_

_We are so happy to welcome you into our family! _

_You are the other half that we had hoped Edward would find. _

_May you always feel sunshine in your life, _

_as you have brought light and warmth to ours._

_ We never got to give you a wedding present,_

_so we hope you'll share this birthday gift _

_with Edward, and it can stand as both gifts._

_ Happy Birthday Daughter,_

_ Carlisle and Esme_

I wiped tears from my eyes as I crumpled the note in my efforts to get to them and hug them to me. "_I love both of you so very much!"_ I kissed them both on the cheek and pulled out the rest of the contents of the envelope. It contained two airline tickets with a post it note attached that read -

_Bella, _

_ Carlisle gave me this island as an anniversary gift,_

_ we would like you and Edward to use it for your honeymoon._

_ Love, Esme_

The airline tickets were to Rio de Janero. Brazil. Esme owned an island off the coast of Brazil. This family would never cease to amaze me. Obviously Edwards generosity was a learned behavior!

"_You are giving us a honeymoon on a private island that you own off the coast of Brazil? Are you serious?"_, I grabbed Edward and hugged and kissed him as I was bounding up and down with excitement! Edward thanked his parents as well for their generosity and thoughtfulness.

"_You can go whenever you like, sweetheart",_ Carlisle said, _"As soon as you get the clearance from your doctor!" _ He chuckled along with everyone else at that statement, as HE WAS my doctor!

Charlie was standing with Renee and Phil, astounded. They literally had their mouths open and were dumbstruck!

"_Well, it no vacation in a tropical paradise, but this is from me, kid"_, said my dad as he handed me a small box. I opened it to find a beautiful set of diamond earrings. _"Dad! You shouldn't have! They are just beautiful!",_ I wrapped my arms around my dad and kissed his cheek. Charlie wasn't one for emotion or displays of affection, and the beet red color he turned made that very clear! Still, he was smiling and seemed really happy with my reaction.

I opened a large box from the table next, it was wrapped in purple and I suspected it was from my mom. Inside was a quilt she had made from al my old t shirts from competitions and trips and such! _"Mom, I love it!"_, I told her as I hugged her. _"I thought you might enjoy a memory to keep you warm!"_, my mom said with tears in her eyes. We looked over the quilt for a long minute, remembering things the t shirts represented, then I reached for another box.

Kind of a strange shape, like a packing box of some form. Inside I found two mitts, hats, jerseys and balls, each with my name and Edwards name written or embroidered on them. _"Your dad said that Edwards family liked to play baseball, so I had some of my teams colors personalized for you! Hope you like them!",_ Phil allowed. "_They are great, Phil. Thank you and yes, Edwards family loves playing baseball!" _ There were all around murmurs of approval from the entire family!

There were two presents left on the table, and the smaller one looked like an Edward gift, I would save it for last. I opened the manila envelop that was the other gift to find that the contents were from Jacob. He had remembered my birthday! He had wished me a happy birthday in his scribbily handwriting attached to a handmade dream catcher. I had seen them before and wanted one, and it was obvious he had made this one for me himself. There was another envelope. I opened it with the mail opener, snickering again at Carlisle, and found a formal invitation and tickets for the entire family to the VIP section of the Rockingham Racetrack for the October Drag race. The invitation was to invite me personally to the race, sent out by the All Harley Drag Racing Association. I was being honored at the event. Wow. Emmett and Rose were high fiveing that they would get to go to another race, but the expressions on the rest of my family's faces were not as positive, especially Edwards. I looked at them all and said, _"Edward, Mom, Dad! It's not an invitation to race, it's to give me an award of some kind! Something about my winning all the races in Phoenix last spring! I probably get a trophy or something!" _Edwards relief was visible. His fists uncurled and his eyes were changing back to a soft gold.

Emmett chimed in loudly, _"We didn't wrap our present, Bella , but Jasper and i built you a gazebo down by the lake! Thought you might like to sit out there and read or whatever!"_

"_Really! How did I miss you building it for me! That's perfect guys, I love you both!"_

Now for the last gift. It was a small box, really, exquisitely wrapped in blue with a soft white bow on the top. I unwrapped it and opened the blue box from Tiffany's. It was a necklace, diamonds and blue sapphires encased in white gold. It was beautiful. The amazing thing about the necklace though, was the design. It was the letter E, capitalized and fully covered with small sparkling diamonds. The capital letter B overlaid the E, as though you had put the top half of the B over the bottom half of the E and shifted it slightly to the right so that both letters showed. The B was encased in blue sapphires. The two letters fit perfectly together, each forming a portion of the other. It was so small, smaller than a dime, but it was so intricately done.

"_Edward"_, I said with tears streaming down my face, _"I have no words, I just love you so much!"_

I wrapped my arms around his neck and he buried his face in my neck and held me as I sobbed.

"_As I love you"_, he answered.

He took my face in his hands and kissed me lightly, reaching for the box and took the necklace out. He snapped the clasp around my neck and lifted my hair over the chain. The E and B hung over my heart, exactly. He briefly placed his hand over the necklace on my chest and said for all to hear,

_"You are always in my heart."_

Everyone admired my gift and complimented Edward on his taste and asked how he had found the perfect necklace. He admitted that he had drawn it and commissioned the jeweler to make it for him. My Edward. Damn I loved that man. He thought of everything.

Carlisle announced that he did have one other thing that he wanted to give me.

"_Bella, I spoke with the principal at the high school in Forks after going over your grades and classes at the school you attended in Phoenix and there at Forks High." _

Here it comes, I thought. I knew someone would bring up the fact that I had left high school without graduating. I had missed the last few months of my Senior year and I knew my dad was desperate for me to make it up. I wanted the diploma, anyway. Edward and I might decide to attend college at some point, and I might need it. Anyway, Carlisle continued-

"_The Principal concluded that you had enough credits to graduate . . . with honors."_

Carlisle handed me what appeared to be my diploma!

"_Congratulations, Bella! You're a high school graduate, and with honors so that you can apply to whatever college you choose, if you intend to go on to college!"_

I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. He was serious. I looked at the surprised face of my mom and dad - they obviously knew nothing about this. Even Edward looked surprised.

"_Carlisle, what made you think to check on this for me?"_

"_Well, it was actually Edward. When you were in the hospital, we spent lots of time talking while you slept, and he was concerned that you would feel silly having to go back and finish your Senior year, but he thought that you and he might like to attend college at some point, that you might enjoy it as he knew of your love for books and reading. It got me to thinking about it, so I called and checked. Sure enough, you had already earned all the credits you needed. I guess we should have made that cake a birthday/wedding/graduation cake!_" We all laughed as I continued to look at the diploma, astounded. Was there no end to the caring and concern this family showed me.

"_I love you all, thank you for a wonderful birthday!"_

Everyone mingled and chatted, the two families getting to know each other better. No one would let me help clean up the dinner dishes or the kitchen.

I heard music playing on the back patio and I wandered out there to look around. Twinkle lights were in all the trees by the patio, giving it a magical look with the stars showing above.

"_Would you like to dance, Mrs. Cullen?", _a familiar voice asked.

"_Why Mr. Cullen, I would love to dance with you!"_

I took Edwards hand and played with the soft hair on his neck that I loved so much with the other hand. I couldn't really dance with my castm but we swayed to the music, and I got to have my arms around him.

"_Have you enjoyed this birthday?" _

"_I have, thank you for making it so special for me, Edward "_

"_I would do anything for you, sweetheart. I have another present for you."_

"_You do? And what would that be?"_

"_It's waiting for you upstairs in your bedroom, Mrs. Cullen, would you like me to escort you there and show you?"_

"_Well, my husband might not like that. He is a bit over protective and somewhat possessive!"_

"_Damn right he is!",_ Edward's head snapped up off my shoulder and he growled. _"I bet he would rip anyone to shreds that he caught in your bed, Mrs. Cullen. I'd wager that he would quite literally tear them limb from limb!"_

"_Well, you had better come along with me and make sure no one else is there, just to be sure, huh!"_

Everyone had joined us on the porch, Renee even asking Charlie to dance with her!

**EPOV **

The party seemed to go well. I tried to drowned out the majority of the thoughts around me, wanting to pay attention only to Bella. Some thoughts and conversations caught my attention, in spite of my best efforts to ignore them.

Charlie had taken Renee aside and they had words about their daughter. Charlie suggested that Bella needed to come home with him and Renee, God bless her, she almost slapped him. She told him that they would talk tomorrow, but that he had better not do ANYTHING that would ruin this evening for Bella. I knew I liked that woman!

Carlisle and Esme had surprised even me with the diploma for Bella, they had not let on anything about it beforehand and I was thrilled that my dad had taken the initiative and solved that problem for us. We had not yet spoken of it, but I wanted Bella to have the option of going to college if that was what she wanted to do. God knows I had been to enough school for any lifetime, but I was more than willing to do it again with her! I just didn't want her being with me to keep her from experiences that she wanted to have.

I was excited at the idea of taking Bella to Isle Esme. She loved the sun and my skin in the sun. I smiled at the thought of her running her fingers over my stupid sparkly skin and her enjoying watching the rainbows that it gave off. It would be warm there, and I would not feel so cold to her, though she never complained. Ever. I thought about changing her. She would ask one day, I had told her I would do it myself, that all she had to do was ask. I intended to keep that promise to my wife. I could not possible have just one lifetime with her, I needed her more than I needed blood.

I watched as she danced with her father, laughing and seeming to have a good time. Rose and Alice said goodnight, as did Carlisle and Esme. Phil and Renee were looking tired and they would be turning in shortly, they had a long drive to get here earlier this morning.

Bella walked over to me and whispered, _"I'm going to say I'm tired and need to go up to bed. My boyfriend is meeting me at the foot of the stairs, if you are interested!"_

"_Where is he, I'll eat him for a snack!"_, I growled for only her to hear. She laughed and walked away to say her good nights.

**Charlie POV**

I just didn't know what to think. My daughter seemed to enjoy her party, in fact she seemed to have fun. Everyone had been so thoughtful with their gifts, and she had gotten so much better at accepting them! Phil and Renee had gone to bed a hour ago, and that crazy Emmett and Jasper had stayed to finish the movie with me, leaving me to watch the news alone. The last scores of the games today were announced and I flipped off the television, turned out the lights and headed up the stairs towards my room when I heard her scream.

"_Edward!"_

I covered the stairs two at a time and as I got to the door to her room, just before I grabbed the handle to open it, I heard Edward cry out her name. Her name, and some words I don't usually use. I paused for a moment at the door, my hand on the doorknob, as I heard my daughters voice again. This time there was no mistaking it.

"_I love you so much, baby, please can we do that again!"_

My hand retracted to my side as if I had been burned by the doorknob. My daughter. They were obviously making love, though they had gone to bed several hours ago. She had said she was tired and Edward had carried her up the stairs with her face nuzzled in his neck. Huh. I really was either blind or stupid if I thought she was ever going to come home with me, without him.

This really was going to be a lot harder than I thought.


	8. Chapter 8  Present for my Wife

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 8 Present for my Wife**

**EPOV**

I watched my wife interact with both my family and hers, effortlessly. She loved them all and they felt the same way about her. She must have been aware of my stare or sensed my need, or maybe . . . maybe she had an agenda of her own. Regardless, she yawned and told everyone she was tired and thanked them for the gifts and the party before taking my hand and walking with me toward the stairs. Some of my family smirked, Carlisle smiled at me, but the thoughts of Bella's parents were the ones I paid attention to.

Renee was genuinely happy to see her daughter so happy and so in love, she recognized our relationship for what it was and loved that Bella had that in her life. Charlie was borderline homicidal. He had not spoken to me unless it was absolutely necessity since he arrived and it drove him mad to see her happy with me. Though he was grateful to me for caring for Bella and encouraging her to recover, he had not forgiven me for all the hurt I had caused her and he did not trust me not to do it again. Somewhere in his mind, he had deluded himself into believing that our marriage had not been consummated and that Bella would leave with him when he returned to Forks. He watched us intently as we left the party and headed upstairs, Bella feigned being tired as an excuse to be with me.

"_Are you ready for bed, Mrs. Cullen?"_, I whispered to her from behind as I hugged her to me, nibbling at her earlobe. She turned in my arms and ran her hands across my chest, kissing my neck and reaching upwards in search of my lips. I kissed her gently, breathing her in and tracing her lips with my tongue.

"_Why, Mr. Cullen, I believe you're ready and I would love to go to bed with you!"_

I picked her up bridal style and climbed the stairs to our room with her I my arms, never breaking our kiss.

When we got to our room I quickly shut the bedroom door and pinned her against the wall, kissing her passionately. I was trying not to bruise her lips, but they would surely be swollen by morning and I was finding it hard to care. She had been wearing something new today, skinny jeans I think they call them, and the way her hips and legs looked in them was driving me absolutely mad.

"_Have I told you how beautiful you are tonight? How amazing you smell!_ My mouth moved down her chest to kiss the place where the pendant I had given her hung, over her heart. _"God, Bella, your skin is so soft, so good . . . "_

"_Baby"_, she breathed into my mouth as I moved my lips to her neck so that she could talk, _"I need a human minute, OK?" _

"_Alright, but only a minute, love. I want you"_, I said as she starred into my eyes. I was sure they were black right now with emotion, but all I cared about was keeping contact with her - all of her.

I set her feet down on the floor and kissed her once more before she went into our bathroom. I set about lighting the fire I had laid in the fireplace and the candles I had set on the window ledges and mantle in our room. I pulled the futon out from under the bed that I had bought for this occasion - it was down filled and incredibly soft, covered in midnight blue suede, and placed it in front of the now blazing fire, and threw several pillows and covers both over it and on the edges. I had a tray of cheese and grapes on the hearth and wine chilling in a decanter. I had tried to think of everything.

I just could not decide what I should be wearing. Clothing, or naked? I decided on a pair of black silk boxers. I sat cross legged on the futon watching the fire and waited for her to finish in the bathroom. She usually took about ten minutes to complete her routine, hair and teeth, but tonight it seemed to be taking a little longer. I jumped up and flipped on the air conditioning in our room. Happily I had a separate system installed in just our room for both heat and air conditioning. It was there primarily to keep it really warm in just our bedroom so that my cold body would not cause her to shiver, since we both insisted on sleeping nude with nothing between us and the excessive heat in the room had no effect on me. I was glad for this system now, as I could turn the cold air on and the fireplace would not make Bella too warm! I sat back down in front of the fire to wait for her. She stepped out of the bathroom and I turned my head to look at her. My jaw dropped open and I fell backwards, literally.

I fell over.

Never had that happened in my 110 years, as I considered myself as nimble and non-clumsy as all vampires, more balanced than most, really, but that was not the case tonight.

"_Edward! Are you OK",_ she asked as she snickered at me. I was up and over to her before she finished asking me, my hands cupping her face.

"_Bella! Are you trying to give a vampire a heart attack! I have never seen anything as beautiful in my life. Ever!"_, I said as I released a slow breath. My eyes trailed from the floor up the length of her body. The midnight blue silk gown she wore was magnificent. It accented her thin waist, full hips and breasts that had matured in the last year to be worthy of worship, the top of the gown allowing just a hint of her breast to show and the diamonds in her necklace to sparkle from their hiding place between her breasts. Tiny spaghetti straps held it over her shoulders and as my arms encircled her, I felt the bare skin of her lower back. Her lower back?

I took her hand and turned her in a circle in front of me, and then I saw. The fabric was held in place by thin, crisscrossing straps across her back the length of her body, down to the top of her but showed through the laces. I growled. Deep in my chest, I could not contain the sounds that came out.

"_You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen!"_

"_Edward, what's all this?"_, she gestured to the candles and futon in front of the fire.

"_I thought you might enjoy sleeping in front of the fire tonight"_, I told her as I nuzzled her neck and my hands drifted down her exposed back to the top of her hips.

"_Edward! I really hope you don't expect me to sleep!"_, she said playfully as she walked over to the bottle chilling by the fireplace, _"Is this wine, Edward?" _

"_Yes"_, I walked towards her to open the bottle. Her mouth dropped open as she starred at me, well, starred at my crotch as I walked over to her. I was having a bit of a 'tent' problem with the boxers, but as I walked into the firelight, my wife burst out laughing. I was pitching a tent the size of Mount Everest and she was doubled over laughing!

I stopped cold, froze really.

I had no idea what to do as she continued to laugh hysterically, her hand covering her mouth and her other arm wrapped around herself apparently trying to hold her body still from the riotous laughter that was escaping her throat! I was, after all, trapped in a 17 year old body and laughter when I had an erection was less than good for my ego! I looked down to see what was so funny, then I breathed a sigh of relief as I remembered the boxers I was wearing.

I smirked, then grabbed hold of her shoulders and hugged her to me. _"What's so funny, wife! You think this is so funny?_", I gestured to the front of me.

"_Edward, I love you so much. You never stop surprising me. From the 'up tight, no sense of humor, no you can't have the top buttons of my shirt undone and only chaste kisses ' man I fell in love with to this. I just love you more each day, you let go and show me yourself just a little more with every passing day and I am so in love with you!"_

"_All this over a fire and some wine? I have to remember to do this more often!_", I smiled into her hair.

"_You know very well what is so funny, I just can't believe you! BITE ME in big white letters across the front of your boxers!"_, she could barely talk she was laughing so hard, _"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"_

"_So I forgot they said that! Alice gave them to me as a joke. I only put them on because they were black and silky and soft!"_, I answered somewhat indignantly.

"_I love them and I love you"_, she said as she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.

I offered her my hand to help her sit down, the cast on her leg made bending her knee impossible and she would need assistance to get to the floor. Then I noticed. There was no cast on her leg. I dropped to my knees in front of her on the futon and lifted the gown to look. Both legs. Both legs showed, soft and perfect, glowing in the soft firelight. I looked up at her,

_"Bella! When did this happen?"_

_"Carlisle told me I could take off the cast to sleep. I figured that also meant that I could take it off to make love with my husband. I want to be able to wrap both legs around you, Edward"_, she said as she slowly sat herself down in front of me.

We sat in front of the fire and talked while she sipped her wine and nibbled her fruit and cheese, just enjoying each others company. I finally shoulder bumped her and whispered into her ear, _"So I suppose sexy is out the window, huh?"_

She set her glass down and gently scratched the soft hair that she loved to run her fingers through just above my neck. I ducked my head down, embarrassed, and felt myself start to purr. How unmanly. I was a 110 year old vampire and a 19 year old human girl had me purring, uncontrollably, after laughing hysterically at me when I approached her with a massive erection. This woman owned me.

She brought my chin up so that she could look into my eyes and kissed the corner of my mouth.

"_Let me see if I can fulfill the bold request on your boxers, sweetheart!"_

she said as her hand ran down my bare chest and over my abs, dipping behind the waist band of my boxers. She turned her body so that she faced me, dragging her tongue across my neck and biting my earlobe.

"_Bite Me is my line, remember!"_

She pushed the boxers down as I leaned towards her onto one elbow to lift up and help her rid me of them. Her hands were stroking my inner thighs and butt . . . where did she learn to do that, because I knew she had never been with anyone else and she had never done this before with me! I was on fire, my hips moved of their own accord, my hands in her hair.

This night was supposed to be about her and her pleasure, not me. I had to do something. I was so new at all of this, I hardly knew what to do, not that I could move my body if I wanted to. . . No, I had to make it about her, I had to give her as much pleasure as she was giving me. All the years of reading the minds of people about sex, what was good what wasn't, what to do and what not to do did me no good when I was with her like this. I couldn't think! This woman would be the death of me.

I gently rolled over so that I was hovering above her, God knows I did not have it in me to disturb her efforts, and when she succeded, she took my breath away. I wanted to make love to her. I was after all a vampire and she was my mate. I was hard again instantly and her moans continued only this time, she bit me. I was a vampire, she couldn't hurt me, but

She bit me!

I could not form a coherent sentence.

"_Bella . . . what the fuck . . __.__ please Bella . . . don't fucking stop . . . fucking hell . . . Bella!" _

I screamed her name in spite of myself. I tried to be quiet, I knew her parents were in the house and I even heard Charlie listening. I didn't care. My wife had bit me . . . there. Hard. I wrapped my arms around her body and could not move, even if I had wanted to. She playfully rolled me over onto my back and crawled up me, her chin in her palms with her elbows resting on my chest. She looked down at my eyes half rolled back in my head and, as much as I thought I was dreaming, she said,

"_I love you so much, baby, please can we do that again!"_

God I loved this woman! I loved her beyond all reason and it seemed she felt the same way about me. How could I doubt that I did in fact have a soul when this woman with the most beautiful soul imaginable loved me, was a part of me. I was an ass for ever denying her anything.

"_Baby, we can do that as long and as often as you want!"_

She was serious, she wanted me again, right then. She had already had three orgasms and I had two, but it didn't matter. My baby wanted me again and she could have anything I was capable of providing.

She sat up on my hips, her beautiful soft gown flowing over me. She was truly, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! Her alabaster skin was perfectly complimented by the midnight blue of the nightgown. My eyes rolled the rest of the way back into my head as she raked her nails across my chest. Her hair hung down long enough to brush over my thighs as her head was thrown back with the pleasure she was feeling. I loved seeing her like this. I reached up and cupped her breasts in my hands, they were such a perfect fit. I loved the weight and feel of them above me, running my fingers over the silky fabric that covered her. I realized that I had paid no attention to her breasts tonight! Blasphemy! This had to be remedied with all haste. I sat up and reached for the hem of her gown, moving to take it over her head and admire it on the floor away from her body. She stiffened, her movements stopping as she crossed her arms over her body.

"_No, Edward. I don't want you to take it off."_

"_Bella, what's wrong?",_ I said as I kissed my way from one breast to the other, "_It's not that I don't love the gown, I do, but nothing compares to you. I need to feel you, I haven't yet kissed every inch of you this evening!"_

Tears formed in her eyes. I held her tightly to my chest, my advances forgotten. _"Sweetheart, what's this about! Please, please tell me what I've done to upset you!"_

"_Edward", _she whispered, _"You haven't done anything but be the sweetest most loving, gorgeous man alive. I am so lucky to have you and I just don't want to disappoint you. I don't want you looking at me!"_

"_Not look at you! Bella, I love looking at you! Why would I ever stop?"_

"_I saw myself in a full length mirror this morning. I saw the scars. I never want you to have to look at them", _her head dipped down and she would not meet my eyes. I didn't know what to say. I was totally caught off guard. There was no way I was going without looking at my wife.

"_Bella, take this off", _I demanded. She looked at me like I had struck her.

"_Take the gown off. Now. I don't want to rip it because it is really beautiful on you . . . but I will."_

"_Edward, I . . . ",_ she fidgeted with the front of the gown and her hands and would not meet my gaze.

"_NOW!"_, I insisted. I was never this forceful with her, but she needed to get over this, and quickly.

She pulled the gown over her head and crossed her arms over her stomach as though she was holding herself together. She was crying. I took her hands in mine, uncrossing them and holding them out to her sides so that I could gaze on her torso as she still sat straddling my lap.

"_Baby, what is this . . . I'm your husband, sweetheart and I love you dearly. You are so beautiful, please don't stop allowing me to look at your body! I love looking at you!"_

Her chin lifted slightly and I was able to catch her gaze. She saw nothing but truth in my eyes, as that was all that was there. I ran my hands down from her collar bones, tracing the outer edge of her breasts and down the soft skin under them to hold her ribcage and gently run the backs of my fingers over her stomach.

"_I love you",_ I said softly as I kissed her neck.

She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me to her. _"I'm just so sorry you have to see these scars, Edward, that I don't look like you deserve. You deserve to have someone with you that has the same beauty as you!_

"_Bella, you are way more beautiful than I could ever be. I love you. Never ever ask me not to look at you, please, please don't ever do that to me!", _I begged her.

She started to move on me, ever so slightly, but it was all the encouragement my body needed. I held her hands as I laid back down to look at her sitting on me. Where did she learn to do that, she was driving me crazy with desire for her. I purposefully moved my hands to trace each scar with my fingers, softly, lovingly. I had to make her understand how beautiful she was to me, how much pleasure looking at her gave me.

My hips were taking over while my mind was occupied by the sight of her. I flipped her over onto her back before she realized that I had moved. It was excruciatingly blissful. I continued to stroke her belly and kiss her breasts. I came before she did, throwing my head back and barely remembering to stifle the roar that was trying to escape my lips. She stifled the sound with her tongue in my mouth instantly, not wanting to wake the entire house of humans with my inhuman sounds. They would surely think I was killing her. I had never done that before, come before she did, and she seemed to love it. I was instantly hard again of course and we continued.

I lost count of how many times I made love to my wife, it never got old. It was all just one very long session of our love for each other being expressed physically. We were the other half to each others whole.

She lay beside me, hours later as I fiddled with her new necklace.

"_You really like it, love?"_, I asked her as she was settling down to sleep just after we had watched the dawn breaking. _"Of course, I love it. It's us, inseparable. We will have all eternity together."_

I looked at her and the crooked smile that she loved appeared on my face, I could feel it. She grinned from ear to ear as she asked me what as so funny.

"_You're sure you want eternity, Bella. You are absolutely sure?"_

"_Yes. Edward, I'm absolutely sure."_

"_Then I'll share a piece of information with you, but only if you are sure, I don't want it to influence your decision in any way!"_ She looked fearful of what I was about to say, like I was going to try and talk her out of it or something.

"_These scars you are so worried about"_, I traced them with my fingers as I spoke to her, _"the ones you think bother me so much . . .", _I paused to look into her eyes and see her reaction as I said the words, "_They will be gone when I change you. All scars will disappear, love. It won't matter at all to me, but I thought you might like to know."_

"_Edward!"_, she smacked her hand against my chest, _"I cannot believe you haven't told me that before! I would have been even more insistent that you change me!"_

I laughed at her, _"I will change you whenever you want, sweetheart!"_ Then I paused and added,

"_Just promise that you'll bite me again!"_


	9. Chapter 9  Mom

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 9 Mom**

**EPOV**

I was standing in my kitchen making coffee for the humans. It was just after daybreak and I had already been out for a hunt, my activities with Bella were causing me to need to feed more often than ever before. I had no idea that sex would increase my appetite, but I was beginning to understand why Emmett and Jasper always wanted to hunt more often than I did in the past. It just made it easier if I wasn't thirsty. Though I had my blood lust under control, that didn't mean my body didn't react to being so close to a human, that my throat didn't burn. She was still my singer, my own personal brand of heroin, as we had called it, and I needed to do everything I could to make her as safe as possible around me.

"_Good morning Renee ! Would you like some coffee?"_, I greeted Bella's mom as she came into the kitchen. II thought I would do a very human thing and make coffee for our guests since I was up. We were going fishing again this morning, and I thought Charlie and Phil might need a cup!

Renee walked over and hugged me, taking no note of the coolness of my skin. Thankfully, I was drest in long sleeves and a fishing vest, so she really couldn't notice that much.

"_I'm glad I caught you alone for a few minutes, Edward. I wanted to speak with you."_

I tensed, naturally. Not only did I appear to be 18 years old and had no obvious job, this was my mother-in-law now and somehow that was something to tense over. She could be a very intuitive woman.

"_I just wanted you to know that I am really happy that you two found you way back together. You are both very old souls and you each seem to be a part of the other. I saw what she was like without you Edward, and your mom told me some of what it had been like for you without her. I know you're young and God knows young people make mistakes and do rash things all the time, but I don't see you that way and I wanted you to know that"_, she told me as she sipped her coffee and I leaned against the counter, both palms bracing me on either side.

"_Thank you, Renee. It means a lot to have your support."_

"_That being said, Edward, I would like to know how you two plan to support yourselves . . . and how all this (she gestured to the home around her) is possible? You can't expect your father to support the two of you. You are married and need to stand on your own as adults."_

I heard her words and read nothing but sincerity in her mind. She wanted us to work and did not want us to have to rely on anyone for our well being and support. She was asking me if I was the type of man to stand on my own or to be supported by the work of others. I had to admire her, she was straightforward and deserved an answer and maybe even an explanation.

"_Renee, you know that I was adopted by Carlisle and Esme. My parents were killed when I was very young", I told her. _We had to maintain the human charade after all, so all things that we did and told them had to be adjusted, slightly, but I wanted to be as honest as I could with her.

"_Yes, Bella told me about that, I'm sorry."_

_"Thank you but, no need, I barely remember them and I could not have asked for better parents than Carlisle and Esme. I was left with an inheritance from my parents estate. Carlisle has always had confidence in my abilities so when, a few years ago, I wanted to start investing in the stock market, he allowed it. Supported my efforts, actually."_

I noticed her cock her heads to the side slightly, her mind was blank, she was actually just listening to me and taking in what I was saying. Fascinating. Humans did not usually do that. This must be part of why Bella's mind was closed to me, her mom's mind worked so differently from most humans.

"_So you invested your own money in the stock market. And you did well?"_, she asked.

"_Very well. I don't discuss this as a rule, but you have a right to know that your daughter will be cared for", _I fidgeted, not really comfortable explaining finances to someone outside my vampire family. I had never done this before.

_"Renee, I have been investing for quite a few years now, I guess they consider me something of a financial whiz kid, at least I think that is how my mom puts it. Anyway, Bella and I will never have to worry about money. Ever."_

She looked at me like she didn't comprehend what I was saying. Her mind wasn't processing it either, she just kept thinking - no money worries . . . how can that be . . . he is only 18 . . ."

I looked her straight in the eye and said,

_"Renee. I am worth several hundred million dollars and now, so is Bella."_

I paused for a moment for her to let that sink in before I continued. Humans had a hard time grasping the concept of that much money. It was going to be even harder to accept that this was coming from someone that she knew as an 18 year old kid, not knowing that I was a 110 year old vampire who had been investing for 90 years!

_"I have investment accounts and properties in several countries around the world, not subject to falling stock prices . . . monies that are stable. I built and paid for this house for Bella and I out of our joint account that I set up. It is paid for in full and in Bella's name. I bought her a sports car that is sitting in Charlie's driveway that cost more than most people make in a year. She has half a million in cash in her personal account in case she wants to buy anything and a credit card that has no limit. All of these purchases did not even make a dent in my account. I never even come close to spending the interest alone. I promise you, she will NEVER want for anything. I give you my word. I know I am only 18, but other than managing our investments, neither of us has to work . . . ever, unless we just want to. She can go to any college she desires, live anywhere she wants. I will support her in anything she wants to do, well, anything safe. The Harley riding scares the hell out of me."_

Renee just stared at me, her eyes focused but unmoving, her thoughts beginning to take shape.

"_Edward, I had no idea. You just don't seem like, I mean you don't act like you have all that, you seem like just a mature kid - like any other teenager, I mean you don't flaunt your money or anything. People just assume your dad being a doctor, that you kids have nice things."_

"_Carlisle has always provided well for us, Renee, and I invest his money as well. Because of these investments, he now works because he wants to - not because he has to",_ I kind of kicked at the floor and looked down at my feet fidgeting,_ " I have never told anyone . . . ever, except Bella . . . and then only after we were married. I don't want to be thought of because of money and I don't want the attention."_

"_Edward, you know that Bella doesn't care about that!", _she said as she moved to stand beside me at the counter and refill her coffee cup.

"_I do know that, Renee"_, I chuckled, _"In fact, it kind of bothers her. She hasn't adjusted to not having to worry about finances yet, though she has copies of all out account statements and a black American Express card in her wallet! She knew my family didn't worry about money, but she never knew that I was behind it, not until last week actually. I waited till she had recovered somewhat from the accident to discuss finances with her because I knew it would be sort of a shock to her. I ask that you please keep this information to yourself, Renee",I_ said sternly as I crossed my arms and starred directly at her.

"_Well, just remember I liked you before I knew, as well, Edward. You are family now, and I won't tell a soul. You love my daughter and she loves you. That is really the most important thing, isn't it! You are apparently wise beyond your years and I have always said she was born middle aged. I have every reason to believe you two will be just fine!", _she grasped my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"_Is she coming down to join us for breakfast?"_

I must have inadvertently smirked, because Renee's mind immediately went to the gutter, and she was right. Since we were all being honest, I confirmed her suspicions. _"No, she only just got to sleep when I left to come downstairs. We were up most of the night."_

Renee shook her head. _"Newlyweds!", _she said as she smirked as well and moved to sit at the counter. Her eyes met mine and her thoughts were kind, she was thinking that if she was 19 and her husband looked like I did and adored her, she would be up all night as well making love with him!

I'm sure I chuckled out loud at her thoughts. I had to be careful about that, it was easy to forget and answer thoughts instead of spoken words. She had no idea after all that her thoughts were not private around me, that I heard everything that she was thinking! I met her gaze and said, "_I'm sorry to leave you alone, she will probably sleep for a few hours and she is still recuperating and needs her rest, it's just that it was her birthday and . . . :_

_"Edward! Stop! If I were her and married to you, I would damn sure have been up all night as well, so stop apologizing! "_

If I had not been leaning against the counter, I would have fallen over. Wow! A human that actually said what they thought. I knew there was a reason I loved Bella so much, she must have gotten this trait from her mom. As of now, I fucking loved her mom! Esme and Carlisle walked in just as I was about to offer Renee some breakfast.

"_Ready to go, son?_", Carlisle asked.

"_I was just about to make Renee here some breakfast and Phil and Charlie are not downstairs yet", _Edward allowed.

"_I'll make breakfast for everyone while you go get them, Edward_", Esme remarked as she took eggs out of the refrigerator and grabbed a frying pan. She looked at me and gestured for me to scoot out of the kitchen.

I headed upstairs to get Phil and Charlie. Charlie was just coming out of his room as I approached him.

"_Good morning, Charlie. Esme is making breakfast downstairs if you're hungry this morning!"_

He continued walking right past me, only a nod in acknowledgment. Phil had been coming out of his door down the hall, and had observed the way Charlie treated me.

"_He's a hard man, Edward. Don't get me wrong, he has no right to treat you like that when he is a guest in your home,"_ he put his hand on my shoulder and patted it once, _"He'll come around."_

"_I'm not so sure of that"_, I retorted.

"_Edward", _Phil said and stared straight at me, _"He'll have no choice if he intends to keep in touch with his daughter. That girl is head over heels in love with you!"_

"_I feel the same way about her, Phil. I just wish I had never left her, then we wouldn't be dealing with all this."_

"_Edward, if you never left her, you might not be dealing with all this",_ he explained. _"You two might not be together. Things happen for a reason, son. Because of the time apart, you both value every minute together! Think about it that way! Now, did I hear something about breakfast?"_

"_Downstairs, Mom and Renee are on it, I'm just going to go check on Bella before we leave",_ I paused and turned to him, _"Thanks Phil."_

~oooOooo~

"_Since the boys are going fishing, I thought maybe we could spend some time together this morning, just the three of us. Where is Bella, is she not up yet?"_, Esme asked.

Renee smiled, _"Apparently she was otherwise occupied last night, and only just went to sleep when your son came down here this morning. I think we should let her get a few hours sleep!"_

Esme grinned widely and shook her head, _"Newlyweds. I swear, we have barely seen them since they moved to the new house over a week ago. They never seem to even come up for air! Well, after breakfast, why don't you come up to the house and we can finish that tour that we started yesterday! I would love you to see the view of the mountains from the back porch!"_

Esme fed everyone and got the guys out the door to go fishing! It seemed that Phil and Charlie were the only ones hungry this morning, so breakfast went quickly! I thought we would never get Edward out the door! He didn't like the idea of Bella being here alone and insisted on going back upstairs to make sure her cell phone was charged and within her reach, should she need anything and I assured him I wouldn't be at Esme's house long and I would look after her!

Esme and I walked up the path to her house. She showed me the living room with the massive stone fireplace, comfortable leather sofas and vaulted ceiling. The hearth and mantle were beautiful, but I just could not take my eyes off the TV. It seemed so out of place in this rustic setting! _"That is the largest TV I think I have ever seen!"_, I remarked nodding to the flat screen on the wall!"

"_Emmett"_, Esme said by way of answering, _"Emmett is crazy over video games and insists on the largest TV he can find! He has Jasper and Edward and sometimes even the girls playing those video games with him! He is such a kid!"_

_We walked back towards the foyer and the other end of the house. Just off the foyer was a room that Esme described as Carlisles' study. There were books covering two walls from floor to ceiling with a desk and chair in the very center of the room and an oriental carpet covering the center part of the wood floor. "Your library is beautiful, Esme, is Carlisle the reason that Edward loves books so much?"_

"_Quite possibly. They read and argue over theology all the time! Carlisles' father was a Vicker in England and he enjoys those discussions very much. Edward enjoys his music more than anything else, of course, and Carlisle tends to lean towards a love of art"_, she gestured to the walls of the library where some beautiful oil paintings hung. I had noticed that there was a grand piano in Bellas living room that I assumed Edward played, but there was also one here.

"_Has Edward been playing for long, Esme?", I asked._

"_He has played for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories of him are of his playing", _Esme spoke so lovingly of her son.

"_Does he play well?", _I asked.

"_Has he never played for you? Hum. To answer your question, yes. He plays at a concert level and composes as well, he is quite talented", _she beamed proudly.

"_No, I have never heard him play. I play a little and I have always wanted to learn!" _

"_Well, I'll ask him to play something when we see him!"_

Esme completed the downstairs tour by showing me her room and en suite bathroom. I had already seen the kitchen when I arrived yesterday, and we headed towards the stairs.

"_This is the room we used as a bedroom for Edward and Bella while she recovered"_, Esme said pointing to the dining room, _ "It was just easier for her to be down here around everyone than stuck upstairs, since the cast wouldn't allow her to walk the stairs and she just hates it if someone carries her, well, other than Edward. The furniture that was in here is now in Edwards old room upstairs."_

I loved the tour, Esme was wonderful with colors and designs and everything was picture perfect. We walked into Edwards room, and I sat down on the day bed.

"_Esme, I know what Bella went through when Edward left, but I would like to know how Edward dealt with it. I don't understand why he told her he didn't love her anymore!",_ I looked at Esme questioningly.

"_Well,_" she said sitting down by me, _"It really scared me. I thought we were actually going to loose him at one point." _

She hesitated, _"I don't want you to think badly of him, Renee. He is normally quite logical and easy going, but after we left, after he left her that day - he wouldn't eat, he didn't sleep. When we got here, he sat in the closet of his room in the dark, speaking to no one for days at a time. When he would come out, if someone accidentally mentioned her name or something reminded him of her, he would fall to his knees and sob. It was heartbreaking! Carlisle almost resigned so that we could move back there, but Edward insisted that she would have moved on and it would not be fair to her to play with her emotions like that." _She looked as if she were about to cry just from her memories of him like that.

"_What finally changed" I mean, he went back to find her, right? Showed up at Charlie's house ?"_

"_Yes, he did. He finally realized he simply could not live without her and went back to beg her to take him back, hoping that she had not moved on as he has once suggested. Apparently he told her he didn't love her thinking that if she thought he moved on, it would be easier for her to get over him - a clean break if you will. Now he is eaten alive with guilt for ever having lied to her!"_

"_Esme, the way those kids feel about each other, neither could ever get over the other. It's written all over their faces, and its a joy to see them together", _I tried to comfort her.

"_Yes, I'm just so glad they forgave each other and worked it out! They seem so happy!_

"_They really do, Esme. My daughter is very lucky to have found a young man that loves her the way your son does. Speaking of which, he might very well have my head on a platter if I leave her alone for too much longer!"_

"_Why don't I prepare dinner here tonight and save her the trouble of feeling like she has to cook. She doesn't really need to be standing on that leg very much yet and I would love to have everyone up here to watch the sunset over the mountains anyway! Say around 6?"_

"_That sounds wonderful, and I'm sure that will be alright with Phil and Charlie. You know men, food is food to them, wherever they can get it!"_

_~oooOooo~_

I headed down the path that Esme and I had come up. You could see Bella's house from the top of the hill, but not once you started down the path, though I knew that it wasn't far. The air was fresh and there was a light breeze blowing to cool the day off. It seemed to always be kind of hazy and cloudy here in the mountains, less than in Forks though. Only just a light rain in the afternoons, too, not that all day kind of grey rain that was so common where Charlie lived. Someone had taken care to place timbers across the trail to form steps down where needed and the path was well laid out and defined weaving pleasantly down the hill.

The house was a wonder to approach, perfectly nestled in the edge of the woods, a large meadow covering the small rolling land out in front of the house with a large lake at the other end of the meadow. I could see the new gazebo that the boys had built for her birthday in the distance beside the lake. Thoughtful gift, and they already had a path formed that led to it! This family really did move fast!

The house looked like something out of a fairytale, as though you would expect the seen dwarfs or Cinderella to come walking out the front door. It was just beautiful, perfect for my daughter. The door was unlocked and I called to her as I walked in, but there was no answer. The kitchen looked just as it had when Esme and I had finished cleaning up after breakfast, so I doubted that anyone had been downstairs.

I climbed the stairs and walked to the end of the hall where my daughters room was. The door was cracked and I knew Edward was not home, so I went in. I had not seen this room, what with all the party and celebrations last night. The canopied bed in the center of the vaulted ceiling room was fairy like and perfectly made with the throw pillows lined up just so in front of the pillow shams. I looked further and noticed candles were set out on most of the surfaces and there was a mass of blankets or comforters or something on the floor in front of the fireplace, and a photograph, no maybe it was a painting of Edward and Bella over the mantle. They looked so in love, I was so happy for my daughter!

"_Bella!"_, I called out, _"Bella baby, are you here?"_


	10. Chapter 10 Mother & Daughter

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 10 Mother and Daughter**

**Renee POV**

"_Bella!"_, I called out, _"Bella baby, are you here?"_

The mass of blankets in front of the fireplace moved as I heard her answer, _"Morning mom!"_

I walked over and sat down on the love seat by the fireplace. My daughter had been asleep on what looked like a thick futon thrown on the floor in front of the fireplace, I looked around and noticed a try with cheese and grape remnants and a decanter that had obviously held ice around the bottle of wine that was still there. The boy defiantly had a touch of the romantic in him!

"_Bella, sweetheart, it's freezing in here! You're going to catch your death a cold!"_

"_Oh, yea. I hadn't noticed with all these covers on me."_

She sat up and reached for something blue on the floor. It was her nightgown, which she quickly put on.

"_Edward had the air conditioning on high to keep it cool in here so that we could have a fire last night. I guess with the fire out, it is just too cold!"_

She threw off the covers and started to stand. I reached my hand to help her, what with the cast and all I knew she could not bend her knee only to see her nimbly get up and head over to the thermostat on the wall.

"_Bella! What happened to your cast?",_ I asked as she came to sit back on the floor and wrap up in the covers. It really was chilly in this room, but not the rest of the house!

"_Carlisle let me take it off last night for the first time"_, she said as she stretched her leg out in front of her and rubbed it. _"I only have to wear it if I am going to walk around much."_

"_I'm sure it is much nicer in bed without the cast, as well"_, I said as I lifted my eyebrows.

"_I don't know about bed, Mom, since we slept on the floor! But yes, it was very nice not to have a cast on for the first time!"_, Bella said as she turned beet red. _"Bella, you had never . . . I mean you were still . . .",_ I tried to get the words out. Bella and I had always been very open with each other and I did not think she had ever had sex before, but now I wasn't sure. She starred into my eyes.

_"Mom, neither of us had any idea of what we were doing till we moved last week into this house, but we are figuring it out! Edward wouldn't make love to me till my injuries were healed."_

I started to ask another question, but she shushed me, and blurted out the answer to my unspoken question,

_"Yes Mom, it is really special since NEITHER of us had ever been with anyone before. There, now you know. Don't embarrass Edward by saying anything about it in front of him! Most 18 year old guys have had lots of girls, but he is the most old fashioned, you have to be married first person that you will ever meet."_

"_Have you had breakfast yet, mom?",_ she asked, purposefully changing the subject.

"_Breakfast! Oh honey, its after noon and I had breakfast early this morning and coffee with your young man. Esme showed me her house, and I walked back down here to see if you were up and wanted some lunch sleepy head!"_

"_I'm so sorry, Mom. I guess I kind of overslept."_

"_From the looks of this room (my eyes glanced to the tray and wine and candles) and with what Edward had to say this morning, I gather that you didn't get to sleep till after dawn. He was quite happy when he left this morning with Charlie, a lot happier than you would ever expect a young man to be that was headed out to fish with a father-in-law that hates them!"_

"_Mom!"_

"_Well, you know it's true. You know that Charlie is still under the delusion that you will leave Edward and go home with him, don't you?_", I watched her closely to see if she already knew this, or if it was new information.

"_Mom! Edward keeps saying things like that, but surely Charlie understands that I married Edward, he's my husband and I love him! I'm not going anywhere that he isn't!"_

"_I'm glad to hear that, Mrs. Cullen!"_, Edward said as he sauntered over to me and bent to give me a kiss.

"_Edward, I thought you were fishing!"_, I said as I held out my hand to him, excited to see him!

"_I remembered that we turned the air on high last night because of the fire, I thought you might be cold without me and I wasn't sure you knew where the controls were yet, so I came to check"_, he said playfully.

I held his hand as he pulled me to stand and put his arms around me, my back to my Mom.

"_I see why you would have come back to check - Bella, that nightgown is gorgeous, and it looks amazing on you! Just like that one in the movie, what was it . . . Pretty Woman!"_

"_That's exactly what I thought, Mom! That's why I bought it - well, actually it was my birthday present from Alice!"_

Edward frowned. "_That's really disturbing to know that my sister knows exactly what I would love on you!",_ he said as he nuzzled his face into my shoulder. _"I really don't want to leave",_ he said as he pulled back a bit and looked at me, _"but the guys will wonder what happened to me if I am gone too long!"_ He straightened my necklace and hugged me to him again before he kissed me goodbye. _"Enjoy your day, love. I miss you!"_

"_Miss you, too. Hurry home!",_ I blushed as I turned to face my Mom.

"_No need to feel embarrassed because of me, sweetie, that boy is a rare find and I would not blame you for staying in this room with him for days at a time!"_

We both laughed. "_He really is wonderful, Mom, and I love him so much!"_

"_And this room, Bella! This room is unbelievable! Did you pick out the bed?"_, Mom asked as she walked over and ran her hand over the soft comforter, _"It looks like every woman's dream!"_

"_No, Edward did! Can you believe it! He had our room and the downstairs furnished before I saw the house. I picked out the other bedroom furniture. He offered to change anything I didn't like, but I liked everything he did! He has really great taste and he always seems to know what I like!"_

"_Come look at this, Mom", _My daughter walked to a door on the other side of her bed and into a large bathroom with delicate blue tile and a jacuzzi tub! _"Controls for heating the tub! The water never gets cold, we can sit in the tub for as long as we like!"_

"_Yes, it's certainly big enough for two!",_ I had to laugh at my daughters enthusiasm and the fact that she had not even realized she said we when referring to taking a bath.

"_Let me get some clothes on and we can go have some lunch!",_ she said as she headed off through another door in their room. I followed her to see where it led and she was standing in a huge closet with what seemed like endless clothes for herself as well as Edward. I was so surprised! I knew that she had come here with almost no clothes, but this closet was full, most of them still with the tags hanging on them for her as well as Edward!

"_Bella! Since when were you able to go shopping and when did you start liking it?"_, I asked astonished. I'm sure my mouth was hanging open.

"_I didn't and I don't, Mom. Yesterday was the first time I went shopping for anything. Alice loves to shop and she buys clothes for the entire family. She treats clothing like it is disposable, meant for one time use!"_, I said laughing as I said it.

"_And she can fit you?"_

_"Every time, Mom, it's down right scary how good she is at it! Edward just lets her indulge herself, he wears the things he likes and donates the rest to shelters, that way the closet doesn't get too crowded. I can't let Alice in here to thin out the clothes or all of my sweat pants and t shirts would disappear! For some reason, she hates me sleeping in them!"_

_"And Edward doesn't?"_

My daughter turned to look at me,_ "No, he doesn't. He couldn't care less what I sleep in, though he really seemed to like that gown last night . . . but it doesn't really matter, we don't sleep in clothes, Mom."_

"_Bella, honey"_, I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders, _"Are you sure you are OK with all of this?"_ I gestured to the house, the clothes, etc.

'_Mom, I want Edward. The rest, the house, the money, the cars . . . they are just details. He would live anywhere I want, any way I wanted . . . and I would do the same for him. Alice loves clothes, we don't care about them. Let her buy them if it makes her happy. Edward loves fast cars, I don't care if he buys them or not. He built this house mainly so we could have some privacy - we seem to be a little noisy sometimes!", _she blushed.

"Bella . . ."

"_I guess what I am trying to say is, when you take away money as a factor in your life, everything else is really easy to deal with. You just do what is important to you and Edward is the most important thing to me"_

She fingered the necklace he had given her last night, "_It's like this necklace, Mom. If you take away the B, the E is incomplete, and if you take away the E, the B is incomplete. Edward had it exactly right when he designed this. Whatever we have to do, I know we will always work it out because we are the most important thing to each other!"_

I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as I hugged my daughter. _"Oh, honey, you are so right! You have got it so right at such an early age . . . most people never figure out what you and Edward already accept as routine! You are so very wise beyond your years, baby!"_

"_Remember when you were in the hospital, while you were waiting for Edward to come back just before the wedding - I think he had left to buy rings, or something. You were so sure, so sure you were doing the right thing. The boy had been gone for over 6 months without a word, had told you he didn't love you and it took you all of what, a half hour conversation with him to agree to marry him!"_

"_I remember", _she said with a pained expression on her face.

"_You decided in an instant, you took the opportunity in front of you because you knew it was the right thing for you. You know what is best for you, sweetie, you always have. I trust you. I trust that if you feel right about it, then you made the right decision and I welcome Edward into the family. He seems like he is really sweet and really smart."_

"_Thanks, Mom. Thanks for being there for me. I love you!"_

"_I love you, too sweetie. And there is one thing you haven't mentioned about him that I think is important!"_

"_What?"_

_I smiled and touched my forehead to hers, "He is REALLY good looking, I think the young person way is to say he is REALLY hot!"_

"_Mom! That's MY HUSBAND you are talking about . . . but yes," _she said in a soft whisper,_ "he is REALLY handsome. . . and REALLY HOT!" _We both laughed and laughed at each other.

She slipped on her jeans from yesterday and we folded up the mass of covers on the floor and grabbed the dishes to take downstairs with us.

_"Have you seen the rest of the upstairs yet?"_, she asked me.

_"No, not yet, just the room you have Phil and I in."_

_"Well, there are two other bedrooms, this one"_, she opened the door and showed me a large room with cream and blue decorations, it also had an attached bath. _"This is the room Charlie has"_, she said,_ "and the other bedroom up here is empty. I haven't decided what to do with it yet."_

_"Maybe a nursery?"_, I asked with a smile. _"Mom, where is it written that we have to have children? We haven't even had any time together alone yet!"_

_"You're right sweetie, it was just a thought. It's way too soon to think about that!"_

She led me downstairs and put the dishes in the sink before showing me the library. _"I guess you have seen the rest of the downstairs, this is probably the only room left to see. Edward knows I love books and he does too, so he added all these bookcases to his office,"_ she traced her hand across one desk to the other that stood facing each other in the center of the room, _"well, OUR office. He actually built these bookcases himself."_

_"Well you do certainly love books! Are you still re reading that book you like so much, Wuthering Heights wasn't it?"_, I asked.

She walked over to the bookshelf and removed a book to hand to me. _"Look. He bought me a first addition of it! Isn't that amazing!"_

"_The boy loves you, that is obvious Bella! I asked him this morning how he planned to support you, and he told me about the money, sweetie. I'm so happy for both of you that you don't have to have that stress in your life, you're free to just go and do the things you choose to do! What a wonderful life you will have!" _I hugged my daughter for a long moment, until I heard her stomach growl. _ "Let's get some lunch!"_

Bella fixed sandwiches and iced tea and we went out on the patio to enjoy our day. I had not yet asked her about her time away from all of us, and I wanted to get it out in the open that I was curious. After we finished our food, I asked,

"_Bella, how did you start riding motorcycles, you were never much for balancing, sweetie!"_

"_I don't want you to think I'm nuts, Mom, and I haven't even talked to Edward about this yet."_

She fidgeted and looked away.

"_After Billy died, Jake needed to leave, just to get away. He had been there for me - pulled me out of some of my depression after Edward left, well, you know . . . you came to visit that time to take me home with you."_

"_Yes, I remember. I remember, too, how bad off you were. You wouldn't even eat."_

"_Well, hanging out with Jake helped. He was just a friend, but he was a distraction for me, he made me laugh and kept me from always thinking about Edward. Mom - I found that if I did something dangerous, I could hear Edward telling me to be careful, not to get hurt. It was as if he was there with me. I needed him - I needed to hear his voice, so I did more and more things to get to hear him."_

"_Bella!"_, I gasped! _"You could have been killed!"_

"_I really didn't care as long as I could at least hear his voice and see him in my mind, seeming like he cared for me . . . I didn't want to live without him anyway."_

"_Oh my God Bella!"_, tears streamed down my face as my daughter spoke. I knew she was devastated by Edwards' leaving, but I had not realized she didn't want to live!

"_Mom, I want to talk to Edward about this first, but just know that seeing him was the reason I rode the dirt bikes, jumped off the cliffs in La Push and started riding the drag bike. Jake was working as the mechanic for the team, a friend of his owns the company and gave us jobs and an apartment in Calgary. I was actually good at racing, Mom. Did you know that I won the competition in Phoenix last spring? I was the number one rider and something of a phenomena because of being a girl!"_

"_My God Bella! Edward doesn't know any of this?", _I looked at her in disbelief.

"_No. He knows about my drag racing, of course. He is the one who saved me when I wrecked the bike, but he doesn't know the reason I did it in the first place. Mom, I have been so worried that he wouldn't want me when he found out how crazy I had been . . . hallucinating seeing him and all . . . I just don't want to loose him!"_

She put her face in her hands and started sobbing as she sat at the table with me, she was almost hysterical.

"_Sweetie, tell him. He loves you. I don't think you could do anything that would make him leave you!" _

I moved my chair to stand and go to my daughter, but it seemed Edward appeared out of nowhere. Somehow she was on his lap in his arms and he was kissing the side of her head that was tucked into his shoulder.

"_Baby, what's all this!"_, he glared at me as though I should fear for my life, a murderous glare, really. _"There is absolutely nothing you could do that would make me leave you, sweetheart, short of ordering me away from you."_

"_Who is ordering you away?"_, Charlie said as he walked out onto the porch looking hopeful.

"_No one, Dad! And you need to stop this!"_, Bella lifted her head from Edwards shoulder and raised her voice at her dad, "_I am never leaving Edward! I love you Dad, but if you can't accept that Edward is my husband and I will always be with him then you need to leave our house, NOW!"_

"_OK, OK Bells, I get it. That's not necessary, I can stop, just calm down!"_, Charlie said with his hands up and both palms gesturing to her to calm down.

The rest of the guys had joined us on the patio by this time, apparently they had just arrived back from fishing and Edward had made it in the house first. Carlisle especially looking concerned for Bella. Edward stood and lifted her effortlessly into his arms, her head still cradled on his shoulder.

_"We are going upstairs. Do NOT disturb us, I won't tolerate anyone upsetting my wife!",_ he looked directly at Charlie, _"Even her family. She is not completely recovered and you WILL NOT hurt her!"_

And he was gone. I had never seen anyone move so quickly, then I heard the upstairs door slam.

"_I'm not taking that off of him!_", Charlie almost yelled, "_Bella is MY daughter and I will speak to her whenever I want!" _ He headed towards the door, his knuckles turning white from the fists he was making.

"_What's going on?_", Carlisle asked, blocking the door as Charlie moved to follow after Edward.

Charlie stood there fuming, apparently unable or unwilling to answer, so I did.

"_Bella and I were discussing her time away and she got upset. Edward came in to comfort her and Charlie heard something out of context and made a comment that seemed as though he would be happy if Bella left Edward. Bella blew up at him suggesting that he leave their house. Your son was quite justifiably angry that Bella was upset and well, you heard him."_

"_Charlie, it's not a good idea to go after Edward when he is this angry and I know you don't want Bella upset any further. He can calm her better than any of us,_ _and you know it",_ Carlisle spoke firmly to Charlie.

It was obvious to me that even if Carlisle let Charlie through, Edwards brothers would see that Edwards wishes to not be disturbed were respected. I gathered the dishes from lunch and headed past Carlisle to the kitchen.

"_If you don't mind, Charlie, I would like to speak to you . . . NOW!_

Carlisle and the boys adjourned to the living room, both to see that no one went upstairs as well as to give me privacy with Charlie. Phil excused himself and left for the other room as well, recognizing the look on my face and not wanting to bear the brunt of anything I might have to say right now. He knew me well.

**Charlie POV**

I followed her into the kitchen while she calmly put the dishes into the sink, my fists still clenched and my face felt like I had been out in the sun for a day or three!

"_That little shit is NOT going to talk like that to me, Renee! That's our daughter! MY daughter! I will talk to her any damned time I feel like it and no wet behind the ears teen aged kid is going to tell me what to do, do you hear me!"_

"_Charlie, everyone hears you. The question is, do you hear yourself", she said to me quietly._

"_What is that supposed to mean? That kid just told me not to speak to my daughter and she had said she was ordering him away from her! What the hell, Renee! Don't you care about her well being, her future?""_

"_Charlie, he did not tell you not to speak to your daughter, he told you that he would not allow her to be hurt, that he would stand up to even you to protect her. She never ordered him away, he told her he would never leave her unless SHE ordered him away."_

I thought about that for a minute. Was I really only hearing the parts I wanted to hear? I guess it really did take something for a kid like that to stand between me and her, if he thought I was hurting her. I don't know that I would have had the balls to do that if Renee's father had started something when we were first married as teenagers. He sure was protective of her, I'd give him that. That is what a Dad wants for his little girl, after all, someone who is fiercely protective of her. Huh.

"_She is just too young, Renee, she needs to come home and get a little life under her belt before all this!", I gestured around me.  
_

"_Charlie! Listen to yourself! She is older than I was when we were married! Think Charlie! Do you remember how in love we were that first year . . . remember! Doesn't she deserve a chance at that? You saw the way she was when he left her, well it turns out he was no better off than she was! They love each other . . . Charlie they are a part of each other, like we should have been. Let her have that! Stop this plotting to get her to leave him, you are only going to loose her, believe me. She will choose him over either you or me in a heartbeat without so much as a seconds delay. And she would be right, Charlie! She is right to chose her husband!"_

I took a deep breath. She was right. Renee was right. The boy had shown himself to be everything a father could want in a husband for his daughter. This boy can already offer financial security like I can only imagine. He had made a mistake in ever leaving her, but he had searched for her, found her, and married her. He took good care of her, even when it was me he had to stand up against. They were young, but I was young when I married Renee, and I had nothing. If the truth be known, I had never gotten over Renee. . . never wanted anyone else, and I had been alone for years. I didn't want that for Bella.

"_Renee, I just want what is best for her, I want her to have a bright future!"_, I said, now questioning my own motives and judgment. I looked into the eyes of the woman that I still loved, and she put her hands on my cheeks, looked at me and said,

"_That boy IS her future, Charlie. _


	11. Chapter 11 Adjusting

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 11 Adjusting**

**Carlisle POV**

Edward and Bella had been in their room all afternoon. I stayed at their house with the boys till Charlie showered and was ready to come up the hill to dinner. Phil and Renee had headed up to see if there was anything they could do to help Esme with the meal just a few minutes ago. Renee seemed anxious to show Phil the beauty of the surrounding woods and the path that connected our two homes. She was over the upset as soon as she had said her piece. Amazing woman, she just let things go and moved on. If my patients had that reaction to stress, I would soon be out of a job!

Renee reminded me a lot of Emmett in that regard. They both lived in the moment, taking pleasure from what they happened to be doing at that moment in time and immediately letting go of stressful events just as soon as they were over. They didn't hold onto things at all and I admired that in both of them.

Charlie, however, was a different story. Jasper had managed to calm Charlie to the point that he agreed to shower and come to dinner with us, managing to keep him away from Edward. Alice had seen that it would work. I wasn't sure what we would have done if Charlie had insisted on seeing Bella, but we could not have allowed it. Edward would have killed him, literally. The only thing that might have stopped him would have been the fact that it would have upset Bella later. In all of our 93 years together, I had never seen my son that angry.

Ever.

After all he had gone through with her, he was fiercely protective and loyal.

**EPOV**

I was unclear as to what had upset Bella. She was sitting with her mother when I found her crying. I tried to comfort her but her father misinterpreted something I said and thought she was crying trying to get away from me. When Bella corrected him he didn't take it well and I almost struck him when he yelled at my wife. He might be her father but I would not have her yelled at in her own home with me standing there, never going to happen.

I nuzzled my face closer to hers and took Bella to our room. Fuck human pretense, I moved at vampire speed. This was my house and my wife. I heard their minds, questioning what they saw, they attributed it to the heat of the moment, everything happened so fast, whatever. I could not bring myself to care. My wife was in my arms and she was crying and I needed her to calm down, I needed to make sure she was alright before I could care about any of the rest of them.

I made myself clear that no one was to disturb us, my father listened. His mind screamed restraint, begging me to let him handle Charlie. My brothers had my back, solidly. There was no way ANYONE was coming through the door of my bedroom, they would see to that and I was grateful to them. They had always been there for me, even when I was not there for them.

I kicked the door shut, locking it, and placed her on our bed, molding myself around her and holding her. She continued to cry as I stroked her hair.

"_Baby, what's wrong?"_

She didn't answer, she just continued to cry harder. It seemed like the closer I held her and the more I told her I loved her, the harder she cried.

"_Baby, please, if you don't tell me what happened and who upset you I'm likely to go on a homicidal killing spree and annihilate everyone just to be sure I got the right one!"_

"_Edward!"_ She started laughing. She was laughing and giggling with tears streaming down her cheeks . . . smiling at me!

"_I can't believe you!"_, she said as she placed the top half of her body on mine and took my face in her hands.

"_Someone upset you in our home in the middle of the day and I'm not OK with that!",_ I told her as I moved strands of wet hair out of her face and tucked them behind her ears. I caught a gleam in her eye and I went with it, _"And no one messs with you in this house but me . . . or anywhere else for that matter (I quickly added)!"_

She grinned from ear to ear and kissed me, a wet, salty kiss but welcome none the less.

"_You really won't leave me, will you. I'm starting to see that. I have never seen anyone stand up to Chief Swan before!"_, she smiled and softly stroked my face and scratched my scalp as she played with my hair. Damn it, that always made me purr, I just could not help it. How could I be intimidating while I was purring!

"_Baby, he was almost, quite literally, an appetizer. You are MINE!"_, I smirked at the pun and added softly in her ear_.  
_

She fained a shocked expression, "_Edward! You are not allowed to eat our guests, especially not my parents!"_

"_Ah baby, you never let me have any fun!"_, she laughed so hard she was shaking the entire bed, me included. God I loved the sound of her laughter and I loved joking with her. . . but she needed to know that I was also serious. I was not just a human man, my instincts were slightly different and I would REALLY kill anyone that hurt her.

"_I love you, Bella. I am so in love with you. You are everything to me, you have to know that. As much as I try to fit in and adapt human traits, you have to know that I am still a vampire. My instincts run a little differently than yours . . . and I really would KILL them",_ I said with all sincerity in my face._  
_

Her eyes grew wide as she stilled to stare into mine.

"_No kidding. The fact that you would be upset about it is the only thing that stopped there being a blood bath on our patio. It would have taken only a few seconds to kill them all."_

She looked stunned, shocked really, but I needed her to know.

"_I guess I just really don't understand what it is truly like for you. I know you are strong and I know you are capable of taking down a mountain lion and drinking its blood, but the raw power that you have is hard for me to comprehend. You are so very gentle and loving with me, its hard for me to imagine you any other way. But I love you no matter how you are, Edward. I love all of you."_

"_That's one of my fears. I'm afraid that if you see me like I really am as a vampire hunting, that you won't want to be with me . . . that you might be afraid of me or disgusted by me and I can't live without you - I just can't!", _ I hugged her close to me and breathed her in, her head against my chest.

"_Then I need to see you hunt. We will figure out a way that it is safe for me to be there. I insist on proving to you that I will love you and want you no matter what, I need you to know that before you change me. I want you to be comfortable that I know what I'm getting into and I want it with you!"_

I was speechless. I had no words that would adequately describe the love I had for this woman and I would love her till the end of time!

"_But right now, I need you to know that no one upset me. I upset myself. I am afraid that when we talk about the things that I did while we were apart . . . when I tell you, that you won't want me anymore and I can't live without you either!" _

"_I can not imagine anything you could do or that you have done that would cause me to walk away from you", I told her as I continued to stroke her hair and hold her to my chest._

She ducked her head down and hid her eyes from me - Oh God, was there someone else? Jacob? No, no that wasn't possible. I read his thoughts and he wouldn't be capable of hiding that from me. I knew I was her first, the bleeding proved that, didn't it?

"_Bella . . . "_, I gently moved her off me so that I could see he face. She must have seen the pain in my eyes.

"_No! Edward, no! There has never been anyone else, only you. Please don't think that of me! It's just that when you hear just how crazy I went when you left you might want to have me committed and figure that I am a lost cause or something!"" _

"_Tell you what, lets sit and talk about our time apart and get all the crazy out in the open so that you never have to cry over it again, deal? I remember being scared you would leave me when I was telling you how insane I was without you, so I understand how you are feeling about that. In fact, why don't we have that discussion in our meadow back in Forks - we can fly out there and drive your car back! You have been cooped up inside far too long, Mrs. Cullen!"_

"_Deal on one condition!"_

Edward eyed me warily.

"_Go fix it with my Dad for me. You are not afraid of him and I am!", _she said with a smirk!

"_They are all up at the other house, love. Esme got them all to go up there for dinner and to watch the sunset over the mountains. I heard them leave some time ago."_

"_Vampire hearing, I know. I suppose you have been monitoring their thoughts, too."_

"_Not carefully, just the headlines", _I said, giving her the crooked grin she loved._  
_

_She laughed, "Well go mind read your way into my Dad's heart and make it OK for me to go up there and join them. They are all leaving in the morning and I hate that we had that scene!"_

_I kissed her softly, "Anything for you, love. Have a shower and get dressed, I'll go make peace - but only because you asked me to! I'm going for a quick hunt first, I haven't had my dinner yet you know and I don't think your dad would be very tasty!", _I smirked as I got up and headed for the door.

"_Edward!", _she exclaimed as she flung a shoe at me. Flung a shoe at me! I ducked behind the door, the shoe hitting the door, mock hurt on my face,_ "I'm wounded! I can't believe you did that!"_

_~oooOooo~_

_It took no time to find a deer or two then reach Carlisle and Esme's house. Alice was waiting for me._

"_Are you done threatening the human population yet?", _she asked me, already knowing the answer.

"_For now. You couldn't have warned me, Alice? You had to have seen what would happen this afternoon! I nearly snapped and slaughtered them all! I nearly exposed us!"_

"_I saw. Charlie needed to see and Bella needed to realize what you were capable of. It wouldn't have gone the same way if you had known in advance what to expect. Your anger had to be real, brother. Now you know how devoted she really is to you and she has a better idea of when not to push you"_, she sighed. _"Vampire/human relationships really are a lot of work, Edward!"_

She was teasing me. Now my sister was teasing me as well. Shoes flying through the air at me, women crying, fathers wanting to punch me, fishing when I don't even eat fish . . . and now I get to make nice with a human that would like nothing better than to exhaust his supply of bullets into me if he thought he could get away with it!

"_Now can I go help Bella to get ready for dinner or are you still confining her to isolation with you?"_

I had to smile, _"Go, Alice, go! I'm sure she missed you and Rose today." I_ looked at the bags in her arms_, "I thought you were out hunting this morning not shopping!" _

"_We hunted first then went shopping to give her time alone with her mother! I found the most wonderful outfit for her to wear tonight!"_, she said as she gestured to the bag and turned to head to my house, _"And Edward, your airline tickets are on Carlisles' desk. Going to the meadow to talk is exactly the best thing for you two, I see a wonderful outcome, just be careful and remember that Bella is human!" _

She shared her thoughts and visions with me for a long minute, and I had to smile.

"_Thanks, Alice."_

~oooOooo~

I listened for a moment. Esme and Renee were sitting on the back porch admiring the view. Jasper, Charlie and Emmett were playing Call of Duty in the living room and arguing with Rosalie over who got to play the winner, and Carlisle was in his study discussing the paintings with Phil.

I had no idea how to do this. Bella had yelled at her dad for wanting her to leave me and ordered him out of her house. He had yelled at her for raising her voice to him and I had yelled at everyone for upsetting Bella. Fuck. Alice had said that airline tickets were on the desk, I wondered if they were for the same flight as Charlie? I thought about going to look as that would give me an idea of how things would go - if we were flying out with him in the morning the talk was probably going to go well! Shit. I was a coward, bullet proof or not. I would not go in and let Carlisle see that I looked at the tickets, I would just go and settle this with Charlie.

I laughed to myself at the cavalier attitude Bella had shown telling me not to eat the guests! It was amazing really that she could be so flippant about my instincts and natural food source. She had way too much confidence in me!

I walked into the living room. Charlie stood and faced me, rage showing in the lines of his face.

"_Charlie, can I please have a word with you, outside."_

The tension in the room was palpable. Esme, Rene Carlisle and Phil immediately gathered in the doorways, silently watching. Jasper flooded the room with calm and I nodded appreciatively towards him. I knew he sensed that my rage had calmed. Emmett seemed to be tensed as if to spring, though his mind was unclear as to whether he needed to keep Charlie and I separated or help me rip him apart. Rosalies' thoughts were the most interesting. From her perch behind Emmett on the couch, all she could think about was that she didn't want Charlie hurt because it would upset Bella! She had become quite fond of Bella and continued to take her side of things, a change that pleased me greatly!

Charlie reacted like most adult males. I was a teenage pipsqueak to him and he would never back down from someone calling him out like that. His mind was torn between admiring me for standing up to him and anger for being called out. Huh, we would have to just see how this went. I turned and went out the front door with Charlie following me. I walked to the far side of the yard by the tree line to give the appearance of privacy for our conversation. There was no privacy with my family. I heard their minds each screaming at me to stay calm, not to expose us. Carlisle kept telling me to be rational, to reason with him, and I was going to try.

"Charlie I . . ."

"_Hold it, just stop right there. I have something to say to you before you say anything."_

I braced myself for what was about to come. I had always had trouble reading Charlies' mind and it was more difficult now than ever before. He was angry, very angry and he was . . .embarrassed? That didn't make sense!

"_Edward I have spent the last year hating you for what you did to my daughter. Bella left when you did, checked out and didn't come back. I didn't see how important you were to her before you left, but I do remember that she was happy. I have ignored that. I have ignored the fact that she came back to life the minute you were with her in the hospital, that you took care of her, cared for her, gave her anything she wanted and everything she needed. You saved her life. I came here with the intention of taking her home with me, without you."_

My hands turned to fists in spite of myself and the hair on my neck bristled. He was admitting that he was trying to take her from me. I would kill him before I would let that happen. Carlisle took a step out the front door towards us but I nodded to him to stay where he was.

Charlie continued, _"I was wrong. She has everything she needs in you, Edward. Fathers want someone for their daughter who is not afraid to show their love for them, hard working and determined enough to support them, and man enough to protect them. No one has ever stood up to me before. I don't know that I would have had the nerve to stand up to Renees' dad. You look at her like I looked at Renee when we were first married and I remember the feeling behind that look. I never got over her. I am not good at apologies, but I am sorry that I came here with the intention of taking her from you. I see that you really do love her, just promise me you won't ever leave her again. She wouldn't survive it again, son."_

I was floored. I had expected many things to be said between us, but I had never expected this_._ This was a better outcome that I had ever hoped for. He had admitted that I was good for her._  
_

"_You can be sure, Charlie, I will never leave her again. I swear it."_

He reached out his hand to me and I shook it. I had stopped paying attention to the minds around me. I was in such shock that Charlie had a change of heart . . . that he had apologized to me.

Bella hurried to me from across the yard, jumping into my arms and hugging me. She put one arm out to hug Charlie's neck at the same time, pulling us both close and telling us both how much she loved us. She took her Dads' arm and walked towards the house murmuring something about being half starved to death and asking what was for dinner. She really did own me and I wouldn't have it any other way!

After dinner, I whispered my plan to Bella about going back to Forks for a visit and to get her car for her, but Alice had already filled her in. She loved the idea of a cross country road trip with me! I gestured to everyone that I had an announcement to make after dinner.

"_Bella and I just want to thank our families for all their love and support,_" I looked into her eyes, _"and for putting up with us while we sorted ourselves out. We love all of you. Since we seem to be living in North Carolina now and the car I purchased for Bella is in Charlies' driveway in Forks, we are flying back with you Charlie, for a visit then a road trip!"_

_~oooOooo~_

Charlie was thrilled to have more time with his daughter. If the truth be told, he wanted more time to watch us together, to make sure that I was what she really wanted. Renee and Phil offered to drive Charlie, Bella and myself to the airport in Atlanta on their way home to Jacksonville. It made sense not to take a car to leave at the airport as Bella and I would be driving a car home from Forks. I could not wait for her to see her car, but the ride with all my in laws I certainly wasn't anxious for, much less the fact that I would not be driving and I hated to go slow!

Morning came quickly. Bella insisted on keeping our routine of making love before she went to sleep each night as well as when she woke up in the mornings. In truth, I would be hard pressed to give that up as well. It was only her well being and need for sleep and rest that allowed me to leave her alone long enough to let her sleep at all. If she could sleep with me inside her, I would, and in truth sometimes did. I ran out during the night for a quick hunt with my family. It had been a long while since we all went out together and I loved being with them. They all came to our house to say goodbye.

Phil and Renee headed out to the car with their bags and Charlie added his to the trunk. Charlie made a comment about there being very little room for bags for Bella and I when Alice came out of the house and plopped down the one small bag she had packed for both of us. Renee just shook her head and Bella laughed at her.

"_I told you Mom, we just let Alice be Alice! I have no idea what she packed but I am sure everything Edward and I need is in there!"_, she laughed and hugged an indignant Alice.

_"At least I know you're clothing will match while you are away, and none of those sweatpants you love to sleep in!_", Alice retorted.

_"It's OK, Alice. I have plenty more of them in my drawer at Charlies!_", Bella said as she and her mom laughed.

The drive to the airport was long and uneventful. It was only 130 miles and it took us nearly 3 hours to get there! Unbelievable! After lots of hugs and tears, Renee and Phil left to drive home to Jacksonville with the promise that we would come and spend Thanksgiving with them. While I liked them, going somewhere for the express purpose of being expected to eat human food was repulsive and I cringed at the idea!

"_Let's get this show on the road!", _Charlie roared as he picked up his bag and headed to the check in. I grabbed ours and got the tickets out.

"_When did you decide to fly out with me, Edward, I expect it was after our talk last night!"_

"_Yes, I booked it late yesterday, Charlie. We were lucky to get seats together!"_

"_Doesn't that cost a fortune, I mean, no advance notice or anything?", _Charlie asked.

I remembered that though I had the finance talk with Renee, the only thing Charlie knew about that was what Alice had alluded to when she talked to him about the r8 in Forks, months ago.

"_It's a bit pricey, Charlie, but I don't mind. Bella wanted to fly out with you"_, I told him as I handed the girl our tickets to check in.

"_Thank you, Mr. Cullen, the lounge is through security and to the right. We will call you when it is time to board. Enjoy your flight, Sir."_

"_What's that all about?_", Charlie asked.

"_It's just one of the perks to flying, Charlie. Lounge, snacks and courtesy flight calls. Just some extras the airlines offer for first class."_

We got through security and went to the lounge, Charlie and Bella having coke's and a sandwich before the flight. We found a chair and love seat in an uncrowded corner and sat down to eat and relax. I had a coke, knowing that Bella would end up drinking it for me.

I explained finances to Charlie, much the same as I had to Renee. He had a right to know that I could support his daughter myself, not from the efforts of others.

_"Did you know about all this, Bells? Did you know about Edward handling the finances for everyone and making all that money himself?"_, Charlie asked Bella.

_"No Dad. I knew Carlisle didn't seem to worry about money and that Alice spent a fortune on clothes. Edward only told me about his investments after he surprised me with the new house. It was a shock to me too! I had been thinking about what kind of a job I could find in town and how we could save for our own apartment! It was quite a surprise to find that my handsome and loving husband was also a millionaire!"_

_"Bella! If you want to use that term to describe me, you have to use it to describe yourself. You're my wife, half of everything I own is yours",_ I told her softly as I kissed her cheek.

_"Well that's just something, I mean that's really something. I'd still like to see you go to college or have a career before you start having children, Bells"_, her father told her.

My heart sank at those words. I could never give her children. She knew that, of course. The look on her face told me that she didn't want me upset by his words, her hand squeezed mine to comfort me.


	12. Chapter 12  Flight

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 12 Flight**

**EPOV**

We were called to board and the flight was uneventful. Charlie tried to make some type of small talk with me but I knew he wasn't one for conversation. I had to hand it to him though, his thoughts were sincere and he was trying to get to be pleasant. He kept reminding himself of how happy his daughter was. He trusted her and he figured that if she loved me that much there must be something to me. Charlie was having a difficult time with the fact that his daughter was grown up and married, he still thought of her as his little girl. Renee had reminded him of what he would want for Bella in a husband, and he had realized that I wasn't the worst thing on the planet that could have happened to her. She was financially secure, in love, and he saw that I was ridiculously overprotective of her when it came to her safety or to anything (or anyone) hurting her. He approved of that, he was just that way as well.

Bella slept on my shoulder. She had a hard time getting comfortable with the cast still on her leg, and Carlisle had insisted she still wear it when she expected to walk some distance, like in the airport terminals. Once she was asleep I didn't move so that I would not disturb her.

"_She's still sleeping, huh",_ Charlie said as the announcement came on that we were about to land. _"I guess the last couple of days have been kind of rough on her with all the guests and the new house and all. I'm sorry I added to that, Edward. I see you are really good to her and I appreciate that. I guess it's hard not to just see her as my little girl."_

"_I'm sure she will always be your little girl, Charlie. She just wants to be my wife as well!_", I said as we buckled out seat belts.

He nodded, _"That's right, I know that's right. I just hope there's no hard feelings you know, between us. I want to keep my family close and it seems you are a part of that now!"_

"_It's in the past, Charlie. I just don't react well to anything that in any way threatens to separate me from her. Being apart from her is not something I can bring myself to even consider."_

Bella stirred as I moved to snap my seat belt and hers. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and kissed my neck. _"Are we there yet?",_ She asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"_We are",_ Charlie told her, _"Time to wake up sleepy head! Sue should be here to get us as soon as we get our bags!"_

Charlie had arranged for Sue to pick us up at the airport and I once again found myself anxious. I really didn't like for anyone else to drive especially when it involved Bella being in the car!

"_Not far now, Sue should be waiting at baggage claim!",_ Charlie announced. Bella looked tired to me so I was not surprised when she suggested that she wanted a coke with ice to drink.

"_Baby, you go with your Dad and I'll find you a coke, I don't want you walking so far on that leg, OK?"_, I offered.

"_Alright, meet us in baggage claim?"_

"_Be there in a minute, love."_

She and Charlie continued on to get the bags. Charlie had not called Sue since he left, his mind was going through their last conversation when he had told her he was bringing Bella back home with him. Huh. I listened to make sure everything was alright while I bought the coke for Bella and headed to find them.

Charlie spotted Sue. They had both Charlie's bag and ours and were waiting for me. I chuckled to myself. Sue's mind was racing, she saw only Bella and the one bag that she had with her and assumed that Charlie had succeeded in getting her to leave me and come home with him. I felt as though I was on fire I was so angry. He had discussed his plans in detail with Sue and though she had told him it might not work out that way because she thought Bella was in love with me, he had flown to Highlands confident in his resolve. She was starring at Bella in disbelief that he had accomplished his goal! They had just finished hugging when I rounded the corner.

"_Here you are, love. One coke!_", I said as I smirked and handed it to her.

"_Sue, nice to see you!"_, I offered her my hand and she reluctantly shook it. _"Thanks for getting our bag, Charlie!"_, I said as I took it from him making a point of being overly pleasant, _"Ready to go?"_

"_You have room for all of us, Sue?"_, Charlie asked.

"_Sure, I even cleaned the car out!"_, Sue laughed. _"Edward, do you have a bag to go get?"_

"_No, Bella and I just have the one bag, thanks. We didn't bring a lot since I was unsure of the trunk size in the R8 and I didn't know if Bella wanted to bring things home with us from her room!"_

"_Baby, that's right! I can take some of the things I left behind home with us! Alice must have thought of that when she packed only the one bag for us!", _Bella said excitedly.

Charlie frowned slightly but started making his way towards the terminal parking area. I put my arm around Bella as we walked towards the parking lot, "_Are you really excited, love?"_

"_I am. I haven't been this excited since Dad got the truck for me!" _She looked up at me with those chocolate eyes_, "I can't wait to see my car! It's times like this that I wish I spoke Car and Driver so that I could have an idea of what you bought for me!" _

I laughed so hard and Charlie laughed with me! Her enthusiasm was infectious. Sue's mind was racing - she was having a hard time understanding why Charlie seemed so at ease and was even laughing and joking with me! Her thoughts turned to her tribe and she thought of the cold ones. She knew about me. She was worried for Bella's safety around me and for what the tribe would decide about the treaty since our marriage seemed a threat to Bella's safety. I picked back up on something Charlie was telling her verbally,

" _. . . and you should see the house he built for her, Sue, I'll tell you it is just beautiful, four bedrooms and real roomy. Room for kids down the road, though if these two don't start coming out of their room once in a while, I may be a grandfather before you know it!"_, he said it as he mussed up Bellas' hair and she blushed as red as I had ever seen her.

I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and nuzzled her neck as Sue watched in the rear view mirror. _"No, Dad, we need to see some of the world, maybe a few years of college, who knows. Definitely waiting awhile to have kids, if we ever do!", _she told him.

Sue looked horrified. She was afraid for Bella when she saw me go for her neck and she almost lost it at the idea that we could be having sex. She didn't think that was possible and Bella survive! _"Are you staying at your old house, Edward?"_, Sue asked pensively.

Bella looked at me and I shrugged. _"We can stay wherever you want. As long as I'm with you it doesn't matter where we stay!"_, I told her.

"_Bella, your old room is all ready for you! Charlie had me clean and freshen it for you before he left!"_. Sue froze as if she had said something wrong and looked to Charlie.

Charlie sheepishly and quietly looked at Sue and said, _"They know that I came there to get Bella to come back here alone, Sue. We worked it out, me and my new son-in-law. He's good to her Sue". _ He glanced over his shoulder to the two of us in the backseat, _"Besides, you'd have to surgically remove them from each other! Ha!", _he rolled his eyes at us and we all laughed, but it was a tense, uneasy truce for Sue. We would have to have a talk and soon.

"_Where will you two be staying then, Bella, if it is your decision?"_, Charlie asked my wife.

"_Well Dad, it will be late when we get to Forks and Sue already made the room ready for us, so I suppose we can stay with you tonight, maybe for a couple of days. We have to get my car anyway!"_ Charlie stiffened, his thoughts going to how uncomfortable I would be for him if Bella and I were sleeping in the same bed in his house given what he had heard the other night. He guessed he just needed to get used to it. Wow, he really was going to try and accept us as a couple! Seems that talk Renee had with him really mattered to him, caused him to think a lot of things over!

"_Edward, how do you know it will run? It has sat there over 6 months not being cranked!", _Charlie allowed. _"I sent a mechanic from the dealership over to service, clean and check it out. I wanted it shiny when Bella saw it for the first time!_", I said as I kissed her lightly on the lips.

"_If you want to stay at Charlie's that's fine. We have no time schedule. We can stay as long as you like at Charlie's or at my old house. I do need to at least check on the old house and see that everything is alright. The utilities are still on and a caretaker has been looking after it but all the furniture is still there and there might be something there we want sent home anyway! I'm dying to get to my piano!" _Charlie's mind raced, thorough that kid, I'll give him that!

**BPOV**

I had mixed feelings as we pulled up in front of my fathers house in Forks. I hadn't left under the best of circumstances and I was hoping to make up for that. Edward was with me now.

Edward.

How many nights had I spent in that room thinking I would never see him again, that he didn't care for me. I looked at my hand in his, he seemed always to keep contact with me in some way, even riding in the car he had kept hold of my hand. It seemed too perfect to be true, dreamlike really. Edward was here, he loved me, I was his wife, and he would never leave me again. I had to let go of my fears and insecurities and believe him. He gave me no reason to doubt him, and many reasons to love him.

I jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped, not waiting to be helped out and nearly stumbling over a branch in the yard. Edward caught hold of my elbow with ease and steadied me.

"_Careful, love! You need to make it to the car you know!",_ he chided me with a smile.

"_Edward it's beautiful!"_ I said as I ran my hand down the front hood, _"I love it, sweetheart!_", I said as I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him, probably too passionately for being in front of my Dad, but I just couldn't help it! The car was perfect. I opened the door and sat down. The seats were baby soft and the dash looked like something out of an airplane!

"_The extra keys should be in the console, along with the owners manual and I left a set of keys with Charlie when I left the car here"_, Edward told me.

Since it was dark I decided to wait till morning to drive the car, I was really tired from the day of traveling. Despite the fact that the accident was over three months ago, I had still not regained my stamina. Edward took our bag to my old room while I went to the kitchen to see what Sue was doing. From the smell of it, she had prepared Charlie a welcome home meal and I wanted to make sure we were not intruding.

"_So, are you going for a drive?",_ Sue asked, looking around uncomfortably, I have dinner ready and I can easily make enough for all of us if you are hungry - Charlie didn't tell me you had agreed to come back for a visit!"

_"No, Sue, don't go to any trouble. I want to go for a ride in my car, Edward and I will grab something while we are out, please, don't worry over us! Enjoy your meal, tell Dad we will be back later, OK!"_

I turned to go to the stairs just as Edward was coming down them. _"Let's go",_ I said much to his surprise. _"Is something wrong, love?'_, he asked as he looked around the room. _"No, no, nothing is wrong. Sue cooked diner for Charlie and it would just be easier if we went for a ride and got something for us to eat while we were out."_

"_Ah, got it_."

Edward already had the keys in his pocket and his wallet so we were out the door.

It was late when we got back, laughing and talking as we came through the door. Charlie was just finishing the news, checking the sports scores as usual. We didn't stop to chat really, just a goodnight from the stairs as Edward effortlessly carried me up them. Edward opened our bag while I took a human moment in the bathroom. I returned to my room to view something I honestly had only thought I'd see in my dreams. Edward was lying in bed, covers turned down and hands behind his head - and he appeared to be naked . . . in my bed.

Edward was naked in my bed.

I could not join him fast enough.

It was late morning by the time I woke up, my husband was awake, of course. I briefly wondered what it had been like for him to be in this room with me asleep in his arms again, as we had spent so many nights before he had left. It was totally different now. Our months of chaste kisses and sleeping with blankets between us were gone. My teeth still chattered sometimes when we first embraced under the covers, but we had found that his body warmed after exposure to mine for awhile and with enough covers over us to keep me warm, he soon warmed to a temperature that was comfortable for me. We had an electric blanket at home to speed up that process and I just realized there was one over us here as well. Alice.

I snuggled into him, stroking him gently as he moved to hover over me. Our lovemaking was soft this morning, quiet and gentle as it had been last night. We were in no particular hurry and had no goal in mind, just loving caresses from each other and the gently rocking rhythm of our bodies molding together as one. There was little need for words, our eyes and bodies gave everything away.

We showered and while I dressed, Edward went downstairs to make breakfast. He did that often, make breakfast for me that is. He was really good at it and genuinely seemed to enjoy doing it for me, though, of course, he never ate with me. I managed the stairs by myself, not stopping to put the brace on my leg this morning, and seemingly managing to surprise Edward - not an easy thing to do. I walked to the stove and put my arms around his waist as he finished cooking bacon for me.

"_I'm sorry love, I would have carried you down the stairs, you should have called me!"_

"_I wanted to try it, besides, you must have been lost in our thoughts not to have heard all the noise I made!"_

"_I was. I was just remembering the last time I was here, finding out that you had gone and the time before that when I left you",_ he shuddered, _"It's just . . . a lot."_

"_Why don't I eat this delicious breakfast you have made for me, then lets go to our meadow! If I remember, it is still pretty this time of year!"_

"_I would love to go to our meadow with you"_, he said turning to face me and kiss my forehead and cheek.

We headed out the door, Edward insisting I put the brace back on my leg before we left. He was right, I could feel that the leg was not strong yet, and while little bits of standing on it were fine, a full day might be a bad idea, though I knew he wasn't letting me walk to the meadow.

The ride in my new car was glorious. I could not yet drive it, I had to learn to use the clutch and that wasn't possible with the brace on my foot. It didn't matter. Watching my 110 year old husband drive my car was like watching a small boy who had just been allowed to play with a favorite toy. The grin never left his face! I had to admit, not only was the car sleek and beautiful from the outside, the seats were soft as velvet and the ride was amazingly smooth. The engine sounded like it was purring quietly, yet the available power was unmistakable.

"_I love the car, sweetheart!"._ I told him as I reached over and placed a hand to rest on his thigh. He beamed at me with that crooked smile of his.

"_I am so glad you like it! I think you will really enjoy driving it, love, as soon as you're able. Thank you for accepting a gift so well, I so enjoy giving you things!"_

"_I believe, Mr. Cullen, that it is me who should be thanking you. After all, I'm the one who got the gift! What was the occasion supposed to be anyway, it was after Christmas when you bought the car, it wasn't Valentines day or my birthday either!"_

"_It was 'I'm an idiot please forgive me' day!"_, he said with a smile. The smile left and a pained expression crossed his face, _"Flowers or candy just didn't seem big enough to go with the apology I needed to deliver and the begging I had planned to do."_

We arrived at the end of the small road that led to the path to our meadow. Edward opened the passenger door before I realized that he had even gotten out of the car. Vampire speed could be a little unnerving! He lifted me from the car and kissed me as he set me on my feet.

"_Would you like a ride, Mrs. Cullen?_", he offered with a twinkle in his eyes.

I grabbed the backpack that contained a blanket and some snacks for me.

"_Up you go!",_ he said as he swung me onto his back! He sped through the forest just like we used to do and it was every bit as exhilarating as I remembered. I don't know why I had felt the need before to close my eyes. I rested my chin on his shoulder and enjoyed the feel of the air rushing across my face, and gently kissed his neck.

We reached the meadow in only a very few minutes. I remembered that it had taken me several hours to walk there both with Edward that first time and by myself later. It was a beautiful morning, crisp and warm for fall, and the sun was trying to peek through the cloud cover. I had hoped to see the amazing reflections that danced everywhere off Edwards skin in the sun! We spread the blanket and sat down together.

"_I love this meadow, Bella. I remember the first time I brought you here. I was so afraid I'd hurt you!"_, he told me as he played with a strand of my hair. _"I feel safe here, sharing my meadow with you and I want you to feel safe talking to me about our time apart!"_

"_What is it that you want to know?"_

"_Everything, Bella. I want to know everything about you. There is no need for secrets between us and there is no threat of either of us ever leaving the other, you must know that by now!"_

My heart melted. He knew just the right thing to say to put me at ease. He wasn't going to leave me, no matter how crazy I had been without him.

"_I collapsed in the woods after I chased after you, Edward. I ran and ran and ran to find you. When it got dark, I just crumbled into a ball and everything went black. Sam found me, Sam Uley from the reservation. He carried me to Dad's. I couldn't talk, I couldn't eat, and I sat at your old table alone in the lunchroom at school. I didn't return calls to my friends, so after awhile they stopped calling. I had horrible nightmares every night. I would wake to Charlie holding me."_

"_Eventually it got so bad that Charlie called Renee to take me back to Jacksonville with her but when she got here, I wouldn't go. I screamed at them. Doctors were called and they recommended I be medicated, but I refused. To try and keep Mom and Charlie from forcing me to do something I didn't want to do, like leave town either to Jacksonville or some hospital, I arranged to go out and see my friends."_

Edward listened intently. He didn't interrupt but just kept stroking the backs of my knuckles as he held my hand. I told him about the movie with Jessica and getting on the strangers bike, and doing dangerous things because I saw his face and heard his voice. He had been trying not to interrupt, but a gasp of air hissed between his teeth when I told him I did dangerous things just to see him.

"_Edward, I found two old motorcycles and I took them to Jacob on the reservation and asked him to help me fix them up. After they were done, we rode all over the trails in La Push. As I became a better rider, I had to do more and more difficult things for it to be dangerous enough for me to see you, to hear you tell me to be safe, not to do whatever it was I was doing. Edward, I had to see you and it was the only way! Jacob tried to talk sense into me but I wouldn't listen._

His arms were around me instantly. _"It's alright, Bella. I'm right here. I've got you!"_

"_Edward, I became so good at riding, I couldn't see you - I didn't hear you telling me to stop, to be safe. I had to find a way to see you!"_, I wiped my nose on my sleeve. I starred into Edward's pained face and told him what I had been fearing most to say.

"_I talked Jacob into going cliff diving off the high cliff at laPush. You were there, on the cliff with me, begging me not to jump, to be safe. I saw you as clear as day as I jumped off the cliff, and in the water below. I was knocked out on the rocks at the bottom and Jacob pulled me to shore."_

"_Dear God Bella, you could have been killed and it would have been all my fault!"_, I exclaimed. I was sick to my core, I couldn't believe the depths of pain I had caused. She had always loved me every bit as much as I loved her and I had thought she would move on. I was a fool.

"_When we got back to Jacob's house that afternoon, Charlie met us there and we all found out Billy had been taken to the hospital. He died that evening. Charlie was furious about the bikes and the cliff diving. Turns out he had seen me jump that morning!"_

I paused to take a breath but I could not look at him. I sat and fiddled with my fingers.

"_After the funeral, Jacob couldn't stay. He was leaving and I had to go with him. He had been there for me and I couldn't let him leave alone when he was hurting and needed someone. We took the bikes and left going to Calgary, Alberta, to a guy he knew who had a Harley drag racing team. We didn't know that was where we were going when we left, but Jacob saw a billboard in Seattle and he thought maybe his friend would give him a job."_

"_Well he was right, Dale hired Jacob as a mechanic and I was a receptionist. To make a long story short, I had to see you. They had asked me to get one of the bikes off the trailor and bring it into the garage at the track one day, and I saw the drag strip in front of me, and I just had to see you - it had been so long since I had sen you, Edward. Anyway, I roared off down the track fast on the bike and you were there. Dale, the owner of the team, saw me ride and asked me to race for them. Apparently I am a really good rider! The rest you know. I was just afraid you would leave when you found out how crazy I had been!"_

"_Bella, do you remember me telling you about thinking I was kissing you only to have a mouth full of cobwebs while I was kissing my knee? Which one of us was crazier, I ask you?"_

Edward became quiet for a long moment, and still . . . impossibly still. He looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He met my gaze and asked,

"_Bella . . . did you ever think of moving on, of finding comfort with someone else I mean, Jacob?"_

My breathing stopped cold. I guess I had not expected this question, but I had to be honest.


	13. Chapter 13  Meadow

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 13 Meadow**

**BPOV**

"_Bella, did you ever think of moving on after I left, of finding comfort with someone else I mean . . . Jacob?"_

My breathing stopped cold. I guess I had not expected this question, but I had to be honest.

"_Jacob wanted that. He told me he loved me . . . and I did love him, Edward, in some ways. I suppose I would have tried to be with him in time, but he would never have had my heart. Only you have that please believe me!", _she said as she looked up to stare at my eyes. "_He only ever kissed me on the cheek, Edward, I was never with him like that even though we shared a bed in the studio apartment Dale let us use!"_

I guess I had never mentioned that I shared a bed with Jacob. We had never discussed it till today and his reaction to that seemed stronger than to any of the other things I had told him.

"_Bella, you shared a bed with Jacob? The whole time you were gone with him you and he slept together for, let's see, that would have been three months, Bella!"_

His eyes went immediately to the darkest black I had ever seen and everything about him tensed. The features of his face even seemed to change. He rose and paced several feet away to the edge of the trees and I followed him wanting to comfort him and reassure him that nothing had ever happened between Jacob and me.

"_Edward, nothing ever happened, I promise you. I know how it sounds, but Jacob is just a friend, my best friend. I promise you I never even kissed him! It has always been only you!"_

He turned to me, his face unreadable.

"_You Are Mine! Do you understand? Mine!"_

I reached to stroke his cheek and he grabbed me, pulling me to him and kissing me . . . hard. He lifted me and pinned me against a tree, my legs grasping around his waist. He pressed me into the tree, his hand fisting in my hair and pulling my head back to expose my neck to him. He shredded my shirt, grabbing my backside - squeezing almost painfully as he continued to kiss me.

"_Yours Edward, I have only ever been yours!"_, I told him as I starred into his eyes, _"I love you Edward. I am your wife and I love only you, it has only ever been you!" _

He was starting to alarm me with the way he was acting. He grabbed my jeans and tore a portion of them away, exposing me. His icy fingers were on me, his lips never leaving my skin. He unzipped his jeans and I felt him enter me.

"_You are mine, do you understand, only mine!" _

Edward roared like a wild beast as he stilled almost immediately. He was instantly ready again and barely missed a stroke as he continued again and again . . . there was apparently an animistic side to vampirism when it came to claiming your mate, and I loved it.

I knew he would not hurt me . . .

I knew he needed this. I needed this.

He moved in me with such power that my entire body moved up and down against the tree at my back, he never faltered his rhythm, never calmed down at all. He continued the delicious assault for minutes or hours, I didn't care. All I could feel was him moving me up and down, pinning me against the tree with his body. I don't know how many times he repeated himself, I lost count. His mouth devoured mine and I knew my hips would be bruised from his grip. I didn't care. I loved this man beyond all reason and we needed this. He never took notice as his phone rang and rang in his pocket.

His mouth moved to my neck and I tucked my lips to his ear to tell him that I loved him, that I was so happy to be his wife, that I wanted him more than anything, that I needed him, and that there had only ever been him. He needed to know. I told him that in spite of sharing a bed with Jacob, there had only ever been him. He moved his face to stare at me, his breathing ragged and I told him again,

"_There has only ever been you, Edward! I love you, only you and I am completely yours. I only want you. I love you and you are everything I ever want!"_

He stilled against me, trembling. I ran my fingers through his hair as I kept telling him that I loved him.

He walked us back to the blanket and sat down with my legs still gripping his waist both arms around me. He released his arms from around me and abruptly moved his hands to my shoulders, pulling away to look into my eyes. A look of complete terror contorted his face.

"_Bella, you're bleeding!",_ he told me as he moved to pull us apart, expecting the worst. There was no blood coming from me. He quickly looked back up at me, pain apparent on his features.

"_Edward I'm fine! You didn't hurt me. I adore you and I needed this as much as you did! Why do you think you hurt me, sweetheart?_

"_Bella, I can smell blood."_

He brought his hands from around me and they were covered in a light film of blood. I was in no pain, but I could guess what had happened. My bare back had been rubbed up and down against the rough bark of the tree so many times that it had broken the skin.

"_Probably the bark on that tree, sweetheart, I'm sure it's nothing!"_

He looked over my shoulder and examined my back. Sure enough, that was apparently what had happened. There were a few scratches that were bleeding and some areas where a layer or two of skin had been rubbed away, leaving my back raw and oozy in places.

"_I'm so sorry! You know I didn't mean to hurt you, I guess I just didn't think about you moving against the tree without a shirt to protect you! Can you feel the scratches, baby, does it hurt you at all?"_

His face was anguished, a look of horror in his eyes at the thought that he had hurt me.

"_Edward, if there is anything bleeding, I'm sure it is only a scratch. I really wasn't paying attention to my back!"_

His eyes were black and he was still trembling, but he wasn't holding his breath like he had done at my birthday party last year, when I had gotten the paper cut on my finger and Jasper had attacked over just that drop of blood that was spilled. I had to ask.

"_Edward, I pulled away from him to cup his face in my hands, as I sat on his lap, how is it that my blood doesn't seem to affect you anymore? You were the first one to me at the accident, weren't you? I remember being told that you applied the tourniquets and stopped the bleeding! Edward, it was you that did the CPR as well, wasn't it? How did you do it? I thought I was your singer and that it wouldn't be possible for you to do something like that!"_

He starred down at his hands, then put them back around me, gently pulling the blanket up to cover my back. He looked up to meet my gaze and finally, so softly he said,

"_I got over it." _

I starred at him for a long minute, incredulous, _"You got over it?"_

"_Yes. Bella, I found out what it was like to live without you, I experienced it for over 8 months. I would shy away from anything that might cause me that type of pain ever again so yes love, I got over it! It doesn't mean my throat doesn't burn when I'm near you or that my natural urge isn't there, it's just that I could never do anything that would lead to the type of agony that being without you causes . . . so yes, I got over it!"_

I took his face in my hands and kissed him. It was all I could think of to comfort him - it was all I wanted to do, anyway. I could spend days just kissing this man!

**EPOV**

I stood and fastened the button on my jeans. I was somewhat mortified by my behavior, I don't know what had gotten into me. I just had to make her understand that she was MINE, only MINE! The thought of someone else, well, I just couldn't go there!

I gently wrapped the blanket around her naked chest and back and headed for the car. It took only minutes as usual. As we headed back to Forks, we both realized that she could not walk into Charlies in torn jeans and no shirt!

"_Hum, I don't think we should try sneaking in at your Dad's the way you are dressed, love"_

"_You mean the way I'm NOT dressed don't you?'_, she snickered.

I couldn't help but laugh at her. She amazed me at every turn. This little human girl was fearless when it came to me! I had basically just ravished her in the woods against a tree, staking claim to her in an almost caveman like way and here she sat laughing and making jokes with me. She was always so fearless, even when I gave her cause to be afraid!

My phone rang again, and it was Alice.

"_I told you to remember that she was human, Edward!"_, she spat at me.

"_Hi Alice, and what are you talking about?"_

"_When I told you that going to the meadow was a great idea and I saw a wonderful outcome, remember me showing you? I told you to remember that she was HUMAN! Her bare back against a tree while you went all neanderthal on her, really Edward, couldn't you have put your shirt behind her or something! She's my best friend and you need to be more careful with her! Remember that she still has clothes at our old house, so do you brother, that's why I packed so few for you both! Bye now!"_

It was truly embarrassing sometimes just how many intimate things that Alice saw! She was right, I should think before I act and remember how frail her human body was.

"_Let's go to my house. The clothes you had there last year before we left are still there and we can shower you off so that I can tend to your back. I'm sure the first aid kid that I used to keep for you is there as well"_, I told her.

We pulled into the drive, and things looked pretty much as they had when I had left there last year. I picked Bella up from the seat of the car and headed up the stairs to the front door and punched in the code to unlock it. Esme had taken almost nothing from the house, and it looked almost as though we were still living there. I carried Bella up the stairs to my room and set her on the couch.

She got to her feet and looked around, finding the clothes she had always had there left where she had put them. There were always lots of clothes, thanks to Alice.

Bella turned to face me. _"Why is everything still here?",_ she asked. _"Why didn't you move anything with you when your family moved?"_

I walked over to my bare chested wife and put my hands on her shoulders, starring into her eyes, "_I couldn't bear to have anything around that reminded me of you. They left everything. I left everything here, other than my journals and music. Esme decided to give me the clean break that I thought I was giving you."_

"_Edward, everything? You even left your piano?"_

"_Yes, it all stayed here. Bella, I didn't touch a piano from that day in the woods till you were home with me recovering in Highlands, I couldn't bear it. That's why I ended up leaving my family and going off alone, I couldn't bear to see happy couples around me. It wasn't fair to them not to be able to act normal around each other, but if they so much as hugged, I would fall apart, feeling your loss." _ I hugged her to me, _"But you're here now, and we will always be together! Come, we need to take care of your back! Shower time, woman!"_

She took what was left of her clothes off as did I and we headed into my bathroom. I gently soaped her body and washed the traces of bark and dried blood away, kissing each and every mark I had caused. The water was warm and the supply seemed never ending. We stood under its warmth and hugged for a long time, just holding each other and tracing nonsensical circles on her skin and feeling her silky hair while she did the same.

"_I love you, you know. I'm so sorry about hurting you",_ I said as I my lips kissed the soft corner of her mouth.

"_Enough, baby, you've said that enough. I know you never intended for me to get hurt and it's nothing more than a scraped knee or a skinned elbow, is it?"_

"_We'll, no, I guess not. It's kind of like that, it's just that I caused it!", _I said starring at the floor.

"_Why is it that you get to take credit or fault for everything that WE do? I don't understand why you do that!"_, she was starting to sound angry, working herself up to being really mad.

"_Did you hear me say no Edward?"_

"_No . . . "_

"_Did you hear me tell you to stop?"_

"_No . . . you didn't tell me to stop, but . . . " _

"_But nothing! I'm tired of this. I am over 18 and capable of making my own decisions. If I didn't want to do something, I would tell you. You are not the only one in this relationship Edward Cullen and you had better get used to that!" _

I started to speak but she continued.

"_Just because I go along with most of your decisions and you have very sweetly taken care of me and babied me while I was recovering does not mean that you get to have all the credit or blame for the things that WE do! If I disagreed with you about any of the choices you have made since you came back, I would tell you! You may be older than I am and more experienced but I guarantee you that if I disagreed with something you wanted to do, you would know about it!"_

She cut the shower off and walked out of the shower towards my room, grabbing her towel on the way. I was dumbstruck, floored, really. I was a 110 year old, 180 pound immortal with limitless power and I was being told off and put in my place by a nineteen year old hundred and ten pound human girl. She owned me.

I brushed the water off of me and ran the towel over my hair before I followed her into my room.

She had a shirt and underwear on already and was bending to put her leg in jeans as I walked over to her and put my hands on her waist. She paid no attention to me, clearly angry, and continued sliding her jeans up her legs and buttoning them.

I turned her by her shoulders to face me, her eyes glaring, and said, _"I'm sorry."_

She walked to the dresser and started brushing her hair. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her, nuzzling her neck like I knew she liked.

"_I really am sorry."_

She looked at me through the reflection in the mirror and turned to face me, putting her hands on my bare chest.

"_Edward, we are partners, decisions have to be made equally and . . ."_

I cut her off. I kissed her with all the feeling I had and all the force I dared.

"_You can't just . . ._

I kissed her again.

"_I mean it . . . _

. . . and again.

"_You're exasperating when you . . ._

. . . and again.

"_Edward!"_, she said, then she kissed me! She walked towards me, inching me backwards as she explained to me in no uncertain terms that she was fully capable of making up her own mind and deciding what she would and would not do. I hoped Alice didn't see this, I would never hear the end of it if she saw a fully dressed sliver of a girl pointing her finger into my chest and making me backup to the point that I abruptly ended up sitting on my black sofa, still completely naked from the shower!

She stood with her hands on her hips for a long minute, eying me as I sat naked before her, totally floored by her actions. She dropped to her knees and put her arms around my neck, kissing my cheeks, my lip, my neck . . . murmuring how much she loved me. she kissed me . . . there. I finished instantly, like a 17 year old kid, except that the 110 year old vampire tore the sofa to shreds. Dear God, how did I ever live without this woman!

"_Sweetheart! Come on, lets get you dressed and clean up this mess! I hope the sofa wasn't too important to you, I'm afraid you've completely destroyed it!"_

I walked to my closet to dress. Not only did she own me, but she knew it!

I grabbed the first aid kit and we sat on the sofa in the living room with her shirt pulled up as I put antiseptic and antibiotic cream on the scratches on her back. She was right, it was both our faults, but it just seemed so damned stupid of me not to think of it!

"_All done, love. You were right, they're just scratches, I'm sure they'll be fine. Are you ready to go?,_ I asked her.

"_Yep, I told Charlie that I would cook diner tonight, I thought he might like that and he does seem to really be trying to adjust!"_

"_He does, doesn't he. Do you mind maybe telling him that I'm taking a nap to get me out of dinner, I can stay up in your room and read and give you some alone time with your dad!"_

"_Sounds like a plan, let's go and no, I'm not putting the cast back me till I start cooking tonight!"_

"_Yes Ma'am!"_, I said holding both palms up in the air in a mock gesture of surrender!

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

I sat in my office starring at the desk in front of me, my hands folded and my feet propped up on a chair. I was trying hard to find a reason, a rational, defend able reason to not like Edward. Other than his leaving last year, I just couldn't find one. The boy had smarts and style too, I'd give him that.

I guess I had better head on home, Bella had said she was making dinner for me tonight, well for the three of us. I did love her cooking! I grabbed my jacket and walked out into the evening chill to my squad car, and headed home.

Her new car was there, so I knew she was already home.

"_Hello! Anyone home?", _I said as I walked in the door, knowing full well she would be there. The house smelled amazing!

"_Hey Dad!"_, she said looking over her shoulder where she stood stirring something at the stove.

"_How was your day?"_

"_It was nice. Edward and I went for a hike in the woods and then checked on his old house here, nothing spectacular", she said as she kept stirring._

_"Where is Edward?"_

"_He's gone to bed. He said he was really tired, but I think he just wanted to give us some time alone."_

"_Huh. I'm gonna check the news and scores Bells, call me when you want me, OK?_

"_OK Dad." _

Same old Charlie, Somethings never change, he just had to see the sports scores each evening, if not watch a game on the flat screen. Billy used to come over a couple of times a week to watch the games with him. I knew he missed him. The thought of Billy took my mind to Jake. I had not heard from him in a couple of weeks, other than the birthday present in the mail. He was out on the circuit still, and I knew how busy that could be, especially since they were one crew member short with me not being there. I needed to remember to call him in the next few days to see if he is out this way, though I thought the next meet was in North Carolina.

"_Dad, dinner!"_

We sat and ate mostly in silence. It was not uncomfortable, it was just the way Charlie was. He wasn't much at conversation and hated being involved in anything emotional. The last few days had to have taken their toll on him. There had been more controversy and emotion in the last year than there had been previously in his entire life. I wanted this time with him. I knew my time with him was limited. We hadn't discussed it, but Edward had agreed to change me whenever I wanted, and I knew I would not wait long. My husband was frozen for all appearances at 17 years old, and I had just turned 19. I did not want to turn twenty. If he was staying in his teens forever, so was I.

"_This spaghetti is real good Bells, real good. You always make the best bread with it! I have missed you, and your cooking!"_, he said as he laughed!

"_Thanks Dad. I like cooking for you."_

"_Well Edward sure is lucky to have you for your cooking alone! I bet he loves it!"_

I chuckled and didn't say anything. I had no idea how to cook mountain lion and Edward liked them alive and growling as far as I knew! My mind wandered, looking forward to the time I would get to see Edward hunt and wondering what that wold be like.

Charlie and I did the dishes together as we chatted about the weather in Forks and how it was better in Highlands, how it didn't rain as much. In an unusual display, Charlie hugged me goodnight. As he turned to leave the kitchen, Edward appeared in the doorway in a pair of flannel sleep pants slung low on his hips and no shirt.

"_Sorry I missed dinner, Charlie. I hope you didn't mind, I was just really tired for some reason!", _he said as he walked over to where I was leaning back against the sink and took up a position leaning on the counter beside me, holding my hand.

"_That's alright Edward, I enjoyed the time with Bells here"_, he said smiling at me, _"Are you two comfortable here, do you need anything?"_

"_We're fine, Charlie. Thank you for having me in your home",_ I pulled Bella in front of me and put my arms around her waist and my chin on her shoulder, _"And thank you for trusting her enough to give us a chance!"_

"_I appreciate that, Edward, I do. You remember what I said, you be good to her. If I ever hear that you weren't, or that you left her again, remember I'm a pretty good shot!"_, he said with a smile, but his thoughts told me he was only half kidding!

"_Goodnight kids!"_, Charlie said as he turned and headed up the stairs to bed.

**EPOV**

I thought reading upstairs was a better alternative to trying to hide the fact that I don't eat human food, or worst yet, actually having to eat it! I enjoyed reading. If the truth be told, I enjoyed being in Bellas' old room. I fell in love with her in this room, held her night after night in this room, kissed her in this room. It felt familiar, like a home I had once lived in.

I heard Charlie come in, I was sitting in the rocking chair reading her copy here of Wuthering Heights. I kept reading it to try and see what she saw in that damned book. Anyway, I heard her response to what we did today . . . nothing spectacular, if you don't count violent tree sex and fellatio that results in the demolition of a sofa! A smile crossed my face at the memory.

I returned my attention to the book until I heard Charlie about to say goodnight. I headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. I wanted to give him the chance to say the things that were on his mind and to cement the good feelings that we had been exchanging for the last day or two. It would be important to Bella . . . I knew she didn't have much time left with him. She would want to join my world soon and her not aging would prevent any extended relationship with her father.

"_Goodnight Charlie", _I told him. _ "Goodnight Dad",_ she said as we flipped off the lights in the kitchen and headed up the stairs to bed.

"_I'll just be a minute", _Bella told me as she headed for the bathroom. I went to lie on her bed and continue reading while I waited for her.

It was just a few minutes before I had my wife beside me again.

"_I missed you", _I said as I turned off the light and turned over to face her under the covers, She snuggled in to me as I wrapped my arms around her and gently kissed her lips.

"_This would have been quite forward of me last year, lying in your bed in only sleep pants, my chest bare and you in just a nightgown!"_

"_Why, Mr. Cullen, would you like to be even more forward?"_, she asked as she softly stroked my cheek and kissed my lips.

"_What did you have in mind, Mrs. Cullen?"_, I whispered as I nibbled her ear and kissed down her neck.

"_This will do for a start, Mr. Cullen!"_

We kissed and necked like the teenagers we were for a long while, trying to keep the soft giggles and murmured words quiet, only for us to hear. I pulled her gown over her head and hugged her to me. I stiffened, unable to move a muscle.

"_Edward . . . are you alright?"_, she asked me as I looked at her, still as a statue.

"_Bella, the question is are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine, sweetheart, I'd be better if you were closer over here?",_ she said as she felt the muscles in my chest and ran her hands up and around my neck.

"_Bella, I know you got mad earlier because I kept apologizing for hurting you, you were adamant that anything we did together was mutual choice, and not just my choice. The problem with that is, if I mess up and really injure you Bella, and you die, I would be the one left without you. It may be a mutual decision to do something, but I would be the one left to live with the consequences. What I'm trying to say is, maybe we should not make love again until you are changed, Bella!"_


	14. Chapter 14 Mending

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 14 Mending**

**EPOV**

_. . . maybe we should not make love again until you are changed, Bella!"_

"_Edward! I have had you morning and night for the last two weeks or so! We are still newlyweds and I can't give that up, please please don't ask me to! Where is this coming from? You said you got over it, that my blood isn't a problem for you anymore! If it's about earlier it was nothing Edward, nothing!"_

"_Bella, blood is not the problem, your body is! I just get too carried away with you, I get so emotional and absorbed that I'm just not as gentle as I need to be! It may be selfish, but I just can't stand to see the proof on your body that I was too harsh with you! I need to change you so that I can't hurt you, so that I can be with you, make love with you like I want to, without hurting you! It is getting harder and harder to restrain myself!"_

"_Where is all this coming from, surely it isn't the scratches from this morning! Edward, all that needed to happen was for me to say something to you, one word and you would have stopped immediately and you know it! Maybe I just need to remind you when you get a little rough, at least till you change me!"_

I thought for a long minute about that reasoning through whether it would work.

"_If you'll do that, I'm willing to try it that way. I want to be with you more than anything, except your safety. Bella, you would need to tell me with the very first harsh grasp, not wait till the second time I do i, and you would have to promise to notice. . . . really notice and tell me! Can you do that, can we agree on that?_

"_That sounds reasonable, but only if you promise that if I tell you something was too harsh, you won''t stop doing whatever we are doing . . . you'll just use a little less force! If I know you won't just stop and halt our lovemaking, if I know that you will continue, then I can tell you if you are a little harsh!_", she quietly agreed,_ "Edward, why are you saying this, where is it coming from. It can't be just the scratches on my back!"_

I reached over and turned on the light by the bed, knowing she could not see in the dark as I could. I pulled our covers off of her chest and she saw that her chest was dotted with angry purple bruises. The bruising was bad in some areas where I had squeezed too hard, like her ribcage and her hips. Her butt was the worst, it was almost entirely bruised from my grasp. She was shocked of course. I hadn't thought she was hiding them from me, she truly hadn't noticed the bruising.

"_I didn't even feel these, sweetheart! I remember now, that your grip was more than normal, borderline painful, but I was so into it that it wasn't important to me. I can easily tell you if that starts to happen again. You know that other than the first time we made love, you haven't been rough with me till today and I think today was more about you being upset that I had been that close to Jacob!"_

She was right, I knew she was right. I loved her so much, I wasn't really sure I could go a day without making love with her. I was certain I wasn't going to go without it tonight. I reached over her to turn the light out. My hand went to her cheek as my other arm snaked behind her shoulders to hold her as she wrapped her arms around my neck, gently scratching my scalp with her nails.

"_It's kind of hard to think of you as being able to hurt me when you're purring like this",_ she said as she stared into my eyes and giggled.

I nuzzled her face and neck with my nose and ducked my head into the crook of her neck to avoid her gaze. We had never spoken out loud about my 'purring'. If I had been capable of it, I would have been blushing.

"_It's kind of hard to think of anything when I'm purring like this, love",_ I admitted to her, _"I don't even know where the 'purring' comes from. I'm just so overwhelmingly happy with you, Bella. I love you more than anything!" _ I pulled my face up to look at the deep chocolate pools that let me look right into her soul, _" I am so in love with you!"_

I kissed her, my lips trying to convey the way I felt about her, my hands stroking down the side of her body to let her know. I caressed her breast gently, willing the bruises to go away, to not hurt her. I kissed each and every place that I had been too rough with her, that I had held her too tightly. I just loved this woman so very much that it physically hurt me to think of hurting her in any way. I traced kisses down her neck and across her chest.

"_Baby, I want you. Please tell me if anything is sore from this morning, I just want to avoid hurting you, I won't stop making love with you, I just want to know what to avoid or to be extra careful with, please tell me!"_

She kissed my neck and ran her hands down my sides to my lower back.

"_Let's do a body check."_

"_A what?"_

"_A body check"_, she told me as her heart rate increased, _"You touch everywhere you can think of . . . and I'll tell you if it's tender there!"_

"_I think I'm going to like this game"_, I said as I softly covered her breast with my hand.

"_Does this hurt?"_, I said as I gently squeezed her breast.

"_Not at all"_, she said as she kissed me.

"_Does this hurt?"_, I said cupping and squeezing the other breast.

"_No, no 'hurt' is hot how I would describe it"_. Her breathing was increasing and the beautiful blush that I loved on her face was starting to appear.

"_Does this hurt?"_, I whispered as I moved my hands down her ribs.

"_It's a little tender, baby, just on the ribs."_

"_I'm so sorry, baby"_, I told her as I kissed over the bruises on her ribs and drug my tongue from side to side across her flat stomach.

"_Does this hurt?",_ I asked her as I kissed her hips and her inner thighs, stroking the skin where her leg joined her body.

"_No, God no, that doesn't hurt"_, she said as she writhed beneath me, soft moans escaping her lips.

"_Does this hurt?",_ I asked as I continued to kiss and lick her skin.

"_Oh . . . mmmmmy . . . no . . . . no huur . . . rt . . . ing"_, she was barely coherent. I chuckled as she continued to writhe and moan. I slid back up her body, sliding my hand under her knee to lift it, both of them on either side of me as I allowed myself the warmth I craved. I just rocked my hips against her. I was having some difficulty thinking of the words I was supposed to be asking her.

"_Does this hurt?",_ I asked her as I moved my hands to cup her lower cheeks to hold her hips at a different angle for me to move against her.

"_Yes",_ she said, "_Baby, my rear is kind of tender to the touch"_, she said as she took my hands in hers and brought them to her face. She starred into my eyes, waiting to see what my response would be. I fought against my normal response - to freeze and back away from her. Instead I continued rocking my hips into her and gave her and I both the delicious friction that our bodies craved. I took some of my weight off of her by reaching under her arms and grasping over her shoulders, careful not to grip too hard and propping myself somewhat off her on my elbows.

She smiled. God I love it when she did that, she stopped and gave me a face splitting smile!

Apparently she approved of my reaction to her telling me that something I was doing hurt her. She was so loving and she always knew just what I needed, I don't know how she knew, but she always did. We had no need of being inventive or hurried in any way. The love that surrounded us was overwhelming and I knew, as she had seemingly always known, that we were meant to be together for eternity.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I stretched and reached out to rest my arm on Edward, only to find the bed empty, his place beside me vacant. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My husband appeared at the door with a tray and the delicious smell of bacon and coffee filled the air.

"_I thought you might enjoy breakfast in bed!"_, he said as he placed the food beside me and leaned to kiss me good morning.

"_What is the special occasion?",_ I asked perplexed.

"_I realized I had never brought you breakfast in bed, that's all. You should have it while it still matters", _I sat beside her and whispered into her ear_, "Vampires don't sleep and I doubt you would be very happy if I brought a mountain lion to you in bed!"_

"_You are probably very right, Mr. Cullen!_", I said as I devoured the food he had made for me.

"_Has Charlie already left?_", I asked, finishing my last bite of toast.

"_Charlie left several hours ago, baby. It's mid morning already. I let you sleep because I thought you needed the rest", _he said as he placed soft kisses on my neck_, "I have to admit, I got out of bed with you early this morning and sat by the window to read, then made your breakfast. I want to go for a walk this morning, how does that sound?"_

"_Well"_, I allowed, _"Spending time in bed this morning sounds better!"_

"_Why, Mrs. Cullen, I think you have become insatiable!"_, he whispered against my neck. _"Come on, let's get dressed and go for a walk!"_

I begrudgingly got out of bed. I watched Edward as he dressed, his lean body fitting perfectly into his jeans and t shirt. I could watch him forever, marveling at the perfection that was now my husband. It seemed off that his body was not wanting mine, his jeans zipping with no trouble this morning. I didn't know what had gotten into him, we had never gotten out of bed without making love, not once since we had started being intimate. Edward was acting kind of strangely, distant really ever since I had woken up. Something was on his mind that he wasn't talking about and it was concerning me. When we were out the door, instead of heading to the car to go to the park, or the beach, or wherever, he took a couple of steps off towards the woods at the side of the house, holding his hand out to me -

"_Come take a walk with me."_

I froze. God no. I could never go there again, that way led to the place where Edward had left me that day! I felt myself starting to shake, I couldn't stop it. Edward took my hand and gently pulled me along with him towards the path in the woods by Charlies house.

"_I can't. I can't Edward. Why would you want to take me there . . . Oh God . . . you're not . . ."_

"_Stop! Stop right there. I need to talk with you, there are some things we need to face and we need to do it where I left you, where I broke us." _ His face was stone, unreadable, I hadn't seen him like this since . . . since then. He turned and continued to lead me further into the trees.

I was trembling, I couldn't help it. I fought the thoughts that were filling my head, the insecurities that were screaming at me that he was leaving me again.

"_Edward if this is about yesterday, you didn't hurt me!"_, I panicked as we reached the spot where he had left me last year, realization dawning on me. This was the exact day last year that he had left, it was the anniversary of that day.

"_Edward, please, please don't leave me! You didn't hurt me, you would have stopped instantly if I had said anything, you know you would have, please please don't leave me, I love you so much!"_

I was screaming at this point, hysterical. Tears streamed down my face and I was shaking uncontrollably as he turned to me and held both of my hands. He didn't offer a kiss, he didn't hold me. I couldn't place the look on his face other than it was pained. Oh my God, it was pained just like it had been a year ago. My knees gave out and Edward caught me, holding me up, but not cradling me to him. Dear God . . . he was leaving me!

He raised his eyes to meet mine and slowly started to speak.

"_We have to do this baby, we have to let go of this",_ he gestured to the space between us.

God No. Please please don't do this - it was the only thing that kept running through my mind.

"_I never did the right thing, I didn't keep my promise to you and I need to make that right."_

My mind screamed, he had promised that it would be as though he had never existed. I would not survive this time, I didn't want to. I wanted to argue with him, I wanted to tell him all the reasons why he was wrong, why we were meant for each other but I couldn't speak. I couldn't find words, my mouth seemed frozen . . . I was unable to even move I was so scared.

"_From the moment I first met you, I loved you. I didn't know it then, I didn't know what that feeling was, but I know it now",_ he said as he dropped to one knee in front of me.

"_I didn't think it was possible to be in love with a human . . . but I am, Bella. I am so in love with you. The year we spent together here in Forks, before I left you, I told you I loved you hundreds of times. I led you to believe that we would be together forever, at least for the rest of your human life. In my arrogance, I believed I knew what was best for us . . . I was wrong."_

He looked up at me and the pain that had covered his face was replaced by something else.

"_I need to do what I should have done when I brought you here last year."_

He brought a small box from his pocket and opened it. _"Bella, please forgive me for what I did to you last year, what I did to us! Please accept this ring as yet another token of my promise never to leave you. Since I didn't get to do it properly in the hospital, let me do it now. Bella, will you marry me? Will you agree to live with me forever as my wife?"_

There in the box was a simple gold band, encircled by diamonds. He took it out and slipped it on my finger that already held my wedding band and the beautiful engagement ring he had given me at the same time. The new ring was completely smooth, flawless and it matched the others exactly. He had brought us here to fix us, to rid me of any doubt that he would always be with me. He was desperately trying to remove the shadow that this place and the event that occurred here had caused.

"_I already married you once and I'll do it again as many times as you want. Yes. I love you, Edward!"_

His lips met mine and I felt his weight on top of me as we became horizontal, lying on the soft leaves and bracken in the place where he had broken us before. We kissed softly for the longest time. He kissed the corner of my mouth, my top lip, my nose, each eye and back to my lips over and over again. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing down my face.

"_I think we need a new memory of this place, love. I want to make love with you, here, now!"_

My hips rocked into his with my response as his lips captured mine again. It wasn't a gentle kiss, it was all consuming fire. His hands stroked down my body as mine tangled in his hair, pulling him as close to me as possible. I reached for the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head as he removed his t shirt and unhooked my bra, it falling off my arms. He laid me back down onto his t shirt in the soft leaves.

"_I should have told you how much I loved you . . ."_

He caressed my face carefully, oh so gently as he gently licked and sucked on m y neck, his breathing becoming ragged.

"_I should have told you that my existence meant nothing without you . . ."_

I felt his hands tracing circles on my stomach and back, then the sound of the button on my jeans releasing and the fabric sliding down my legs as he released himself from the confines of his own jeans, his lips never leaving my skin.

"_I should have begged you to be my wife . . ."_

He was consuming me, melting me from the inside out. There would be no small spaces of doubt, no cracks of insecurities left after this. We were reforming, melting together and reforming into something stronger, unbreakable.

"_I should have made love to you . . . "_

This was not the vampire mating, it was not my careful husband, it was Edward . . . all of him as one package, whole. Our bodies did not arch away from each other, heads thrown back in passion as often occurred. His lips never left mine and his arms held me close. My lips would surely be swollen from the force of our kisses as they had been yesterday, but I didn't care. His tongue caressed mine and I sucked his as far into my mouth as was possible. I wanted all of him, I breathed him in. Though I was accustomed to the snarls and growls that Edward usually made when we made love, I was not accustomed to the new sound I heard. My husband was purring. It was not the normal soft purr that I had heard before when I scratched his scalp just right or he was contentedly laying beside me, it was a loud purr, just off the volume of a growl, and his body was slightly vibrating from it. I stroked his hair as he kissed and licked my neck and ear.

"_Bella, I should have told you I was yours . . . I have always been yours."_

His beautiful eyes were molten gold as he starred into mine and lightly kissed my lips as he traced them with his finger.

"_I love you. I'm so happy you said yes!"_

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I felt whole again as we walked back towards Charlies' house, complete as I had never felt before, and I knew that Bella did, too. I needed to let go of the regret I had for leaving her and the guilt I felt for agreeing to take her life and change her. I now knew that I had a soul, I had seen it through hers. Though she would be loosing her humanity, her soul would remain. Carlisle had been right all along. God had not forsaken us and banished us as creatures of the night. We had a choice, we could still redeem ourselves, just like everyone else.

Bella needed to know, once and for all, that I would always be with her. I hated to do it, but I had to make her face her fear and go through the upset she had just endured. She needed to get past it and she had. This woman owned me and now she knew it beyond any doubt.

Her eyes were still swollen from her tears and her lips were swollen from our kisses when we came back into view of the house. Charlie was on the front porch, having come home from work to fine her car there but no one home. He was wondering where we were and was delighted to see us approaching from the path.

His joy at seeing us approach swiftly changed to rage when he saw Bella's red and swollen face, and the tear stains down her cheeks.

"_You son of a bitch, what have you done to her?", _ he demanded as his hands clenched into fists and he walked toward us. His mind was one mass of angry rage, considering where he had left his gun and how upset Bella would be if he shot me.

"_Dad, dad, no. It's not like that"_, Bella told him, taking her arm from around me to hold it out to him.

"_Look, dad!"_

She held out her hand with the new ring I had just given her. His thoughts abruptly slowed. He was trying to comprehend that the tears were not that she was hurt, she was smiling . . .

"_What is it, what has he done to you, Bella?"_

"_Dad, look at the new ring Edward gave me."_

He held her hand in his and examined the sparkling band.

"_I needed to ask her to forgive me for that day in the woods last year, exactly a year ago today, and we had to talk about it . . .",_ I looked at Bella, wiping her cheek with the backs of my fingers, _"and there were tears."_

Charlie was speechless. He was totally caught off guard. I was shouldering the responsibility for my actions and trying to make amends for them. He didn't expect that, it was something he would have expected from a grown man, a mature man. Huh, he thought, maybe I really did misjudge the kid.


	15. Chapter 15  Past

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 15 Past**

**EPOV**

Sue and Bella were downstairs cooking dinner, a dinner that I was not going to be able to avoid eating. I was not looking forward to it.

Sue had been over for ah hour or so and the girls were in the kitchen. Charlie and I took up typical male posts watching a game on TV. I was listening to the minds of the humans around me and watching Bella through Sue's eyes. Sue was a member of the Quilette Tribe out at La Push and she new their legends. She kept playing the story over and over in her mind, a story about 'cold ones'. She didn't quite know what to do. She was afraid I was a cold one, but that didn't add up in her mind because I was married to a human.

She was making small talk with Bella, but she was thinking of asking some questions and offering some advise, as an older married woman, if Bella had any "marital" problems. She was trying to find out if we had sex, as she thought we did. This would mean that the stories about the Cullens could not be true, she knew that a 'cold one' would kill a human in that close a proximity.

"_So, how do you like being married, Bella?"_, she finally worked up the nerve to ask as they prepared dinner.

"_Well, I love Edward and I can not imagine being without him. If the marriage part is just us being together all the time, then I love it!", _my Bella told her. I loved the way she looked at things.

"_He seems very sweet to you and attentive. He isn't too . . . demanding in the bedroom is he, I just worry that you were hurt so badly and you need time to recover!"_

Sue looked at Bella as though knowing she had overstepped some imaginary line.

"_He is a very demanding man, Sue, but he slept beside me and held me for weeks while I recovered",_ she told her, _"We necked and giggled for weeks in bed like the teenagers we are I suppose." _

"_He wouldn't make love to me till we moved into the new house almost three weeks ago", _my wife blushed as she told her,_ "he wanted to make sure I had recovered, too, what with all the ribs broken and such." She whispered to Sue, "He is really very sweet and caring, Sue! He is also hot!"_

Sue was feeling embarrassed and angry. She was terrified that Bella was in danger, but not able to fully believe her legends regarding me because of how good I had been to Bella. I would have to have a talk with her and probably tonight.

Bella had made pot roast, somehow thinking that if it was meat, it would go over better with me. Good thought, but cooked meat was just as bad as anything else, it tasted disgusting. I complimented her on the meal that I was forced to eat. Sue watched me like a hawk to see that I was indeed eating the food. I excused myself for a moment to go upstairs when the meal was over, humans did after all take bathroom breaks.

Charlie was oblivious to all, he was just enjoying the company of Sue and Bella and having them together? What was this . . . Charlie and Sue were an item! Well, that was news, but there was no mistaking the thoughts in Charlies mind. He and Sue had been going out, and were becoming quite close.

Charlie had offered to wash dishes and Bella and Sue were sitting out on the back porch, enjoying the evening when I went out the door and joined them.

"_Hey, sweetheart!"_, I said as I stood behind her chair and put my hands on her shoulders, her hand reaching up to caress the back of my hand. _"Hey"_, she said, _"Sit with us?"_

I did as requested, scooting my chair close to Bella so that she could rest her hand on my leg. Sue watched us carefully, noting the familiarity between us and starring at Bellas' hand on my thigh like it was on fire. Her thoughts were racing. I decided to help her out, there was no need to hide, the elders of her tribe knew and the treaty was there for all of them to see.

"_Sue, I hear that you joined the Quilette high council, taking your husbands place after he passed away". _

She starred at me, not knowing if she should say anything, if she should acknowledge the legends or the treaty, after all Bella was there and telling outsiders was considered breaching the treaty.

"_Yes, that's true, Edward. You know of the high council?_", she asked in reply.

"_Sue, can we agree that it is alright for Bella to hear any discussion between us, without it breaking any confidences or agreements?"_, I asked her as her eyes widened.

"_Yes, we can agree on that. No agreements will be considered broken from any discussion between us three."_

"_Good, then let me tell you that yes, I was there when the treaty was signed with Ephraim Black, and yes, I am what you would refer to as a 'cold one'."_

She gasped, gripping the arm rests of her chair and starring at the hand that was holding Bella's hand on my leg.

"_It's alright, Sue. I know what my husband is, I have known all along", _Bella told her_._

"_Sue, you should know some of the facts that will help you understand what has happened the last couple of years. I left last year because I didn't want Bella exposed to me, to my world. We were falling in love and I realized how dangerous that exposure to us was,_" I said looking lovingly into my wife's eyes, _"even if she didn't. I left, taking her choice in the decision away and you saw what it did to her. You saw the hurt it caused and I didn't fair any better without her than she did without me."_

"_But you can't be serious. You can't be together . . . married!"_, Sue declared in horror.

"_We are, Sue"_, Bella told her. _"He is my husband in every sense and though we can never have children together, we can have an otherwise normal relationship! Forever!"_

"_Bella! You would become one of them!",_ she almost shouted.

"_I continue to try and talk her out of it, Sue, but in the end, if that's what she wants, I'll give it to her",_ I told her, no inflection in my voice.

"_Bella, you're not safe with him, you must know that,"_ Sue said as she reached for Bella's hand.

"_Sue, think. Edward has saved my life several times over, at the race track, in the hospital. Have you ever seen him do anything other than take care of me and protect me? I ask you, Sue, if you could have a man that would always look this gorgeous and was your mate for eternity, caring, loving and loyal, would you not choose to be with him?"_

Our discussion came to a halt as Charlie came out of the house and sat down by Sue. "_That was sure a good meal, ladies! Thank you!"._

"_It was"_, I agreed. I opted to try and be honest and not have to lie, _"I love it that Bella enjoys cooking so much!"_

"_So, kids, how long are you staying? Is till Christmas too much to ask?", _Charlie laughed.

_Bella laughed, "I think Christmas is a little far away, Dad, but I would love to have you come and spend Christmas at our house", she turned to me looking for approval, "Wouldn't we Edward!"_

"_Absolutely. Charlie, why don't you and Sue come out for Christmas, we would love to have you share our first Christmas together!",_ I added_, "I would suggest Thanksgiving as well, but we agreed to spend that in Jacksonville with Phil and Renee"._

Sue looked stunned. She was having trouble believing that if the legends were true and I was a 'cold one' as I had just confirmed, how was it that I was calmly sitting here talking to she and Charlie about visiting them for Christmas and going to sunny Florida for Thanksgiving!

"_You should go, Charlie", _Sue encouraged,_ "I have to be here with my children for Christmas, but I could join you for a few days afterwords, I would love to see the kids new house!"_

"_Well that all sounds like a plan, and I would like to come and see you for Christmas, Bells!", Charlie said._

"_Excellent, I'll make the arrangements!", _I offered_, "Sue, just let me know the dates and I'll have a ticket for you at the airport waiting!"_

"_To answer your question though, Charlie, we're going to go stay at my house for a day or two, then spend he weekend here if that's OK, then head home"_, I explained, _"We're planning to make some stops and vacation a bit while driving cross country since Bella has never seen many of the states!."_

_Bella yawned. "I think it's my bedtime!", _she said standing and holding her hand out to me. I stood and held her extended hand, turning to Charlie and Sue as Bella added,_ "Goodnight Dad, Sue!" "Goodnight!", _I said as I followed her into the house.

"_It's good that you wanted to go to bed, love, Charlie and Sue wanted to be alone for a little while and were just being polite to us!",_ I told her as I lifted her to carry her upstairs. _"No! Edward! Really? My Dad and Sue?_", she looked at me incredulous. _"Yep", _I told her, _"Your Dad and Sue!"_

I listened to Sues' mind after we walked away as her thoughts ran wild. She felt she had to say something, anything . . . but she couldn't. She couldn't tell Charlie without breaking the treaty and she was scarred to death for Bella! She would speak to the tribal council about this and see what needed to be done. She knew that I hadn't broken the treaty, I had not bit Bella as far as Sue could tell, but I had boldly said that I would if Bella wanted me to. Sue was wondering how Bella could possibly want that! I would need to call Carlisle and see how he wanted me to handle this. It would be as good a time as any to speak to the Quilettes while I was already out here.

We undressed and spent a quiet evening in Bella's room, following what had now become our bedtime and morning routine. I never thought I would love routine, but I loved this one. I could spend weeks making love with Bella, literally, so several times a day was never enough. I could not imagine ever tiring of our "routine"!

_~oooOooo~_

_**BPOV**_

I tossed my toiletry bag into my new car as Edward put our suitcase in the trunk and we headed to the grocery store on the way to the Cullen house to spend a couple of days alone. Really alone. We stopped at the grocers as there was no food in the Cullen house and Edward was really insistent about me eating at least three meals a day. I had started to gain a little of the weight back that I had lost while he had been gone, but I was still too thin.

"_How do you eat this stuff?_

Edward asked, his face contorted as he read the ingredients on the box of cereal.

_"Half the stuff in here I can't even pronounce and the other half is sugar! Not even real sugar at that!" _

He continued to read the labels of the things I had placed in the cart.

_"Bella, you would be better off eating this box than eating its contents and it smells like the box would be tastier!", _he said as he sniffed the box and scrunched up his nose.

I was laughing so hard I thought I would fall to the floor. Edward was following me around the store, reading the contents and nutritional information on the food I was buying and telling me how unnatural it was to eat any of it. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen!

As I turned up another aisle of canned goods, I heard someone exclaim_, _

_"Edward! Bella! I never expected to just run into you Bella, much less the two of you!"_

"_Hi Angela, it's so good to see you! ", _I said as I gave her a big hug._ "I was just getting some things for dinner and Edward was telling me how bad they were for me! , _I gestured in his direction and frowned, disapprovingly.

"_Is it any worse than the things you eat, Edward?"_

Angela asked him trying to take my side. A crooked grin covered his face and I knew he was going to have some fun with this.

"_Angela, I eat only a fresh, natural food diet with no additives or preservatives, ever!"_

Edward told her, smiling at me with that evil gleam in his eyes!

It was all I could do to keep the hysterics under control as I looked at him and commented,

_"That's true. He doesn't even cook any of the food he eats, ever!"_

"_Wow", _Angela said_, "a macrobiotic diet like that is really hard to follow, but you look really fit and healthy, maybe I should try it!"_

"_It's not for everyone," _he told her,_ "but I have been doing it for quite a number of years now."_

He actually said it with a straight face, delivering the line perfectly. I was relieved when Angela changed the subject.

"_Bella, when did you get back! I was so worried about you when you disappeared, then I heard you were in an accident of some kind and you Dad flew off last summer to somewhere back East for you to have surgery! Why haven't I heard from you?"_

"_Sweetheart," _I said turning to Edward,_ "I'm through shopping, would you mind paying for this while Angela and I sit on the bench out front and catch up?" _His answer was immediate and incredibly sweet as he kissed me on the cheek, "_Sure, is there anything else you want me to get while we are here?"_

"_No, everything is in the basket, oh, except eggs and milk, thanks!", _I told him as Angela and I headed to the door.

"_Bella! He's back?", Angela caught my arm and ducked her head to whisper to me. "What's going on and why are you two acting so cuddly?", _ she asked as she put her arm through mine and we sat on the bench outside.

"_He is back, Angela, he came looking for me, searching really. We're married now!"_, I giggled as I extended my hand to show her my rings!

"_Oh my gosh! I don't believe it! I always knew that you two should be together! Congratulations, Bella, really! I am so happy for you!", _ she exclaimed. _"For both of you!" _ She added as Edward approached.

"_I see you told her our good news!",_ Edward said, coming to sit by me.

"_I'm just so happy for both of you! I was so surprised when you left and Bella was just so unhappy and I am so glad that it all worked out and you two found each other!" _ Angela was just bubbling over with good wishes for us. I didn't realize how much I missed her till just this moment.

"_Bella, I have to go, I have to be at work. Please keep in touch!_", she said as she followed us to the car. Edward opened the trunk and loaded the groceries while I reached inside the car for my cell phone. _"Edward!"_, Angela exclaimed, "_I really like your new car! Did you get rid of the Volvo?"_

"_No, I still have my Volvo. This is Bella's car, Angela_", he told her with that crooked smile showing again. _"Stop, just stop that Edward Cullen!",_ I cut my eyes at him.

"_Edward bought the car for me as a present. Isn't it awesome!"_

"_It's really cool. Eric and Mike would probably drool over it! Call me soon, gotta go!"_, Angela said as she hurried away through the parking lot.

"_You are incorrigible! You just wanted to see a reaction out of her, even after that display in the store! You only eat fresh foods, geez! You forgot to mention they also have to be alive!"_, I laughed at my husband as he closed my car door for me and climbed in the drivers seat to drive us home.

~oooOooo~

Edward played piano while I cooked my dinner. He had bought wine and flowers as well after I had left the store with Angela and it was looking more and more like a romantic dinner for two. Hearing him play again was the most wonderful sound I could imagine. I enjoyed it on the piano at his parents' house in Highlands, but the grand piano here sounded amazing. He played quite a repertoire, then morphed into my lullaby. He was just the sweetest man.

"_More wine, sweetie?", he asked as he filled my glass again._

"_Mr Cullen, are you trying to get me drunk and have your way with me?", I asked as we sat at the counter and I ate my dinner._

"_Of course, Mrs. Cullen. I believe I have been having my way with you for a few weeks now!",_ he said as he nuzzled my neck and kissed under my ear.

"_Edward, will it be like this between us when I am a newborn? Will we still feel and act like this with each other?"_

He straightened in his chair and frowned slightly. _"It's different for everyone, Bella. I think since you're making a conscious choice, it will be easier for you, easier for us to just be ourselves once you become accustomed to the new body and how it works",_ he starred down at my plate as he spoke.

"_My body will work differently?", _I looked at him, concerned as I sipped my wine.

"_Everything will be different in that your senses and abilities will be heightened. You will have to learn to function with it, get used to the power that you will have. You will be much stronger than me the first year and you'll need to not break me!",_ he chided me.

"_We will still make love just the same, right?"_

"_If you still want to, love. Bella . . . newborns only care about their thirst for the first year or so. After that, yes, we will still make love just the same as now, you'll just be a lot more durable and I won't have to worry about breaking you!", _he said as he reached over and kissed my lips.

"_What about Charlie and Renee. I know I can't be around humans the first year or so, but after that. Couldn't we just go away for a year, Europe or somewhere they couldn't visit and I could see them after that? I know I couldn't do it for many years, with the not aging and all, but just for a few?"_

"_We can try, if that's what you want. It would be hard to hide the changes, your skin tone, your eyes," _ he said, a sadness showing on his beautiful face, _"but eventually you would have to give them up, fake your death, something. It isn't easy Bella and it's a lot to give up."_

"_It's a lot to gain!",_ I said, grabbing my glass of wine and leading my husband by the hand to the sofa in the living room. _"I love you, Edward. I'm just trying to figure out what it will be like"_, I said as I sat in his lap.

"_You have been thinking about this a lot lately, haven't you?",_ he asked, _"Have you decided then?"_

I starred into the molten gold eyes of my husband, _"I decided long ago that I wanted you forever, we're just crunching out the details!"_

He took my face in his hands and stared into my eyes for a long minute, _"Good, because I'm sure that one lifetime would never be enough to share with you!"_

I finished my glass, which finished almost the whole bottle as I was carried upstairs, my lips already claimed by my husband. When he opened the door to his room, I thought there had been some mistake, that he had taken a wrong turn. Of course, that would never have happened, but there was a huge king sized bed in the center of the room against the wall of bookcases covered in a gold comforter and loads of fluffy throw pillows.

"_When did you do this?"_, I asked him.

"_I ordered it a few days ago. I thought we might end up spending some time her and I wasn't bringing my wife home to sleep on the floor!", _he said as he set me on my feet.

"_Well," _I said putting my glass down and putting an arm around him to play with the soft hair on the back of his neck,_ "I suppose we should make use of it then?" _I reached up and kissed him as I undid the button of his jeans and lowered his zipper with my other hand.

"_Why, Mrs. Cullen! You are becoming quite forward!_", he smiled as we tumbled into bed together.

~oooOooo~

I awoke some hours later, it was dark outside though it didn't feel very late. Edward was with me, his arms around me and his lips on my neck. I played with the soft hair that decorated his chest and pulled him to me, wrapping my leg around him as we lay side by side.

"_Hi_", he whispered in my ear, "_I think I like it when you're a little tipsy!"_

"_I think I like you anytime,"_ I said as my hand traveled down his body. I had nothing in particular in mind, I just liked feeling him inside me, connected to me.

We talked and laughed about our day, about running into Angela, about how shocked Sue had seemed about us. We discussed my Dad being with Sue now and what we would do at Christmas with everyone there, and what his family usually did for Christmas. We talked about how much we loved each other, and how just being in a room together was exciting, and what things we wanted to stop and see on our trip cross country.

We gently moved together the whole time we talked, just enjoying the feeling of being connected so intimately, like it was the most natural and normal thing in the world. My hands felt his soft hair and the plans of his chest while he kept his arms around me, tracing circles on my back and playing with my hair, gently rocking his hips.

Edward stiffened, a frown crossing his face. He reached a hand down and brought his fingers back up to his mouth. His body went rigid. _"Bella, you're bleeding, baby"_, he quietly told me.

"_I'll be right back,"_ I said as I disengaged our bodies and made my way to the bathroom. It appeared as though I had gotten my period. Now that I thought about it, it had been almost a year since I had had one. I looked under the cabinet and found the necessary items to take care of it and warmed a washcloth to take to Edward.

I climbed back in bed, his face filled with questions and tension evident in his brow. I pulled the covers down and gently wiped and cleaned him with the warm cloth. Sure enough, there was blood all over him as well.

"_It appears as though I have my period,_" I said, slightly embarrassed and blushing.

"_Bella, are you sure,_" he asked me, concerned, _"Are you sure you aren't hurt?"_

"_Sweetie, I know you worry and I know this is the first time it has happened, but the cramps I'm feeling are unmistakable. It's just my period."_

He let out a deep breath and started breathing again. It surprised me that he breathed, I thought at the very least he would hold his breath but that was not the case. He looked so relieved, no longer tense or upset.

"_Edward, the blood, it really doesn't bother you?"_

"_Not in the way you think"_he snuggled me close,_ "My blood lust is completely under control, but the lust I have for your body is difficult to restrain." _He appraised me for a long moment._  
_

"_Remember when we talked of being together years ago and I told you I didn't think it would be possible?"_, he asked.

"_I remember. I was so upset at the _thought of never being able to make love with you! You said it would be too dangerous!"

"_That was because, at the moment a climax occurs, all control is gone. The call of instinct and blood come into play. Since I no longer fear that I would want to drain you, blood now would just increase the pleasure for me exponentially, but I would so loose control."_

"_Are you saying that this blood is a turn on for you?_", I asked horrified.

"_It's blood, Bella. I'm a vampire, so yes."_


	16. Chapter 16 Blood

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note**: If you are squeamish at all, skip this chapter. Real life is not for the faint at heart!

**Chapter 16 Blood**

**EPOV**

Bella woke in my arms, gripping me tightly. She had been dreaming again, though she wouldn't tell me what it was about. She excused herself to the bathroom before I could even get in a kiss, but returned quickly to cuddle in my arms. As our intentions became more serious, falling into our normal morning routine of always making love before we got up and started our day together. Though we had stayed up late talking about it, I had to stop her one more time to ask her if she was sure. Really sure.

"_You won't hurt me, Edward. You never could! You haven't hurt me even when you thought you lost control!"_

"_Baby, I just don't want anything to happen to you."_

"_You are not going to hurt me! You're a vampire. Sex and blood go hand and hand for vampires, you told me that right?"_

"_Yes, but . . . "_

"_So it would be a big turn on for you, add even more pleasure for you, right?"_

"_Yes, but . . ."_

"_Edward! Yes, I think it's extremely yuck, but I'm not a guy or a vampire, so my perspective is not the same as yours."_

_"Bella, we can make love without . . . "_

_"Edward! I so want you to put your face . . . there",_ she blushed crimson when she said it.

I kissed her with all the love I was feeling for this woman. She could not possibly understand. I knew she thought this would be an extremely gross and tasteless thing to do, but she also respected the fact that I was a vampire, and vampires follow a little different set of rules than humans do. She seemed to truly believe that I was incapable of seriously injuring her and I was beginning to believe that she was right. She had proven over and over that she usually was right when it came to things about me.

_"I love you more than anything."_

I traced kisses down her chest as I moved my body lower down hers, my breathing was ragged. The smell of her arousal was always intoxicating, but mingled with her blood it was something I had not idea of how to even describe. It was the most amazing thing I could have ever imagined. I instantly soiled myself and our bed. Luckily, with our position, Bella could not know that had happened, unless by the tell tale stiffening of my muscles and catch in my breath. I had never experienced or even heard of anything like this. The combination of her scent and the blood was almost unbearable. I have no idea how long I continued, or how many times she climaxed. Hers might have been countable, were I paying attention, mine were continual and infinite. Absolutely mind blowing.

I raised my face from its place on her shoulder to kiss her cheek, not wanting to upset her by kissing her with the taste of blood in my mouth, but she took my face in her hands and kissed my lips, her tongue demanding entrance. I kissed her, watching her face to make sure I did not disgust her, but there was only love and passion showing. Dear God, I loved this woman. We came together and stilled. After a few moments, she wiggled and wiggled till I realized I had collapsed on her and she needed some of my weight off of her to be able to breath. I never remembered being this exhausted. I moved to lay beside her, my eyes closed and my body still while she stroked my face and my hair.

"_You are the most amazing and dangerous creature on the planet, Bella Cullen."_

"_That was incredible, Edward. I adore making love with you!" _ She ran her fingers through my hair and scratched my scalp_, calling me a "Crazy vampire!"_

"_I don't know how you can joke about something as primal as a vampire, Bella, but I love you for it. If it's OK with you, can we just stay right here in bed for a little while. I'm really tired, I need to hunt and we have to change the sheets!."_

"_Tell you what my husband, you rest, I'll go and make me some breakfast!"_

**BPOV**

I wiggled from under his arm, the weight of it heavier than normal. I smirked at how tired and utterly spent he seemed. I had never seen him like this and I loved the fact that I could do that for him. I grabbed some clothes from the closet and my bag of toiletries to take to the bathroom and went in for a shower. I had almost finished my breakfast when my sleepy faced husband came down the stairs.

"_How is it that you are so awake and perky, love? Did I not tire you at all?"_, he asked as he put his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

"_Actually, it just fired me up . . . want to do it again? I have cleaned up and eaten breakfast, so I'm good for a few hours!"_, she teased. At least I hoped she teased. I was literally spent.

"_I have to hunt. I really really have to, right now. I have no energy at all, love. I can be back in an hour or two, is that alright?"`_

"_Not a problem sweetie, just remember, if you can't run with the big dogs, stay home under the porch!"_, her eyes gleamed at me as she kissed my lips. I so hoped Alice had not seen this. I would never be allowed to live this down . . . ever.

"_Are you seriously teasing me about this? You just tempted a vampire that was making love to you with blood causing him to come all over himself and the sheets so many times he couldn't even tell when one started and the other finished and you're laughing at me! Have you no instincts for self preservation, woman!"_

"_Go, go so you can get back here and be tempted again! I'll do the laundry while you're gone!", _she laughed at me.

"_I hate being apart from you! Be back soon?", _I kissed her lips and ran out the door.

**BPOV **

Edward was the best and I was so lucky to have him. My life had changed so completely from last year. There had been so much pain then and it was replaced now with only happiness. I would be sad about leaving my Dad and Mom, but even if I had Edward change me now, I could see them in a year or two. I could probably get by with the no aging problem for 4 or 5 years and prolong my time with them, maybe. I just didn't know that it might not be better to just make a clean break.

Clean break. I hated that term. That had been the term Edward had used for the way he left me last year. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Edward did have a point with the concept. I would have to think about that. I still had time but I really didn't want to turn 20.

Ever.

He was only 17. I needed to be a teenager forever as well.

I went upstairs to our room to get the sheets. They really did need washing and I wondered if tonight would go as well. My periods only lasted about 3 days and only the first two appeared to be fresh blood. While the whole concept of blood kind of made me sick to my stomach, it certainly had a different effect on my husband! I wonder how I will manage being a vampire if I can't stand blood! Guess that will have to change, too.

I wondered how the Cullens managed to endure the scent while they were in high school. All those girls, there had to be the scent of blood almost every day. I remembered that most people kept their distance from them and I supposed that it helped. Edward was the only vampire that any of them had ever heard of being this close to a human for a prolonged period of time, and I had had periods during the year that we were together in the beginning. Of course, we were not intimate then.

Carlisle told us it wold be dangerous and that we should be really aware of when to expect it, but this was the first period I had had since Edward had been back. Come to think of it, it was the first period I had since I had left Forks.

I remembered basic biology and realized that if body fat dropped to below 5% of my total weight, my body would not experience periods, as the body considered itself starving and unable to reproduce. I suppose it explained it. I had dropped down to skin and bone after Edward left and was only now recovering some of the lost weight. Huh. I had never been worried about keeping up with what time of the month it was because Edward had said we would not be able to have children, but I suppose I should keep up with the timing if Carlisle thought it was important.

I had finished the laundry and remade our bed with the gorgeous gold comforter and fluffy throw pillows. I really hadn't seen the need for a bed to be in his room here, but Edward insisted that if his human wife was sleeping there, she had to have a proper bed waiting for her and he had one delivered while we stayed at Charlies. It was much like the bed we had at home! He was so nineteen hundreds. The bed looked so comfy when I had finished, I crawled to the middle of it and yawned. Maybe I was tireder than I thought. I considered that as I fell fast asleep.

**EPOV**

It took no time at all to find a small herd of deer in the woods near the house and devour them. I had not felt this thirsty in awhile and I suspected it was the sex as well as the blood that had me so thirsty. I needed to do everything I could to make Bella as safe as possible around me and one of those things was to satiate my thirst as much as possible, especially now while she was bleeding. It wasn't this bad before, the year when we were here in Forks together. I had spent the night in bed with her during her period then, of course then we both had our clothes on and our relationship was chaste.

This morning was all I could think about. The combination of blood and sex was beyond anything I had ever imagined. It was intoxicating. I just could not believe my wife was real! How did she take all these vampire quirks in stride and still love me? I needed to do something nice for her, something special. Women liked it when guys planned special things, right?

I returned to find Bella asleep on our bed. It was freshly made so she had obviously done the laundry and she had found the evidence of how out of control I was last night. Damn. That would only encourage her to have me do it again and I really didn't need any encouragement! I left the room quietly, determined to let her sleep, as much as I would have loved to have her company.

I took the opportunity to plan an outing for tonight while she slept. I had never dated, so I really didn't know what I was doing, but I looked up a nice restaurant on line in Port Charles, got the schedule for the local movie theater and set about to come up with a plan. I had read the minds of teenagers in school for decades and dinner and a movie was considered a big deal, even in in the minds of college kids. I looked for concerts in the area, my other option, but there weren't any tonight. Dinner and a movie it is!

I had taken Bella to dinner once before in Port Angeles and I thought we would go back to the same little Italian place, she might like that. I made a quick run into town to get her flowers and placed several vases around the house before taking off my shoes and curling up behind her in our bed.

She snuggled into me even in her sleep and I spooned her and played with her hair, not wanting to wake her . . . well, wanting really badly to wake her, but letting her rest instead. She would not need sleep once I changed her and we would be together all the time. I wanted to savor these moments of hearing her heartbeat and listening to her gentle breathing, not to mention the words she sometimes said in her sleep. These things would soon be gone.

I dressed in slacks and a nice button down and blazer. I was just tying my dress shoes, sitting on the edge of the bed when she woke.

"_Hey!"_, she said sleepily as she scooted over to snuggle against my hips.

"_Hey!"_, I said bending over to kiss her on the top of her head, _"Did you have a nice nap?"_

"_Ummm, I did. You look handsome, has your girlfriend been over?"_

"_No"_, I looked at her, smiling as I rubbed her back, _"Actually I was hoping to take my wife out to dinner."_

"_Well, if she isn't here soon, maybe I could just go with you, you are kind of cute!"_ she said as she smirked at me.

"_I don't know, my wife is pretty possessive! She doesn't like me around other women!"_

"_I bet your wife trusts you no matter what. You could probably be in a room full of naked women and tell her you walked in there by accident and she would believe you!"_

"_I'll have to remember that!"_, I said as I put my arms around her and leaned to kiss her, _"and I love you for it! Would you like to go to dinner and a movie with me?"_

"_Well,"_ she said as she put her hand on my thigh and winked at me, _"I'd love to . . . unless you can think of something else to do!"_

I was on her in a minute. I had her pinned beneath me in the middle of our bed, straddling her hips and holding her wrists by her head, one in each of my hands.

"_You are the most dangerous creature alive, Mrs. Cullen! I'm trying to be human here and take my wife to dinner, not just keep her in bed and ravish her day and night!"_, I said to her as I released her hands and tickled her.

She ran her fingers through my hair, knowing that tickling me was totally ineffective. I grabbed her hands again as she continued laughing, _"You are messing up my hair! I just tamed it to go out with you!"_

"_Tamed it? Sweetheart, the hair on your head would be the last thing about you that could ever be tamed!",_ she said and reached up to kiss my lips, _"Will you please get off of me, I have to get dressed, my very human husband is taking me to dinner!"_

**BPOV**

Edward rook my hand as he helped me out of the R8. We had arrived at the same little Italian restaurant we had eaten at years ago, the first time I had ever been out with him.

"_A quiet table for two, please"_, he requested at the door. We were escorted to the perfect table in the back, in a quiet corner by a window. I ordered mushroom ravioli and two cokes.

Instead of a movie we walked along the shore front. They had something of a boardwalk there for tourists with games, arcades and stores. We strolled along, hand in hand, not a care in the world. It was absolutely amazing how life could change in a year.

We posed for an artist to sketch us by the docks and it turned out well. Edward wanted to take it home and frame it! He did look handsome tonight in slacks and a sport jacket, and when another man offered to take a picture of us, I agreed. The green dress that I had on tonight was the color that Edwards eyes had been when he was human, according to Carlisle, and it showed enough cleavage to put a sparkle in those eyes. It was a photo worthy of framing, just from the expression on his face as he looked at me. How could anyone ever not take one look at us and realize we were in love! I would have to remember to thank Alice for the green dress that I had found in the closet!

We even played some of the games, throwing the baseball to knock down the stack of three milk cans, which Edward conspicuously won every time he tried.

"_Which stuffed animal would you like Sir, you can have you pick of any of them!"_, the attendant asked. I eyed the large stuffed lion and Edward snickered. _"The lady wants the lion"_, he said, raising his eyebrows and passing it to me. We walked back towards the car with me carrying the lion, almost as large as I was. He would have to share my seat in the car, if he fit at all!

**BPOV**

We had a wonderful night out and snuggling into his chest in bed was no less wonderful. I stroked his cheek and relaxed into his arms as we settled in for the night. I wasn't going to push him. He knew that I wanted him, I always wanted him but this was his decision. I would understand if a human male didn't want to fool around when I was on my period and I needed to respect Edwards decisions about this, whatever they might be. We spent some time kissing and holding each other like the teenagers we were.

"_Edward!"_, I said in a hushed, tense voice.

"_What, what's wrong!"_, he answered, alarmed from the tone in my voice and assuming an almost defensive posture.

"_We're being watched!"_

"_What?"_, he asked, wondering what the hell I was talking about since his senses were so much better than mine.

"_The lion, in the corner . . . it's starring at me!"_, I exclaimed.

He broke into laughter, grabbing me and tickling me as we rolled around in our bed! I had to lighten the moment and it had worked! I held him and gave him a serious kiss, tongue running along the edge of his lips, asking entrance. He obliged by caressing my tongue with his in one of his tingly mind blowing type kisses. I responded by nibbling and biting his chin as he tried to speak to me.

"_Bella, are you not worried at all that I'll loose it and hurt you?"_, he asked as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"_No, not at all", _I told him as I looked at his perfect face_, "You would never hurt me and I am willing to bet my life on it."_

He sighed, kissing my neck,_"You are betting your life on it, on my ability to restrain myself, every time I take you in my arms."_

"_I have absolute confidence in the love we have for each other, Edward. You won't hurt me. I won't pretend that I understand the attraction to blood, I'm not a vampire. Most humans, well . . . not all humans, but most would find the idea of being close while I'm bleeding absolutely repulsive, but you aren't human, baby, and I understand that! Vampires literally live off blood - it would seem to be a natural thing for you. If I can give you pleasure then why would I object?", _I held his face in my hands as I tended to do when I needed to get a point across,

"_I love you, silly vampire!"_

I decided to start something myself, since he seemed reluctant. I kissed down his chest, feeling his rock hard abs and tracing the lines of his muscles. He was perfect, his body was absolutely perfect. Soft, velvety skin covering hard muscle. I felt the soft bronze hair that trailed below his belly button as I kissed his stomach. Edward had worn pajama pants to bed tonight, we never wore clothes to bed and I tugged the offending garment till he raised his hips and allowed me to take them to his knees. Edward kicking them the rest of the way off. He was mine.

I heard him grab the headboard and I hoped that our new bed was not doomed to be replaced, as the guest room bed had been and the sofa in his room. He had not destroyed anything when we had both done this to each other at the same time and I had hoped he would get the idea himself. I was thrilled when he lifted my body and placed me fully on top on him.

He reached for my breasts, he massaged my butt, he stroked my thighs. He never once grabbed me too hard, or held me too tight. I, on the other hand, sucked with all my might, grasping his butt and stroking the inside of his thighs. I have no idea how many hours we spent. I knew that I was exhausted and after one particularly amazing instance when we both came together, I released him, moving to put my head on his shoulder and hitch my leg over him to hold him to me.

He was not done yet and rolled me to my back. He kissed me so sweetly, so lovingly. He rolled to his back and pulled me to his chest, covering us with blankets and wrapping his arms around me as he cradled my head on his chest.

"_I am so in love with you"_, was the last thing I heard him say as I drifted to sleep.

~oooOooo~

The morning light woke me as it streamed in the window. Everything was calm in the woods outside the floor to ceiling windows, and very still. I realized my husband was not breathing, but I wasn't alarmed. I knew he didn't need to breath. I raised my head to look at his face, expecting to stare into his golden eyes only to find his eyes closed. His face was so peaceful, so much of the 17 year old boy shining through, he was beautiful.

His eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing.

I waited.

He didn't move . . . he didn't move at all.

I froze.

It took me a long moment to realize what I was witnessing.


	17. Chapter 17 Happenings

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 17 Happenings**

**BPOV**

My husband was sleeping.

It didn't occur to me to be worried about him. Perhaps being human, sleeping seemed more normal to me than it would have seemed to his vampire family if they had found him. I was beside myself with happiness for him! I knew he had talked about sleep being the one thing he really missed. Not wanting to disturb him, I put my head back where it had been, willing this to last for him, hoping my tears didn't wake him.

It was in these moments that I missed his heartbeat, the telltale reassurance that his eyes would open, that this stillness was only temporary. It was several hours before I felt him stir, grasp me really, as though he wasn't sure where he was. I raised my head to stare into his golden eyes.

"_Good morning, sweetheart! Did you sleep well?"_

"_I . . . I can't sleep, love. You know that", _he looked around the room, disoriented.

"_Well, what do you call it when your eyes are closed, you were not breathing, and you didn't respond to me for hours . . . because I call that sleeping!", _I said as I propped myself up on my elbow beside him to stare into his eyes.

"_I was sleeping?", _he glanced around the room and his eyes settled back on me. _"Bella, I WAS sleeping!"_ He looked so surprised! _"Well, wait till Carlisle hears about this!"_

"_I know, baby. Didn't you tell me that was one of the things you really missed!"_

"_But, Bella . . . vampires don't sleep, ever!"_, he said, concern shadowing his face.

"_Well", _I said as I kissed him, _"Apparently they do! How do you feel?"_

Edward stretched and rolled slightly side to side. _"I feel wonderful, amazing really, but Bella, after last night . . . I would feel great sleep or no sleep!"_, he said as he softly kissed my lips!

"_Hey, since I just woke up, this qualifies as morning, right?"_

"_Mid-morning, but yes!"_

"_And every night before you go to sleep and each morning when you wake up we make love, right?"_

"_Right . . . "_

"_Well, does that count when I wake up?",_ he asked as his body covered mine and his lips stopped me from answering.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

Carlisle had been concerned when I told him what had happened, he had never heard of such a thing happening to a vampire, but then he could not imagine doing what Bella and I had done the night before and Bella still being alive! She was mortified, of course, that I had told Carlisle. I explained that he had to have the details to fully explain the "sleeping" to him. I needed him to check it out and make sure that it wasn't the start of some sort of a problem, though I didn't think it was.

After we showered and Bella had breakfast, we started looking around my room to see what things we wanted to take back with us or have shipped.

"_Edward," _she called to me, _"Do we bring the clothes or leave them here?"_

I looked up from going through one of my drawers, _"The way Alice shops, I'd say bring the things you really like and leave the rest. We might need some next time we come for a visit, anyway!"_

"_You really just left everything?"_, she asked me in disbelief.

"_Sweetheart, I really didn't do anything. Esme left everything to try and not have reminders of you around me. I was incapable of doing anything. Walking away was almost more than I could manage. I told them to leave everything of mine, none of it mattered to me without you, but Alice boxed up my journals and CD's and took them anyway."_

She came over to where I stood by my dresser and put her arms around me. I turned to hold her for a long minute. _"I love you you know!",_ she whispered sweetly to me. _"I know you do, I am only just realizing how much you really do love and understand me, Bella. You always have!",_ I told her as I kissed her lips and hugged her to me.

"_I left these before, but I really want them in our new home!"_, I said as I lifted a framed photo of the two of us off my dresser, _"We should make an album out of the photos in the box in my closet and keep going with albums in the years to come! My appearance doesn't change, but yours does, for now, and the styles we wear and the places in the background change."_

"_Photos will help me remember people and things in my human days, for later . . . after I'm changed, won't they?"_, Bella asked, _"I will be able to remember, won't I?"_

"_I think they will. It would be a great idea for you to have an album to look over to help you remember, love, and I will remember everything and remind you as often as you like."_

We continued to pack for a few minutes longer, till nature called and she had to have a bathroom break.

"_Woops, Edward!"_, she called to me, _"We need to go to the drugstore, I'm out of tampons, sweetie and I'm pretty sure no one else in this house would have any!"_

My mouth hung open in spite of myself. I could not imagine such a waste. I looked at her like she was nuts. Tampons!

"_Bella! You know, I could take care of that for you . . . it's no trouble, really . . . if you want!",_ I put on my best puppy dog pleading face.

"_EDWARD!"_

I didn't even know that a human could turn that shade of red. I was afraid she was going to pop a blood vessel or something, or even worse . . . tell me no! After a few minutes, OK an hour really, of indulging me, we showered and headed off to go to a movie together, by way of the drug store. I think she may have just wanted to get me out in public where she thought I might behave! We ducked into the sub shop next door to the drug store and she ordered food for herself. It was so enjoyable just to be with her, regardless of what we were doing. I was happier than I had ever been. We exited the sub shop, laughing and smiling with our arms around each other.

"_Cullen!"_, a harsh voice called out to me. I stiffened immediately, placing myself between Bella and the voice.

We turned to see Sam Uley approaching with Sue Clearwater. We both greeted Sue warmly.

"_Sue, good afternoon!",_ Bella said happily.

"_How are you today?"_, I asked Sue, my displeasure at having Bella near Sam was showing.

"_I'm good",_ she said curtly. _"Edward, this is Sam Uley, I believe you met a few months ago when Carlisle was here. He is the acting chief of the Quilette tribe right now and there are some concerns we would like to discuss with you, if we could speak privately",_ she said nodding to Bella.

"_Sue . . . I'm happy to speak with you regarding any concerns you might have, but my wife is privy to anything that I do or am involved with"_, I told them, _"anything you have to say to me can be said in front of her."_

I looked directly at Sam Uley, _"She and I have no secrets."_

Sam's mind was filled with rage. He had told me months go that they considered Bella under their protection because of the relationship her father Charlie had with Billy, the last Chief of the tribe. He was barely able to contain himself from trembling, outraged at the idea a bloodsucker openly being with her. He starred at me a long minute.

"_So it's true, she knows you are a vampire and she married you anyway",_ he said with disgust. It wasn't a question. If there was a chance she didn't know, he would state it plainly and make sure to expose me to her. He studied Bella intently looking for any signs of surprise or upset, he found none.

"_We need to discuss the treaty. Is Carlisle here?", Sam asked.  
_

"_No, Carlisle and my family moved away. Bella and I are here for a visit, to see her dad and pick up a few things,"_ I told him. He still starred at us in disbelief, Bella's arm around my waist.

"_And Jacob?",_ he turned to Bella, _"You left with him, do you know where he is?"_

"_Jacob is working and seems happy, what more do you need to know?",_ Bella retorted boldly.

"_Jacob was in line to be chief after Billy's death. We need to straighten some things out with him and some decisions need to be made regarding the treaty his grandfather signed with Carlisle", _Sam explained.

"_I remember,"_ Edward told him, _"I was there when it was signed!"_

The noise made by the sharp intake of air from Bella was far too quiet for anyone other than me to hear. She had heard the legends and knew the stories, I suppose she was just surprised at having them verbally confirmed.

"_We'll be seeing Jacob next month, if you like, we can let him know that you really want to speak to him!"_, I told Sam. His thoughts went wild. What the hell would Jacob be doing going to a bloodsuckers house and did Jacob even know what Edward was?

"_YOU will be seeing him?",_ Sam nearly shouted.

"_Yes, Sam. Jacob and I are friendly with each other because of Bella"_, I informed him, "_and last time I saw Jacob he still didn't believe the legends."_

He looked as tough I had slapped him. Sues' eyes were wide with disbelief. Sam was wanting to know if Jacob has phased into wolf form yet and I gave him his answer.

"_Sue, Jacob will be at our house for Christmas. If he hasn't called Sam by then, perhaps you could persuade him. You and Charlie are still coming for the holidays, right?"_

Sam turned to look at Sue in disbelief, like he thought she had lost her mind for even thinking of doing such a thing as socializing with me.

'_Well, if I can be of any further help, Sam, Sue has both my phone number and Bella's. I trust you'll let me know of anything else you may need me for. Right now, my wife and I are about to be late for the movie theater. We'll look forward to hearing from you. Sue, dinner tomorrow night at Charlie's, right?"_, I said with no room for discussion.

"_Yes, I'll be there",_ Sue quietly admitted.

"_Alright then, we'll see you there!"_, Bella said as we turned our backs to their hostility to walk down the street toward the theater. Everything was within walking distance in Forks!

"_Edward! All those old legends Jacob told me were true!"_, Bella exclaimed after we were beyond their hearing.

"_I don't know what legends you mean, but the ones about werewolves and vampires are."_

"_Jacob . . . descended from wolves? Are you serious?"_, she asked,

_"Absolutely, you are surrounded by legends!_", I laughed as we purchased our tickets.

~oooOooo~

Bella was still laughing at me as we left the theater. I had spent the entire movie trying to make out with her and she had spent the time fending off my advancing hands! It was amazing how normal and carefree things could be sometimes. From all appearances, we were a young couple in love, with our entire lives ahead of us. In truth, we were . . . and I had never been happier.

Much to our surprise, Angela and Eric were outside in the lobby!

"_Bella!",_ Angela called, _"I wish I had known you were coming, we could all have come together!"_

Mike and Jessica walked up just as Angela was saying, _"And you remember Eric, my boyfriend!"_

"_Guys",_ Angela said addressing her three companions, _"you all remember Edward, I know you remember Bella!"_ She laughed. Of course they remembered.

"_We were just going for pizza, how about coming with us so we can catch up!",_ Angela suggested. I really liked Angela. Her thoughts were sincere and she had truly been a friend to Bella. Mike hated me, same as always and Eric just went along with whatever Angela wanted. Jessica, now Jessica I wasn't sure I would be able to stand being around for any length of time at all. Her mind was already running into the gutter just thinking of things she wanted me to do to her! Disgusting!

"_Bella?",_ I looked questioningly at her.

"_Sure, I'm always hungry for pizza, even though we just ate!",_ she said covering for me so that I would not be expected to eat the vile human food! She thought of everything and was even starting to flesh out excuses that made my behavior much more believable. She really was already a Cullen, vampire or not!

Conversation continued as we walked to the restaurant and found a table by the front window. Mike managed to grab a seat by Bella, which was bad in that I didn't want him near her, but good in that it kept Jessica from sitting by me! Angela mentioned Bella's new car and the guys at the table immediately began speaking Car and Driver when they found out she had an R8. The girls were discussing some new happening with a family in town, when I heard Jessica ask . . .

"_So, Bella, rumor had it that you left with that kid from the reservation! Was it true?",_ Jessica asked.

"_I did, Jessica, and his name is Jacob", _Bella answered with a frown.

"_I remember him",_ Angela said, _"really tall guy you rode motorcycles with out on the reservation, right?"_

"_That's him!", _Bella answered, smiling at Angela.

"_You actually started riding motorcycles yourself, Bella! Wow! I remember when we went to the movies one night and you jumped on the back of that guys motorcycle!",_ Jessica remarked.

I watched the scene in Jessica's mind as Bella disappeared down the street on the back of a random strangers bike, a guy out of a group of guys that appeared to be drinking. I was horrified. She had told me how bad it had gotten, the lengths she had gone to for a glimpse of me, but to see it happening in Jessica's mind was much harder to take.

"_I thought I was going to end up in some FBI room having to describe the guy after you went missing!",_ Jessica laughed. She was saying these things specifically to upset Bella, and hopefully make me think less of Bella. Damn girl. Wonder if anyone would notice if I spread out pieces of her body over several locations, after I ripped her apart.

"_So, Edward, do you ride bikes as well?",_ Angela asked to try and change the way the conversation was going.

"_I have in the past, but I am considering getting another bike, if Bella wants to go riding!",_ I told Angela as I moved to hold my wife's hand.

"_Mike, how's college? You did go on to the University of Washington after graduation, didn't you?", _Bella asked.

"_I did and so did Eric! Actually, we're roommates there!"_, Mike replied.

"_For real? That's awesome. Do you like it? College I mean?"_, Bella wanted to know.

"_I like not having my Mom always asking me where I was going and telling me when to be back! And I definitely don't miss working at the store!"_

We all laughed, everyone knew that Mike hated working at his parents Outdoor Outfitters store. The pizza arrived and everyone else started to dig in. Angela looked at me as I relaxed and sat back in my chair, making no effort to grab a slice.

"_Are you still on that 'special' diet, Edward?"_, she asked. She remembered from the conversation we had at the grocery store.

Unfortunately when Angela asked me about my diet, Bella had just taken a large sip of her coke, which she now wore all over herself and the table in front of her. I couldn't help but laugh at her, as I answered Angela.

"_I sure am, Angela. I really like the fact that the food I eat is the closest thing you can get to being still on the hoof!"_

My answer didn't help Bella's hysteria. She tried to stifle her laughter with her hand, but the straight faced way I had delivered the line was just too much for her.

"_You alright, sweetheart?"_

I asked as I put my arm on the back of her chair, my face giving away nothing. Bella stood and excused herself to the restroom to clean off the sticky coke and I took the opportunity to go and find our waitress and pay the bill. I thought it might be a nice gesture and from what I had picked out of their minds, funds were tight for all of them and it would be appreciated. I wanted anything to do with Bella to be a positive. As I waited for the waitress to return with my card, I overheard Jessica at the table.

"_Wonder how long it took her to find him, I bet she had to put out to get him to even give her the time of day!", Jessica was saying._

I glared at her. Perhaps I wouldn't mind the extra effort it would take to hide the body once I finished with her. Angela started to defend Bella. I really liked that girl, but I needed to step in and handle this once and for all. I walked back over to the table, ignoring the phone buzzing in my pocket.

"_I hope you'll excuse us when Bella gets back, I really want to get her back to my place early!"_

Jessica's' thoughts ran wild with "I told you so's" and "see he only wants to get laid". I couldn't help but chuckle. I placed my arm around Bellas' shoulders when she returned and brushed my lips against hers. Jessica was beside herself, totally thinking I was only there because Bella put out. I did enjoy the "putting out", don't get me wrong! I stood behind her with my arms crossed around her shoulders, left hand on top, purposefully. Jessica gasped. She noticed my wedding ring. She quickly looked to Bellas' ring finger and sure enough, she saw what she would never have believed in a thousand years. She couldn't contain herself and blurted out,

"_You're married?"_

"_Yes, Jessica, after I begged her, Bella agreed to be my wife and we were married last June",_ I happily announced to all of them.

Jessica and Mike were stunned! They had no words coming out and no thoughts in their minds! I appreciated the quiet from them for a change! Since we had been married for months, it was obvious to even them that we did not get married because Bella was pregnant!

"_If you'll excuse us, we just built a new home and need to finish packing things at my house to move. Very little will fit in Bella's sports car, so we have to ship things in the morning"_, I told them. I normally wasn't one for bragging, but they needed to know that I was all about Bella.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again, I couldn't let it go a second time without answering it. Alice. I had to get us away from the window and now.

"_Would you guys like a turn behind the wheel in the R8?"_, I asked.

Bellas' head snapped toward me and she looked at me like I had taken leave of my senses as I took Angela by the elbow to escort her out. Everyone rose quickly to follow Bella and I back through the restaurant to go out the entry way. Jessica and Mike lagged behind and I didn't really care, I had made the effort. No sooner had we made it to the back hall to make our way out than there was a loud crash and the sound of glass shattering and people screaming. I looked to see that, just as Alice had predicted, a car had driven straight through the front window of the restaurant, crushing the walls and completely obliterating the table where we had just been sitting! I had no idea the death toll, but the smell of blood permeated the air. Humans. Always some stupid thing happening.

Instead of just grabbing Bella and moving her to safety as I would have normally done, Alice's call had allowed me the time to coax her friends away from the danger as well. I thought it might be important to her. Angela had been a good friend to Bella and I wanted her to be safe as well. That had been my goal, to get them away from the danger. Eric had followed close to Angela and was unharmed, but Jessica and Mike had lingered at the table, no doubt to exchange harsh words about Bella or me.

_"Edward . . . Jessica and Mike!"_, Bella asked, looking at me expectantly. She was obviously upset that her 'friends' were not with us.

"_Bella, Angela, stay here!", _I said as I moved them to an interior wall.

Eric stood dutifully in front of them as I went to check on Mike and Jessica. Mike was knocked halfway across the room and appeared to have a broken leg, but seemed otherwise alright. I found Jessica after I lifted a table and some clutter off of her. She had some lacerations and one on her arm was severe, along with possible internal injuries, there was too much commotion to listen properly and made a determination. I lifted her and moved at my speed, no one noticing me in the confusion and placed her on a bench on the sidewalk outside while she was still unconscious.

After checking on Mike and taking Jessica outside, thus completing my job of checking on her friends for Bella, I returned to where I had left her and Angela, Eric still attempting to protect them from all the commotion around them. I led them outside and turned to put my arms around Bella. I nuzzled my face into her neck.

"Are you alright, baby?", I whispered to her. "I am now, Edward. Thank you. The call was from Alice, she saw the car coming, didn't she?", asked Bella.

"She did. How did you know?", I whispered in her ear.

"Edward, please. You would NEVER let anyone drive the R8! Thank you for getting Angela out of there, it means alot to me. I know you saved her because she's my friend."

"I would do anything for you, Bella", I said hugging her close as we stood on the sidewalk looking in through the open hole the car had made in the building.

I was distracted by several guys yelling and trying to lift the car that now sat mostly in the restaurant, apparently someone was trapped. I walked over and counted with them as we all strained and puffed to lift it. We, of course, were successful. I just had to make it look like it took five of us! Bella's mouth turned up at the edges in spite of the horrific scene in front of us, she chuckled at my having it look like it took all those guys to lift the car! As I placed the car down it hit me. Coming from inside the errant car, a smell I would recognize anywhere - vampire! What the hell? the driver was an older man, and he had not been drained, I checked for that before anyone got to him.

Angela approached where we stood holding each other. She was in tears, blood on her shirt. _"Angela! Are you hurt?",_ Bella gasped. _"No, no . . . its Jessica"_, she said pointing to the bench behind us, _"They aid she had lost too much blood!" _

The medics were just covering the body, though they were not fast enough. The laceration on her neck was clearly visible.

Charlie arrived on the scene. This was a big occurrence for a small town and we all helped get the injured outside and safely waiting for treatment, somewhat in the order of severity of injury thanks to the medical training I had and my unique abilities to perform triage without blood pressure machines and stethoscopes! Bella had insisted. Angela and Eric had gone in the ambulance with Mike to the hospital. Bella had used Angelas' phone and called Mike's parents to meet them at the hospital and the other injured people were being cared for. I needed to leave, the smell of blood was persuasive here and I had done all I could. All seemed under control except for the paperwork, which I am sure Charlie was dreading!

Bella had been amazing. She had steadfastly endured the smell of blood and had managed to settle and comfort a number of the injured. Were it not for Carlisle, and his damned insistence on compassion and caring for the humans, I would probably have scooped up my wife and gotten her away from any upset this was causing her, but then it was she that had wanted me to stay and help.

I rang Alice. I needed to know if she saw any other problems in our future, now that she was seeing us crystal clear. I asked her to really look hard over the next few months. I needed assurance that all would go well, at least till Bella was a bit more durable!

Alice had seen that it would go well if she and Jasper accompanied us and that we would all have a great time! I was glad to hear it! I would protect Bella, of course, but my sister and brother were the Calvary and I appreciated them for it! They would drive Esme's Jaguar back to Highlands with us on the road trip!

_"Is it alright if we stop by the hospital on the way home?", _she asked as I opened her car door for her.

_"Baby, can we please just go home?"_

_"Are you okay?"_, she said as she put her arms around me.

_"No. I mean yes, of course I'm okay, I just . . . it's just that the accident reminded me . . . "_

"_Edward, I'm fine. I haven't been hurt!",_ she told me as she kissed my lips and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze._  
_

I closed her door and got in to start the car. As I pulled out of the parking space, she reached over and placed her hand on my thigh, leaning towards the center of the car to rest her head against my shoulder and whispering,

"_Let's go home then. I think we could use a shower from the looks of us!"_

Thank God! I really needed to be alone with her right now, only her. I needed to see every part of her in the safety of our home to know that she really was safe and unharmed. She was right about the shower as well. I hadn't realized just how dust and debris covered we were till now, not to mention that I had splattering of blood on my jacket and shirt. I moved at my speed to carry her from the car to our room.

**BPOV**

It had been quite a day. I had been amazed this morning at the effect I had on him, he had slept. Though we didn't yet know if there was any significance to it, I was thrilled that he had gotten to experience it, something that I so took for granted as a human! I had the feeling it was just one of the many effects we were going to discover that we had on each other. Though I had enjoyed our dinner with friends, well, up till the crash, I had become accustomed to being around people that cared, people that treated others nicely. Jessica had reminded me just how nasty people could be. I had seen her glares and heard her whispers. I had also heard Edward shut her down as I had returned from the restroom, only to go back and try to rescue Jessica in spite of the way she had acted.

My Edward.

He needed reassurance now. Reassurance that I was indeed unharmed. Today had been a lot for him. It seemed to take him back to all the strain on his emotions that my crash had caused, a strain that would only really be wiped out by my becoming immortal and indestructible like he was.

I was surprisingly unshaken by tonight's events. My attitude was changing, I think. I saw things on a different level, saw my friends as fleeting things around me. I was even starting to see my parents as temporary things in my life. My only constant was Edward.

I walked into the bathroom where he stood adjusting the water in the shower. I took the moment to admire the naked body of my husband. His lean muscular thighs and calves were covered in just the right amount of curly bronze hair. The smooth skin covering the defined muscles of his shoulders led down toward the small triangle of soft hair on the lower part of his back. His trim waist was amazingly sexy with its almost complete lack of love handles, and his but. Dear God his but was amazing, tight and hard . . . just tempting me to grab it.

"_Are you checking me out, Mrs. Cullen?",_ he turned to look over his shoulder and ask.

"_I absolutely am!"_, I replied as he turned to face me, _"I like what I see!"_.

A huge stupid grin that I could not stop covered my face as he turned to me, giving me a front view.

_"Apparently you're anxious to get me in that shower, Mr. Cullen!", _I said as my eyes drifted down him._  
_

_"Please"_, he answered as he crossed the distance between us, his eyes twinkling, _"you know I'm always eager to get you wet!"_


	18. Chapter 18  Leaving

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 18 Leaving Forks**

We arrived at Charlies around noon. I had spent an hour or so, after a rather long session of our morning routine, arranging for the items we had selected to be picked up and shipped to our home in Highlands. Bella had insisted that the few things she had wanted from Charlie's hose would fit in the R8 and the one item that wouldn't - the rocking chair - I had arranged to ship with the other items.

Sue was already there as well as Charlie, barbecuing on the back patio!

"_Bells!",_ Charlie exclaimed when he saw her, _"I'm just so happy you didn't get hurt last night! That whole thing just has me shaken up! It's one thing to get hurt riding those damned motorcycles, but to just be sitting minding your own business with a few friends in a restaurant and have the wall cave in is just unbelievable!"_

"_Any word on the driver, Charlie? What caused the crash?"_, Edward asked.

"_Seems the old guy had a fatal heart attack. Stranger passing through, not a local. Coroner says he's never seen anything like it, like the guy had been scared to death! Maybe he lost control and it scared him, thought he was going to crash or something, I can't figure it,_" Charlie said as he shook his head, _"Just doesn't make sense that he was going that fast but they say a dead mans foot presses the pedal heavy and all that. I just can't see it."_

Bella placed her hand on her fathers shoulder telling him that she was sure he would figure the whole thing out, then changing the subject by asking him if he had gone fishing this morning.

Sue brought a salad out to the table and quietly nodded to me. Her thoughts were on our conversation yesterday and she was filled with worry over Bella being around me. I guess I needed to go and talk to her while Bella spent some time with her dad, there was nothing I could do to solve the mystery of why there was a vampire smell in the car that crashed, but maybe I could make some headway with Sue and answer some of her concerns.

"_I'd like to speak to you Sue, if you have a minute"_, I said standing in the kitchen doorway.

"_Ah! . . . Edward, I didn't hear you!"_, she gasped and held her chest. Apparently she had not expected me to follow her into the kitchen.

"_I didn't mean to startle you!"_, I said taking an extremely non threatening posture by sitting down at the kitchen table. It didn't help much. Her heart was racing and she was scared to be alone with me, she had no idea what I wanted and I terrified her.

"_I wanted to let you and Sam know that the car that crashed into the pizza parlor last night had the smell of vampire inside it. A vampire I have never smelled before, someone I don't know. I think we should investigate to see if that could have had anything to do with the wreck, though the body of the driver had not been drained."_

Sue was startled. There had been no evidence of vampire around here since the pack had killed Laurant after Billy died.

"_Thank you, Edward. Yes, we certainly should know about that and I assure you that we will get to the bottom of it,"_ she said stiffly.

"_Sue",_ I spoke softly, trying to let my voice sooth her, _"is there nothing I can say that will allow you to feel calmer around me? I have no intention of hurting you. Though I'm sure you are worried about it, there is no need to be concerned for Bella's safety either."_

"_Edward, how can you be sure of that? It's just not natural for a vampire to spend that much time with a human, is it?"_

I looked directly into her eyes, willing her to believe me, _"I love her Sue. She is a part of me, I could never live without her. I love her more than my own life."_

"_If you love her so much, shouldn't you leave her alone! You two can never be together - a life together! You can never be a husband to her, you would kill her! That's what all the legends say!", _Sue declared with certainty.

I took a long, unnecessary breath and tried to calm myself, anger was not going to help here. _"Sue, we have had part of this discussion before. The reasons you are imagining are exactly the reasons I left her last year. I wanted her to have a long, human life without the dangers I brought so close to her. It didn't work Sue. You were here . . . you saw what happened to her. For better or worse,"_ I smiled at the words, having said the vows at my wedding to Bella, _"we love each other and we are together."_

"_Edward"_, she looked horrified, _"how can you be a husband to her? She is young, she had needs that . . . well, if the legends are true, you would kill her if you tried to be with her physically . . . your strength. Hell, Edward, what am I saying. You should not be able to be around her, much less 'with' her!"_

I shook my head, my elbows on my knees, looking at my fingers as I slowly turned the band of gold on my finger around and around, feeling the smoothness and weight of it, as I decided how much detail to use to comfort sue. She wanted Bella happy and she saw how she was with me. I was aware that she and Charlie had gotten quite serious about each other and the idea that the mother of wolves and the father of a vampire would soon be married amused me to no end. There would be no secrets then, I suppose we should start now.

"_Sue, I am a husband to her. I do make love to Bella. Other than a couple of small bruises, I have never hurt her . . . ever", _I told her as I starred straight at her.

The blank look on her face told me she was not processing what she was hearing. Charlie and Bella were still talking out by the grill, so I continued.

I walked over to where she was leaning against the kitchen sink and held my hand out in front of me. _"Touch my hand, Sue. Don't be afraid."_

She slowly reached her hand out, her fingers brushing across the knuckles of my hand, crossing my wedding ring. She grasped it, feeling the smooth of the skin and the cold hard granite feel of the muscles. I listened to all of her thoughts, trying to figure out what to say that might make a difference. Then it came to me.

"_I never asked for this, Sue. It isn't a life I chose. I was 17 years old and dying of Spanish influenza when I was changed. I would have died otherwise. I have human feelings and emotions, just like you do. I was a 17 year old HUMAN male, Sue,"_ she starred at me.

"_I know it scares you for me to be with Bella, it used to scare me, but I love her. I'm in love with her and by some miracle, she feels the same way about me."_

"_But you'll end up killing her, you'll make her one of you!"_

"_Yes . . . if she decides that, the yes I will. She wants to be immortal so that she can live forever with me, Sue", _a small smile started on one side of my face_, "She says it is every woman's dream to be young forever!"_

Sue starred into my eyes for a long moment, searching for something . . . sincerity, truth . . . I had no idea. Apparently she found it, though it didn't even convert to words in her mind.

"_Alright Edward, I'll try to be more accepting for Charlie's sake. He loves that girl and I hope you are right that you can keep her safe! I'll speak to Sam and the council. It's not something we have ever dealt with, a vampire married to a human, being with her like you are and her remaining safe. You are a very unusual creature Edward Cullen and I will try to keep that in mind."_

"_Thank you,Sue, it would mean a lot to Bella and me."_

Bella walked into the kitchen, concern crossing her face when she saw our proximity. She crossed the room and put her arms around my waist, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss my jaw. _"Everything okay in here?",_ she asked.

"_Everything is great, sweetheart. I was just trying to ease some of Sue's concerns about me"._

"_Well, you had better come and help your plate, lunch is ready!",_ she grabbed plates and headed back outside.

I groaned audibly and Sue chuckled at me, "_You're going to eat it, aren't you?"_

I looked at her in disgust, _"I'm going to try!"_

~oooOooo~

We took Esme's car from the garage to pick up Alice and Jasper.

"_Bella!"_, she squealed and hugged my wife, _"I have missed you so much! We never get to do anything now that you are better and Edward monopolizes all your time!" _ She cut her eyes at me as Jasper and I loaded her suitcases into the trunk. We exchanged information about what we had seen at the restaurant and Alice explained what she had seen.

"_Best we get out there and see what trails we can find", _Jasper suggested, "Alice can stay at the house with Bella while you and I go."

"_I would love that!",_ Alice said, _"I need some Bella time . . . okay with you, Bella?"_

"_Sure, Alice! I have missed you too!"_

We left the car and the girls at the house and headed off towards the restaurant. The front was boarded up but the smell still lingered. We traced the car back out of town, but only encountered a faint trail just a few dozen feet from the street outside the boarded up storefront. It would seem that whoever it was was outside the shop, then entered a vehicle just a few hundred yards up the street. Further up the road, Sam walked out from the woods to meet us, seeming really surprised to see us.

"_Find anything?",_ Sam asked.

"_Just a scent a few dozen feet up the street. Nothing else, no trails around here, nothing,"_ I told him. _"It seems too much of a coincidence for it to just have been someone passing through, the drivers body was not drained."_

"_No, but Jessica Stanley's' body was!"_, Sam informed us. I gave away nothing, I just nodded. I was glad we were leaving to go home in two days, I needed Bella away from here! It seemed that the treaty now extended to almost a truce, both sides working to discover who the intruder was and to stop them from causing any further problems.

Jasper and Alice would spend the next day combing the area for traces. Though Alice had seen nothing, we thought maybe a smell would turn up!

~oooOooo~

Bella and I had brunch with her Dad. I hadn't realized that some foods were actually much more disgusting than others on their way back out. Spaghetti, for instance, was about the same in and out, but eggs! Eggs, orange juice and coffee, now that was truly disgusting coming back out!

I heard the bathroom door open and close softly, a warm pair of hands on my shoulders, stroking and scratching gently.

"_I'm so sorry, sweetheart. That was the nicest thing I have ever seen you do in front of Charlie, eating the breakfast he fixed for you!"_, Bella told me.

"_No, love. Not draining him back at our house when he yelled at you, planning to take you home with him, that was the nicest thing I ever did for Charlie!"_, I corrected.

"_Edward!"_

"_Bella, you have to start remembering that I am a vampire. Just because I would never hurt you, that doesn't make very one around me safe. I have killed a lot of people, Bella,_" I told her as I looked into her eyes.

"_I know that, sweetheart. I have known it from the beginning, you told me in the meadow. Every single day you rebel against your nature by feeding off animals. You make that choice every day and I love you for it, but Edward, you need to understand . . . I would love you anyway."_

Sweet mother of all that is holy, did my very human wife just tell me that she would love me even if I drained humans to survive! There was no end to the love this woman had for me. I had no idea when I left her in the forest that day so long ago, no idea at all of the depths to which she loved me. I was a fool to walk away from her and thank God I found her again and she took me back!

"_Bella!"_

It was all I cold manage to say. I held her in my arms as tight as I dared. When I finally loosened my hold on her, we walked to her room to finish packing. She had a small box of photos, some letters from her dad and mom and some jewelry that she was bringing back with her, as well as some of her books. I watched as she packed, realization dawning on me.

I lifted the loose board in the floor at the foot of her bed. She turned to see what the noise was just in time to see me lift he photos of us from their hiding place in the floor. She dropped to her knees by the opening and reached in for the rest of her things.

"_I had forgotten about these, Edward. I thought they were gone!"_, she looked up to me and said with tears in her eyes.

"_I couldn't take them, love. I had to leave a piece of myself with you",_ I told her, my eyes begging her to understand.

She walked to her desk and loaded the CD I had given her for her 18th birthday into the player, her lullaby filling the room. Her eyes then made it to the note I had left. It was simple, left on a post it note. It simply said

B

I will always love you.

Please forgive me.

Your Husband,

_(if only in my heart)_

**E**

**BPOV**

I launched myself at him, surprising him and knocking him flat of his back on my bed with me covering him. I was holding every part of him that I could find to hold on to, my lips embedded in his neck, my fingers dug into the flesh at the back of his neck and shoulder, my legs trying to envelope him and secure him to me. I was sobbing, violently.

"_Edward, I just love you so much. I could never have lived a lifetime without you and one lifetime will never be enough! You have to change me soon, after Christmas when everyone comes to Highlands",_ I sobbed.

"_Sweetheart"_, he said as he rolled me to my back, moving at his speed as he blurred, locking the bedroom door and returning, _"after Christmas then"_, he whispered in my ear as he removed the rest of our clothing. We were naked and in my bed under the covers in absolutely no time. I understood. We had to be one, entwined with each other, sharing the same space at the same time. We moved together gently, slowly, melting into one as we tried to breath each other in. I held everything right there in my arms. I loved this man beyond all reason.

I would have stayed in that bed under the covers for days or weeks if we could. Charlie was downstairs and we were leaving in the morning. I knew it was one of the last times I would spend with him, maybe the last time in this house.

Alice and Jasper stopped by to discuss what time we wanted to meet in the morning and Alice wanted to say goodbye to Charlie.

"_I'm glad you two are here to drive back with them, Alice!",_ Charlie told them, _"It's safer this way. I still worry about my little girl you know, even now that she is growing up and married!"_

Charlie starred at me a long moment, his eyes telling me what he could not say. He was a lot like me in that he didn't like to really talk about things, emotions made him nervous and tears sent him over the edge.

Edward left with Jasper and Alice to tend to last minute details at the Cullen house. I stayed to cook dinner and spend time with Charlie. I wondered if there were really things to tend to or if Edward just really didn't want to have to eat food again! The thought made me chuckle. He was such a little kid, avoiding things in such a round about way! In all probability, they were out getting dinner themselves!

I cooked steak and potatoes, Charlie's favorite, and we finished our meal and he helped wash the dishes instead of going to sit and get the sports results from the TV. I knew he was feeling it too, the need to be close for a little longer. I hugged him goodnight and headed up to bed figuring Edward would join me later.

I showered and changed into panties and a tank top to sleep. I didn't like to go to bed naked unless Edward was there. My mind was full from the last few days events and I was tired, drained really, my energy gone. I pulled the covers up just as I heard something outside my window. Edward stepped in.

He moved to sit on the foot of the bed, eying me warily.

"_Do you do this often?"_, I asked him . . . remembering.

"_Just the last couple of months", _he said, looking at me longingly,

"_I just wanted to try one thing . . .",_

I moved towards him as he leaned in to kiss me . . . slowly, so slowly he edged closer to me. When our lips met, the familiar fire was there and he climbed up my body to hold me close and deepen the kiss.

I cupped his face in my hands, willing him to continue the kiss but it was chaste. He pulled away slightly, covering me in blankets and moving to lie on top of them beside me. He was trying to recreate some of our past for me. A memory.

"_I have always loved you, you know. I've just always been scared", _he told me as he ducked his head down.

"_I know, sweetheart. I think I loved you from the first moment you walked into the school cafeteria and I saw you. You wer__e so handsome, but you seemed not to care about anything around you, I didn't think I stood a chance!"_

"_It took everything I had to give you that chance. I came so close to having you for lunch that first day! Our being together, my being able to make love to you without hurting you, Bella its more than I ever even imagined. I need you to know, to understand just how much I love you!"_

With that, my husband kissed me again. This time his tongue begged entrance and his arms tightened around me. I felt his arousal even through the blankets he had covered me with. My hands tangled into the mess of hair on his head and scratched. He was purring, the noise that so embarrassed him but made me so happy and content it almost brought tears. I started to undo the buttons of his shirt as I had done so long ago, but of course he didn't stop me this time. His shirt was on the floor as well as his pants. He slipped under the covers with me, his hand moving to my waist.

"_Why, Mr. Cullen, you never allowed this before! I believe you have loosened up some since the days when we used to sleep together in this bed!_", I whispered to him as I licked his neck and bit his earlobe, sucking it into my mouth.

"_Well, Mrs. Cullen",_ he said as he moved to cup my breast with his palm and gently caress his thumb across the nipple, _"I would not have been able to control myself if I had let it go this far . . "_

He looked at me with those golden eyes, molten fire showing in them.

" . . _. and I can't control myself now!",_ he said as his lips devoured mine.

Edward came unglued. I don't know if it was the place or the memory, or something else that stirred him, but his entire body tensed. It somehow felt like the first time, like we had never been 'here' before, like we had climbed to a new plateau. It was all we could both do not to scream each others names. Our lips entwined and tongues shared stifled most of the sound, waking Charlie wasn't something either of us wanted to face.

I fell asleep with my leg still hitched over him. It was the perfect way to sleep and there were no complaints heard from my husband.

I awoke to my husband continuing to make love to me. I wondered for a moment, if he had ever stopped when I had gone to sleep. I didn't care, I loved the feel of him and his cool temperate kept any soreness to a minimum even when we made love for hours on end. I pushed against him and he rolled us over so that I was on top. I traced the lines of his chest, the spattering of soft hair that decorated the center, the steel bands beneath the velvet cover that rippled each time he contracted them. It was an insult to describe his stomach as simply toned, simply a six pack. There had to be a far better word for such magnificence. I dropped my hands to his cheeks and my face to his to kiss him, his breath ragged now as though he were having the same thoughts and feelings, taking in all of me as I was him.

He rolled us again and I lost it. He collapsed by my side, his eyes closed, stroking my hair and back, pulling me to him. He appeared to nod off to sleep, a loud purr emanating from his chest. I held him close and drifted off to sleep, knowing we had only a short time before we had to be up and get the car packed to leave.

**EPOV**

I opened my eyes to stare straight into the sparkling eyes of my wife. She greeted me with a kiss and nuzzled my face to hers. I felt unbelievably refreshed, new really. Apparently I had a nap with her. I was really going to have to speak with Carlisle about this sleeping. Surely other vampires had experienced some of this, I couldn't be only me! There didn't seem to be any effects, really, other than being unaware while I was asleep and slightly disoriented when I woke. It seemed . . . refreshing!

I hugged her to me, noticing that our bodies had remained connected, her leg still draped over my hips. I moved in her as I kissed her, our passion growing to a frenzy. How had I ever existed without her. I was made just to be with this woman.

~oooOooo~

That was the last of it, snacks were in a small container with drinks in the front floorboard at her feet, luggage and items to take home with us were in the trunk. Charlie was talking to Alice and Jasper, admiring the Jaguar. It really was a pretty car, smoky grey and sleek, it suited Esme well.

I walked over and put my arms around my wife's waist and rested my chin on her shoulder.

"_You ready to go?"_, I asked her.

"_Yea, ready as ever!",_ she answered me, fighting back tears. Leaving was hard for her, I had known it would be.

"_We'll see you then for Christmas, right Charlie?_", I said turning to her father.

"_Wouldn't miss it! Sue and I are looking forward to it! You take care of my girl, Edward",_ he said as he fidgeted and put his hands in his jacket pockets, _"and um . . . take care of yourself as well."_

I was floored. Charlie was coming around to accepting that I was with Bella and was not evil incarnate as he had first suspected. Huh.

I climbed into the drivers seat of the R8, Bella by my side. We weren't staying for Jessica's funeral, we hadn't visited Mike to see if he was better and I had heard no more from Sam about the new scent we had found.

We were headed home and that was what mattered. This was going to be an adventure!


	19. Chapter 19   Yellowstone

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 19 Yellowstone**

**BPOV**

"_This car is really amazing, Bella! I can teach you to drive a stick anytime you like! On the way home maybe?"_, I told her.

"_That might be fun, if we have time! How long will it take us to get home?" _

"_Well, that depends on where all you want to go, Bella!", _he told me with a bit of a smirk in his voice. It made me wonder just what he had in mind!

"_What do you mean? Aren't we headed home to North Carolina?"_

"_Bella! You once told me you had never been East of Albuquerque! I know you traveled some with Dale and Jacob, but there must be some things you'd like to see aren't there?"_

"_I suppose, but you do everything for me already, Edward, I don't want to ask for more things or places to see!", _she said fidgeting with her fingers and looking out the window_.  
_

"_Yes . . . but there is a lot of ground to cover between here and there and lots of things to see! Bella! Listen closely. You are my wife. We have, literally, forever together. You now have a personal fortune in the millions of dollars and can go to or buy almost anything you could ever want. How about a little help here, some clues about things you would like to see!"_

"_Okay, I'll tell you one and you tell me something that you want to do or see, deal?"_

"_Deal!"_

"_Okay, I want to go and walk around on Liberty Island and see the Statue of Liberty up close!"_

"_Good! I want to see you naked on the beach on a private island!"_

"_Edward! I didn't know we were going to go there . . . but I'd like to fool around out in the middle of some deep woods somewhere in the mountains!"_

"_I want to take you on a boat ride down the Rhine river and spend the night in all the five star hotels that are built in the castles on the sides of the river!"_

"_Oh, that one sounds like fun! Let's see, I would like to see the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Parks and go to see the Rocky mountains in Colorado!"_

"_Excellent! We have a cabin in the mountains just east of Yellowstone! Lets stay there for a few days!"_

"_Are you serious, Edward! You have a cabin there!", I marveled at the snicker on his face, "Edward Cullen, when we get home I want a printed list of all real estate owned!"_

Edward actually veered the car a few centimeters off the center of the lane he was laughing so hard. _"Oh now you get demanding, lists of all properties! I see how it is!"_, he continued to laugh.

The phone rang, Alice of course was on the other end, _"That's a great idea! We haven't been to that house in years, Edward! I'll call and have it opened and cleaned while we drive there. If we stop over tonight to let Bella sleep, we should be there tomorrow afternoon!_" You could hear her excitement peeling through the phone!

When we stopped for dinner, I convinced them that since they were all stopping for us to go into restaurants three meals a day so that I could eat, we would drive all night and not go to a hotel. Edward objected, but I reminded him that if sleep was what he wanted me to get, I had a better chance of sleeping here in the car with him driving than I would ever have in a hotel in bed with him! He went along with my idea, but he was not happy about it, something about me needing my rest, but I am quite sure the real problem was that it meant he would go a whole entire day without having sex! I had to admit, I didn't like that idea either!

The 'cabin' they had referred to had four large bedrooms and a huge den, completely furnished including a large flat screen! It seems Alice had indeed been busy on the phone on the way here, as the cabin was perfectly clean and stocked with food for me and Emmett and Rosalie were en route to join us! I was so excited, we were going to Yellowstone to sight see!

"_So, where should we go first, Alice?"_, I asked as she put some pamphlets on the table. _"Shouldn't we wait for Rose and Emmett?"_

"_Absolutely not. Rosalie hates sightseeing in things like parks and they won't be here till tomorrow night at the earliest! That gives us all day tomorrow to explore the geysers and smudge pots and hot springs in the park!"_

"_We can even eat lunch at Old Faithful Inn if you want, sweetheart!_", Edward said as he returned from putting our things into one of the bedrooms. _"If you don't mind, we have had dinner and it seems we have a full day planned for tomorrow, so I would really like to shower and go to bed with my wife!"._ he said as his arms circled my waist and he nuzzled his face into my neck!

"You guys are just so cute together! It's just so very odd to hear my uptight prude of a brother complaining that he needs to shower and go to bed with his human wife! What other vampire could do that, and not kill her I mean!", Alice mused!

"_Looks like a fun evening!"_, Jasper added as the mood in the room became thick with anticipation, _"Good grief, Alice, let them get behind closed doors before he jumps her right in front of us!" _ The lust from Edward was about to consume everyone in the room!

"_Lets go for a hunt, Jasper! We can give them some privacy and I need to feed!",_ Alice told him as she pulled him out the front door!

"_Edward! How embarrassing! You might as well have just said we were going to have sex!"_, I said as I elbowed him in the ribs! He was laughing, pulling away from me as I elbowed him so that I wouldn't bruise my elbow by hitting his stone hard ribs.

"_Okay, next time I'll just say we want to have sex! There! Will that make you happier?", _he said with a glint in his eyes and the biggest crooked smile ever crossing his face.

"_EDWARD!"_, I nearly yelled at him as I felt my face flush bright red!

His face was glowing with amusement, his eyes twinkling as they slowly seemed to grow darker. Out of nowhere, I was over Edwards shoulder and we were headed to the bedroom!

"_Edward Cullen! Are you going all caveman on me! Put me down!",_ I yelled as I smacked his but repeatedly, having no more effect than air, other than my hand turning red!

He was laughing as he tossed me unceremoniously onto the bed and started to crawl up the bed on all fours!

"_I have gone a an entire day without, wench, and I will wait no longer!_

"_What! Edward, these are not the dark ages!"_, I said looking at him playfully, _". . . did you just call me 'wench'?"_

"_Yes, 'wench', now quiet!"_, he said as his lips covered mine, making talking impossible!

I loved this man! He had gone from the prudish uptight gentleman that would not allow buttons on his shirt undone or tongues to meet, to announcing we were having sex and carrying me to the bedroom over his shoulder calling me a wench! I had a feeling that eternity with this man was going to be really amazing!

I lost count of how many times we made love that evening . . . I think Edward was trying to make up for the day he felt he had been cheated out of! He was sweet and gentle with soft kisses and slow caresses some of the time and almost frenzied with need others. We kissed and held every part of each other and it seemed that we were trying to have as much skin touching as we possibly could at all times!

I finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted but content. Edward left momentarily to get the electric blanket out of the car to cover us with so that he could hold me even after I was asleep. It was necessary because if my activities were not heating up my body, my teeth would start to chatter after a few minutes of having his body wrapped around mine! The heat from the blanket warmed him as well and by morning we were always about the same temperature, giving a whole different feeling to out morning lovemaking!

I awoke to feel Edward, my leg hitched over him and his arms around me holding me tightly to him. My body responded to him even in my sleep. The combination of his being so close and the heating blanket made his body feel warm, the same temperature almost as mine! I could imagine no place in the world I would rather be. I opened my eyes to see his only a few inches away, starring at me, waiting for me to wake up!

_"Good morning sweetheart!"_, he said as he peppered soft kisses from my ear to the corner of my mouth. _"I love you so much, Bella, I just haven't told you enough lately, I just really love you"_, he told me with such a serious look on his face, almost desperately willing me to understand. I think if tears were possible for him the man would have been shedding them!

"_What brought this on?",_ I said softly as I cupped his face in one hand and softly scratched his scalp, my fingers running through his silky hair. His purring was loud now, as it had been since its onset. His rhythm was constant, he was just holding me completely against him and licking and nuzzling my neck as we continued to gently rock together.

"_Baby, what is it? . . . Edward?"_, I asked as the silence, other than his purring, continued from him. I put my hand on his chin to bring his face to mine so that I could look at him and he finally allowed me to lift it. He looked up and met my gaze, _"Edward, talk to me!"_

"_Everything is fine, sweetheart, I am just so in love with you, sometimes it overwhelms me. I . . . I don't know what I would do if I lost you Bella, I can't be without you, I love you so much . . ."_, he spoke the words to me so quietly, almost whispering.

"_You never have to find out. You never have to be without me, Edward. I told you, we discussed this already . . . I want you to change me after Christmas and I'll be with you always!"_

He looked up at me, stared really, his eyes wide.

"_Bella, you don't really understand what you're asking. I don't think you want this, to be like me. It's a lot to give up, sweetheart and a lot to take on."_

He paused for a long moment and I waited, sensing that there was more, _"I want you to see me hunt before you decide, before you make that commitment. You don't have to become what I am, I'll stay with you your entire life regardless, Bella. I'll never leave you even if you don't want this . . . unless a time comes when you want me to go . . ."_

"_Edward! Where is this coming from? What is going on, you know I'll never leave you, right . . . you know that!"_

He starred at me another long minute, _"Bella, I want you to see me hunt. Here, on this trip. Emmett and Rose are coming out here to make sure nothing happens to you in the process, I wanted them here to help. I want you to go on a hunting trip with me."_

"_I thought it was too dangerous for me to be around you when you hunted, that you could not let a human be near?"_

"_I came up with an idea and Alice saw that it would work. I'll feed first then we'll all go out and Emmett will carry you so that you can keep up!"_

"_Edward that's wonderful! I can't wait . . is that what this is all about, are you upset about this?"_

"_Bella, I'm just afraid that when you see me for what I am, like I really am . . . a vampire hunting and feeding . . . you won't want to be with me anymore. I'm afraid you will be frightened of me!_"

"_Well, I can't wait to prove you wrong Edward Cullen!"_, I told him curtly, _"We have had this discussion before. I didn't shy away from you after you unceremoniously claimed me as your mate the first night in our new house, or when you went all vamp on me against a tree in the meadow or even when you decided that you would be a great substitute for tampons and there is no way that the simple act of you feeding yourself is going to have that effect on me!"_

He must have been caught off guard with the forcefulness of my voice or with my words themselves, as his body stilled and he starred at me, not moving. Obviously it was going to be up to me to pull him out of this! I pulled him to me with the leg that was wrapped around his hips. I ran one hand down his side, feeling the long planes of his back muscles as they joined his hips. I brought my lips to his and kissed him softly, first on the top lip, then the sides, then gently tracing them with my tongue and deepening the kiss. He kissed me back with the intensity of a man dying of thirst having found water, consuming them.

He rolled over full on top of me, snaking his hands underneath my arms and up over my shoulders from behind. This was his favorite position as he could hold onto me while stroking my neck and throat, have the feeling of his arms around me and still keep some of his weight off of me by propping up on his elbows. I loved it when he held me like this as well, as I had access to putting my arms around his neck and playing with his face and hair or putting them around him below his arms to encircle his back and play with his shoulders and even his behind. This was my husband and I loved feeling his like this, he was so completely mine.

We became more intense, our movements more forceful, more frenzied . . . perspiration beading on my forehead and chest from the effort I was expending. Edward loved it when that happened, he seemed to try and lick every drop like it was a gift of some sort! We came together, his growl filling the room and me screaming his name over and over.

"_Never think I would ever leave you, do you understand me . . . I will never leave you!",_ I told him as I held him tight with every fiber of my being.

**EPOV**

I heard her as she approached the door, but hot in time to stop her.

"_You should scream out names if you really want to be an effective alarm clock, Bella!"_

Alice yelled through the door. Bella froze, stone still beneath me, not even breathing. I thought for sure she was going to be so embarrassed, mad even, and I was about to get up to go tear my sister limb from limb. My wife never failed to amaze me. She broke out in laughter so hard she shook me as I lay still on top of her! Riotous, full blown hysterical laughing.

"_I'll work on calling out your name or Jaspers while I make love with my husband, Alice! How will that be!"_, she yelled at the door!

"_You will so not call out my brothers name!"_, I whispered menacingly in her ear!

"_Well, if it has this effect on you, maybe it might be worth it!"_, she teased, stroking my jawline with her thumb. "_I love you, silly vampire!"_, was the last thing she was able to say before my lips occupied hers.

~oooOooo~

Bella was so excited about going to the park, and our lust had had such an effect on Jasper and therefore on Alice, we left home without remembering to feed the human! After entering the park from the Northeast, we decided we would have breakfast, brunch really, at Mammoth Hot Springs just before we would get to the first geyser field that we wanted to walk through. No one was eating but Bella, of course, but we sat at a large table by the front window in the restaurant and all ordered.

Apparently the meal was good, as she really seemed to be enjoying herself and I even ventured to swallow a sip or two of coffee, just to try it! Ugh! Disgusting really, worse than eating dirt! As we ate, we noticed a large herd of elk were quietly munching on the grass of the front lawn. We had seen signs coming in telling us that that was a normal occurrence, warning us to admire them from a distance while they grazed. Bella was ecstatic and raced out the front door to take photos.

"_She is really enjoying this, Edward"_, my sister Alice noted, _"How long should we wait before we go out there to join her?"_

"_Let's give her time darlin' . . . no need to spoil her fun right away",_ Jasper added with a laugh.

"_I agree with Jasper, Alice, she'll be back in here in a minute wanting me to come see it with her, we can wait till then!"_

I laughed with my siblings, knowing that showing Bella new things and exploring the park with her was going to be amazing! She still really did have a lot to learn about vampires! Sure enough, I had just paid the bill as she came excitedly back into the building wanting us all to come outside with her. Apparently the entire herd had settled in on the lawn, some lying down to rest and the others peacefully grazing, showing not a care in the world or any fear of the humans.

I asked Alice to 'see' before we walked out, to pick a time when no one would get hurt by the event that would ensue. She delayed us for just a bit in the gift shop as I noticed a couple with small children herding them in from the parking lot and down the path by the elk. Once the family was inside, Alice said, _"Bella, I thought we were going outside to see the elk!"_

We chose to go out on the deck attached to the building, slightly up off of ground level. We stepped out into the fresh air and the breeze from the herd caught my nose. It was only a moment before the wind shifted and every nose on every elk was in the air as we became upwind from them. Bella looked on amazed that all the animals seemed to move in unison. They all stiffened, tensed and sprang away, clearly spooked and running for cover as though their lives depended on it. The park visitors that had been admiring the heard looked astounded and the rangers looked around, expecting to see a grizzly or some other predator to come into view, explaining the actions of the herd. They saw none . . . at least they didn't know they were looking at a predator that was even higher on the food chain than the grizzly! Jasper and I nonchalantly leaned on the railing with our elbows, hands clasped, just watching the view.

Bella looked at us, realization dawning on her face and broke out laughing.

"_You guys would be a riot at a zoo wouldn't you!"_, she said amid her laughter.

"_Actually darlin', Emmett talks me into going quite often, he thinks the reaction is hysterical to watch when the animals are caged!"_, Jasper added.

"_That's just mean! I can see Emmett laughing about it though!",_ she added with a chuckle.

"_Is this why you all sat there and let me come outside by myself?"_, she asked, _"I thought something was up! Edward is usually where I am!"_

"_I just wanted you to be able to enjoy seeing the herd up close, love, before they smelled us and fled! It was just luck that we were already inside when they arrived and you got to see them, they never would have come around if we had been outside!"_, I explained as we watched the last of the herd disappear into the woods.

We found the Jaguar, we had brought it instead of the R8 as we could all ride together in the four door car and it was large enough for us all to be comfortable. We headed out to one of the many geyser fields and took the drive through tour before deciding to actually park and take the foot path to see the paint pots. The hills of colored mud were amazing to watch as they bubbled and let out puffs of steam! Each 'pot' was a slightly different color and I wondered if Bellas eyes could discern the infinite variety of textures as well as color that the landscape offered.

"_This is amazing!"_, Bella said as she took out her cameras to take more photos. She photographed the landscape, Alice and Jasper with their arms around each other, she and I together . . . she even got a stranger to take photos of the four of us in front of the steaming brew! I loved watching her like this and wondered if she would be like this as we explored the world together. She had not yet fully embraced what her existence was going to be like - eternity was a difficult concept.

As we walked back on the decking constructed beside the hot pools, the small walking cast that Carlisle still had her wear if she planned to be standing for long periods of time caught on one of the uneven boards in the walkway. She fell forward and grabbed for the rail. I caught her, of course, there was never any danger that I wouldn't, but her camera slid down the rail and landed a few feet away on a rock out cropping the other side of some of the steaming pots.

"_Damn it!"_, Bells exclaimed.

I looked at he with mock shock on my face,_ "Did you just say damn it? Bella, I'm shocked!"_

"_Edward! I couldn't help it, all my photos are on that camera and now I can't get it!"_

"_Oh Bella, really! I'll get it!"_, Alice chimed in.

Alice took her shoes off so as not to get them wet, protecting the designer shoe at all cost! She looked around to ensure that no humans were watching or even in sight as she put a foot into the bubbling water at a point where the water cascaded over rocks, taking a step or two to reach the camera and dancing back across to us. Bellas mouth hung open in amazement. Though she surely knew the boiling water was no problem for us, I guess she had not really considered it before!

"_Thanks, Alice!"_, Bella said in disbelief.

"_Your welcome. Try very hard to be careful here, Edward would expose us all to save you!"_, she said chiding me as she gave her brother a sideways look, but I knew that there was truth to what she had said. Apparently the largest concern for Alice was not the temperature of the water she had just stood in but the fact that her feet were now wet and might damage her shoes! She carried the shoes and walked barefoot to the car!

The day progressed uneventfully, Bella viewing wildlife and then viewing their escape as the wind always seemed to shift, taking them our scent. She elbowed and kidded me about scaring things away, but she just continued to chuckle to herself saying things like,

"_Why would anything be afraid of you, Edward Cullen!"_

I rally hoped that were true at least whee she was concerned. After all, she would see me hunt tomorrow and her being frightened of me was one of my greatest fears.

"_Old Faithful! Yea! I bet you are all ready for lunch, right!"_, Bella exclaimed.

Jasper looked around laughing, _"Is there a herd nearby that you see and I don't?"_

We walked into the main dining area and sat down to look at the menus. When the waiter came over and took our drink order and asked if we needed a few minutes before ordering our meal, Bella chimed in, _"I think we have decided"._ She folded her menu and handed it to the waiter saying,

"_We will all have the elk, please!"_

It was all Jasper and Alice could do to stay seated as laughter overtook them. It was the waiters thoughts that had me in stitches. He thought we were laughing because we were all vegetarian or something and she was making a joke! I had to get in on this one so I said to the waiter,

_"Yes, we would all like the elk, were vegetarian, you know!"_

Alice had seen and she could hardly contain the peals of laughter that she and Bella were consumed by! A very confused waiter left to place the order for 4 meals of elk, three rare and one well done. I had to admit, my wife had a great sense of humor and I loved it. This little human girl was having a great time making fun of her vampire family!

"_Well, this isn't the way I remember elk tasting",_ Jasper commented as he actually tried a small bite, _"Didn't we tell him to cook this rare?"_

"_I'm not sure that they would consider 'live' as 'rare', Jasper",_ Bella managed to say with a straight face, triggering another round of up roaring laughter from our table! Good thing they had seated us off in a corner by ourselves, we would have been disturbing everyone had we been out in the populated portion of the restaurant!

**BPOV**

God I loved my new family! They were amazing people and I truly felt blessed to have met them and been accepted by them. Then there was Edward. My Edward. I did truly love this man beyond all reason and by some miracle he felt the same for me as well. As I took his hand and we rode along the bumpy, winding roads through the beauty that was Yellowstone Park, I knew that there was nothing this man could do that would push me away from him and nothing the vampire could do as well.

I knew he killed to live.

I knew he drank blood.

The thought of blood was abhorrent to me, but then . . . I was not a vampire . . . yet! As we crossed the open pastures near Fishing Bridge, a herd of bison was grazing, blocking the road.

I admired them for a long moment, then lowered the window of the car.

"_So, you're through watching them I see!",_ Edward said to me with a smirk as the herd headed off into the distance.

"_I thought I would just clear up the traffic jam some, that's all!"_, I said with a smile, knowing that the heard would move as soon as it caught wind of the predators that even the bison feared!

We had one more stop, a place called Grand canyon of the Yellowstone, before we headed to Roosevelt lodge for dinner. We parked and headed down the path that led to the viewpoint. I had been to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, of course, living only a couple of hours from it in Phoenix, but it was in the desert and there was little vegetation surrounding it. It was magnificent in its fall display of color in the trees! Though there were far more evergreens than hardwoods here, mostly lodge pole pines, the deciduous trees that were here were in full color, yellows and oranges and reds dotting the landscape as we looked into the depths of the canyon that the Yellowstone River had carved over the last few centuries.

"_Will we be able to tell a difference, Edward, in a hundred years?"_, I asked.

"_What love?"_, Edward answered.

"_If we come back here in a hundred years will we be able to tell a difference in the canyon?"_

"We_ll, the difference would be imperceivable to human eyes, but since we have photographic minds and total recall, then yes, I suppose we could tell a difference in a hundred years. Would you like to make a point of coming back here then to see?"_, Edward asked me.

"_I would . . . I really would. This trip is very special to me, Edward. It's out first adventure together since we were married - kind of like a honeymoon!"_

"_Bella, we wouldn't have my sister and brother with us on a honeymoon! Besides, we have that trip to Isle Esme to take whenever we want and I for one would like to go as soon as we can arrange it!"_

"_Do you want to go before Christmas . . . I mean . . . you know, before . . .?"_

"_That's up to you, sweetheart. We can go now and then again after Christmas! It would actually be a great place for you to be for a few months, away from all humans! If we go now, you can still sunbathe nude and get a tan from it though!", _he smiled seductively as he gazed at my chest.

"_Edward! I could turn red while you just sit there and sparkle! What fun would that be for you?"_

"_Bella, you naked on a beach or in a swimsuit or alone on an island, come on . . . you have to see what fun that would be for me - I'm a guy, Be_lla!


	20. Chapter 20  Hunting

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 20 Hunting**

_God determines who walks into your life._

_It's up to you to decide who you let walk away,_

_Who you let stay and who you refuse to let go._

**BPOV**

Alice and I drove through the reservation to the small town of Cody, Wyoming. We were out for the morning while Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie went for a hunt. They had actually left way before sunrise this morning when Emmett and Rose had arrived, leaving me to wake up alone for one of the first times since Edward and I were married. Alice had breakfast waiting, of course and was cheerfully trying to keep me occupied and my mind off of Edward.

I received a text from him as we entered town and we once again had cell phone reception.

B

I love you and I miss you terribly!

See you this afternoon!

E

I could only imagine what mountain he had stood atop to get cell service out where he was hunting this morning!

"_Last time I was here, they were just putting up a shopping mall at the West end of town! We can go there and explore it together!"_, Alice said as she pulled into the parking area.

"_I'll happily shop with you for a couple of hours, Alice, but then you have to sight see with me! The Buffalo Bill History Museum is next door and there is a saloon here in town that has a bar that Queen Elizabeth gave him and had shipped here by train and horse drawn wagon back in the early 1800's! There is even a restaurant there where we can have lunch!"_

Few things in the mall interested Alice. There was no Gucci or Armani and apparently the fashion offered at Sears just weren't what she had in mind. We did find a wonderful outdoor store and found a pair of hiking boots with ankle support for me that were really comfortable! I found a hooded, zippered sweatshirt, much to Alice's dismay, with a buffalo head embroidered on it and the name Buffalo Bill and Cody, Wyoming, as well! I hurried to the cashier before Alice could talk me out of it, purchasing one for me as well as one for Edward.

"_You just have no fashion sense, Bella! I hope it improves when you become immortal, though I doubt it!_", she looked at me disapprovingly. _"Are you at least getting some use out of the nighties I put in your drawer?"_, she asked me.

"_Is that what you call those pieces of slippery fabric in my top drawer? If it is, then no . . . I haven't gotten ANY use out of them. We don't sleep in clothing Alice, you know this!"_

"_I just keep hoping your taste will improve, Bella!"_

"_Alice, what clothing would improve Edwards appearance, I ask you! Naked is the way to go!"_

"_Bella! I just can't believe the way you think about my brother! He's alright to look at, but really Bella, you make him out to be some kind of an Adonis or movie star or something!"_

"_Yes . .. and your point is, Alice?" _I put my arm around her as we walked out of the store laughing, _"You love me, Alice, you know you do!"_

_"Oh, come on, there is no reasoning with you and I suppose it's a good thing that you're so nuts over him!"_, she said shaking her head as we headed to the car.

The museum was amazing and even Alice enjoyed all the information about frontier life and travel back a couple of hundred years ago. Apparently Carlisle rarely talked of his earlier years but when he did, he had described some of the very things she was seeing illustrations of - architecture, transportation methods and most importantly, the clothing the women were wearing!

_"Bella, can you imagine wearing underwear, stockings, knickers, petticoats, a corset and THEN the dress over all of that! It would take even a vampire forever to dress! And hunting, how would women ever have been able to hunt, vampire women I mean? I have to remember to ask Carlisle about that!",_ she mused.

I saw her point. How would you run fast enough through brush and briers to catch deer, much less larger predators, if you were wearing all that . . . and ladies back then would have had to wear 'all that' or they would have stood out in a crowd, something a vampire would never want to do! Huh. Interesting problem. I wanted to hear that explanation from Carlisle as well!

At the very least, how did they keep all that fabric clean while virtually dragging the hem of it on the dirt all the time - they didn't exactly have paved sidewalks and carpets in the house! We spent several hours in the museum, laughing and talking until Alice heard my stomach growl.

_"Lunch time, Bella?"_

_"Sure, lets go find the saloon where the Queen Elizabeth Bar is and have lunch there!"_

Alice's eyes glassed over for a moment. It was moments like this when I wished I had Edwards ability to read minds so that I could just see what she was seeing and not have to ask her.

_"Alice, what is it?"_

_"How about we do that tomorrow, Bella, there is food at the house and everyone will be waiting on us!_

_"Sounds good, let's go!"_

I relaxed on the ride back to the cabin, the windy roads and the hum of the engine lulling me almost to sleep. I was thinking about Edward. He had behaved so insecurely yesterday morning, having awoken to him making love to me. I suspected that he had been doing exactly that all night while I slept and he had repeated his actions this morning. It was as though he needed the reassurance that I was there, that he was there with me and that he was allowed to be . . . to make love with me anytime he wanted. As if I would ever say no to him! I loved him near me, close to me, and I loved that my husband felt so strongly that he just needed that closeness, whether I was awake or not.

What I did not like was the fear I sensed in him. I recognized it immediately because I had felt it so often myself . . . the fear of loosing him, the insecurity of thinking something would happen to part us, that he would leave again. He had finally convinced me that he would not leave me. He had said it often enough, of course, but his actions had been so consistent these last few months that I was becoming confident that he would discuss any problem with me, allow me my say in anything that came up. He had proven that time and time again and I had no reason to doubt him.

He apparently did not feel that confident that I would not leave him, that I would not be repulsed by him when I saw him as a predator. He seemed determined to make me aware of all the bad things about becoming a vampire, all the things that he felt would dissuade my desire to be like him. It went beyond just deterring me from becoming immortal, it was as though he thought I would leave him when I really understood exactly what he was. Stupid silly vampire, as if anything would ever make me leave him!

~oooOooo~

"_Wake up, sweetheart!"_, I heard Edward say to me through the fog of my dreams.

He lifted me from the car and hugged me to him, kissing my neck and gently scratching my back to further awaken me from my sleep. My stomach made the reply for me by growling hungrily as I reached up to clasp my arms around his neck and snuggle into him.

"_Lunch time for the human!"_, he laughed as we broke our hug to walk into the cabin.

_"Have you had your lunch?"_, I asked playfully as I made myself a sandwich.

_"Bella, I have never been this full in my life. Can you not hear me slosh when I walk!"_, he laughed.

"_That's true little sister!",_ Emmett said as he walked into the kitchen and picked me up to hug me hello, _"Eddie here ate just about everything in the forest! I'm not even sure there is anything left out there for you to watch him hunt!"_

"_Emmett! You'll hurt her, be careful!"_, Rosalie said as she smacked him on the shoulder, insisting that he put me down. _"He is right though, Bella, I have never seen a vampire drink that much in my life! I will be amazed if he can still run!"_, she laughed as she looked at Edward.

Edward shrugged his shoulders, _"I just wanted to be sure I was as full as possible . . . to take every precaution I could. I really do appreciate you guys all coming out here to help with this, I really do."_

"_Don't worry about it, brother",_ Emmett said, "_none of us would miss this for the world and I for one never miss out on an opportunity to play with a grizzly!_

I turned to stare at Edward. _"Grizzly?"_, I queered, amazed.

"_Emmett loves grizzly, his favorite. Ever since the one attacked him when Rose first found him he has had sort of a vendetta to prove that now he wins, not the grizzly!"_, they all laughed at Edwards assessment of Emmett.

"_Hopefully we can stop in Colorado in the Rockies on the way home and hunt some more, the one I got last night just reminded me of how tasty they are and how much fun they are to play with first!"_, Emmett said excitedly.

I stood there with my mouth open, shaking my head in disbelief. It was just hard to conceive of an unarmed man besting a grizzly. I guess I really didn't understand the strength and weaponry that a vampire possessed!

_"Edward, you're not going to hunt a bear this morning, are you?"_, I asked astounded.

_"Actually, I was just going to see what we found, but I think Emmett would loose it if he had to sit with you while I took on his favorite playmate!"_

I finished my sandwich, washed my plate, rinsed my hands and stood with my hands stuffed in my front pocket facing my family.

"_Ready to go?",_ I asked.

~oooOooo~

The cabin was remote enough that all we had to do was walk out the door and into the woods.

"_Bella, Emmett will carry you"_, he said with a slight gleam in his eye, _"like we do it when you and I travel in the forest, okay?"_, Edward asked me. He had not released my hand since we entered the woods, his stress was palpable - tension oozed from him like sap from a tree.

"_Sure, whatever we need to do for this to work!"_, I said trying to calm him.

"_Well, once you see this, if you decide to still become one of us, I'll know you are crazy for sure!",_ Rosalie said. She fully expected me to go running for the hills and leave Edward after seeing him kill a live animal and drink its blood.

"_Come on, Rose, it's cool as shit to show a human how we hunt!"_, Emmett added excitedly, _"You know it is! I don't know why we haven't ever done this before, it's the best showing off ever!"_

"_Emmett! Just what human do you think we should have showed this to . . . NO ONE!",_ Rosalie almost yelled at him as she slapped him on the shoulder for the second time today.

"_Don't worry, Bella, everything will go well, I've seen it!"_, Alice reassured me. Jasper eyed her with trepidation. He wasn't at all comfortable with a human being anywhere near when anyone was hunting!

"_Okay, Alice, you said it works if we start together so that I'm aware of Bella, right?",_ Edward repeated the plan yet again.

"_Right big brother, just take off and we'll tend to your wife!"_, Alice told him playfully adding, _"EDWARD! Do you think I would be a part of this if I hadn't seen that everything will be fine? I don't understand why you need her to see you feed, but she will be perfectly safe with us!"_

He kissed me passionately, putting every fiber of his being into the kiss. I held him as tightly as I could for a brief moment longer, whispering our love for the other to hear before we parted.

We left the clearing together, all of us. Edward soon separated himself off to the side, upwind from me. He looked as though he was a part of the forest, still as a stone, his head cocked to one side, listening. He started off to the left at a slow pace, seeming to check the surroundings continually. We all held back a bit, keeping our distance on a parallel path from him. As he slowed, his movements became stealthy, not making a sound. I soon spotted the object of his intense interest.

There was a large mountain lion drinking from a stream that we were approaching. The large cat lifted his ears and made a slight motion of its head, its ears flicking as though a fly or something was buzzing around it. It looked around warily, whiskers twitching before it suddenly tensed its muscles and bolted back into the woods, now predator turned prey.

We ran through the woods at a speed faster than Edward usually carried me, matching the speed of the hunt we paralleled. I could see glimpses of Edward about 30 yards away, the trees a blur between us. He was faster than the lion he was after and he would catch up to him quickly.

The scene in front of me took on almost the appearance of a video game, the main characters remaining clearly visible while the background and objects in front of them blurred to not even being shapes, just colors flying past. The focused objects being Edward and his prey.

He ran with ease, determination on his face. He was wholly concentrated on the lion and his face was that of a predictor, rigid and gaunt, hard lines showing beneath the skin, eyes focused, lips pressed together in a hard line. He looked completely feral.

With blinding speed, the cat turned to face its attacker. It had chosen a small clearing and was perched with its front feet on a log, giving it the appearance of being slightly taller than it was in reality and an advantage point to leap from for its attack. The cat snarled viciously, pawing into the air with its claws raking the air threateningly its muscles like steel bands attached to the claws, flexing under the fur on its legs and shoulders. It was completely terrifying in its ferocity.

Edward stopped, crouched on the balls of his feet with the fingers of one hand just barely touching the ground, every muscle tensed and ready. He was a vision of perfection, soft black Nike's gripping the ground, jeans that hugged every line of his perfectly muscled thighs and ass, soft blue long sleeved shirt that stretched to cover his broad shoulders while still clinging to his trim waist. His tussled mop of windblown hair was moving slightly, the breeze moving down the valley from the mountains in the distance.

The tendons in his neck tensed, muscles flexed in preparation for the attack. A burst of speed accompanied by a ferocious growl and he lunged for the cat, snapping its neck with ease before the animal had a chance to even swipe a claw at the sleeve of his shirt. It was less trouble than I would have had picking up a kitten.

Edwards was over the animal, a hand on the scruff of its neck and one on its shoulder holding the limp body of the huge cat up slightly so that he had but to bend his neck from his crouched position on the meadow floor to bite into its neck. For the first time I understood some of what he had been telling me. There was no emotion, no concern for the life of the animal before him. I saw the raw power and the animal instincts . . . he was completely inescapable.

His siblings brought me to within yards of him, keeping me downwind. Apparently there was a certain distance that was maintained to allow the hunter to know that you were not threatening his kill. He looked around once for a split second, his eyes completely black. He growled threateningly and opened his mouth to expose all of his gleaming white teeth for only a split second as he dropped his head and bit into the neck of the animal.

It wasn't one bite like I had seen in movies, fangs somehow acting as straws for the vampire to suck the blood from its victim. Edward bit a mouthful of what seemed to be skin and fur, spitting the chunk out and then biting into the animal, apparently to finish his meal. He continued to drain the animal for a long moment, the tendons in his neck exposed and his cheeks hollowed, I assume from the force with which he was consuming his meal.

Emmett set me down on a rock ledge, waist height behind him, he and Jasper still partially crouched in front of me in a defensive stance and Alice and Rose on either side of me.

"_It's alright, he's just feeding now, Bella, the hunt is over. He's reigning it in", _Jasper stated.

It wasn't but a few moments before Edward let go of the limp body of the lion, letting it drop to the ground as though it were a discarded toy. He stood and it looked like he took a deep breath as if bracing himself for something about to happen.

I was trembling, shaking really. Edward turned to walked towards me, but he was acting so strangely, almost scaring me! He took small, deliberate steps as he approached, looking a bit like a frightened animal himself.

"_It's okay, Bella, everything is okay!"_, Alice tried to comfort me, her am around my shoulders.

The small steps continued and he had his hands out in front of him, palms to me almost like he was showing me that he wasn't holding anything. His face looked . . . scared? Edwards eyes, changing more to molten gold than black now, continued to hold my stare.

"_Bella, don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you sweetheart!"_

I couldn't move. I sat on the ledge behind Emmett, frozen in place except for the violent, uncontrollable shaking that was continuing through out my body. I was sure I was as pale as a ghost, though I felt a burning sensation in my veins, a fire pumping throughout. I had to act, I had to move, to run . . .

"_Bella, don't be afraid, I would never hurt you . . . please don't be afraid!"_

I couldn't understand why he kept saying that, it made no sense to me. Of course he would never hurt me! Then it dawned on me, Edward was afraid! He was scared to death that I would fear him, that I would be repulsed by him, having seen him kill and feed! He wasn't that he feared hurting me, he feared that I would reject him!

Absolutely ridiculously oversensitive vampire!

I launched myself at him, literally jumping into his arms, squeezing him to me as I grasped the back of his neck, my chin on his shoulder. I held him for a long minute, stroking his soft hair. He set me down on my feet in front of him and cupped my face with his hands ever so softly.

"_Are you not frightened of me, Bella?",_ he asked timidly, never taking his eyes off mine.

"_Edward! Why would I ever be frightened of you? I love you!"_, I told him as I moved my lips closer to kiss him. He moved his face slightly so that my kiss landed on his cheek, missing his lips.

"_Edward . . . what . . .",_ I stammered, surprised by his actions.

"_I just didn't think you would want to kiss me just after I fed, love_", he said as he dropped his gaze, reluctant to meet my eyes.

"_Well, you were wrong!"_, I said as I grabbed each of his wrists, his palms still cupping my cheeks, and leaned in to kiss him. It was a gentle kiss, each side of his mouth in turn, then the center of his lips. He kissed me back but as my tongue traced his lips, asking to deepen the kiss his eyes flew open in disbelief. I was insistent and he gave in as I consumed his mouth, sucking his tongue into mine. There was a salty flavor, kind of metallic as well, but the overwhelming flavor was Edward, all Edward.

Jasper stood with the most astounded look on his face as he told his siblings, _"She is fine, absolutely content with him. There is no fear at all, only the same unity between them that has always been there!"_

"_Well, damn it!"_, Rosalie said, _"I thought for sure you would be running like hell to get away from us after you saw something like that!"_

"_I told you, Rose, we should have showed this to a human long ago", _Emmett said as he jabbed her, _"It was hot wasn't it, Bella?"_

"_Emmett, for once you are actually right!", _Jasper shared with us.

"_What?"_, _Emmett asked._

"_The main emotion coming from her is lust, in addition to overwhelming love, the lust is just overpowering!", _Jasper said astounded.

Edward looked at me and the fear in his eyes seemed to fade, he held me to him as though I had been away for centuries before addressing his family

"_Thank you all! Thank you for being here for me!", _Edwards emotions were raw as he spoke,_ "We'll meet you back at the cabin this evening."_

He took my hand and turned to walk into the forest as Alice stepped forward, handing me a small backpack.

"_Bella, you'll need this! See you back at the cabin!"_, she said as she flitted away with Jasper and the others.

Edward kept stroking the knuckles of the hand he held with his thumb, continuing to comfort me in his own way. He was hesitant to touch me, still afraid of my reaction. What he didn't yet seem to realize was that I didn't need comforting like that, I just needed him. NOW.

"_Edward, enough!"_, I said as I let go of his hand and stopped following him, _"You need to stop this, I am not running away from you, you don't frighten me!"_

He turned to me just in time to catch me as I sprang on him. In an instant, my arms were around his neck tugging on that gorgeous mop of bronze hair as my legs around his waist held him tightly to me. I breathed him in, my tongue asking entrance as my lips pressed hard to his.

We kissed for a long minute. I could not get enough of this man, he was mine and I didn't like him acting like I was afraid of him! He laid us down on some soft ferns as I moved to pull his shirt over his head, his skin sparkling in the off moments of sunlight that came through as the clouds passed by. I unbuttoned his jeans, never taking my lips from his. My husbands body was not responding to me. I froze, opening my eyes to stare into his. This had never happened before and I needed to know what was wrong, what I had done wrong!

"_Edward, sweetheart, what's wrong?"_, my eyes flitted to my hand inside his jeans, still holding onto him.

"_Bella"_, he looked down, not able to look into my eyes, _"I have just never been so frightened in all my life." _

My husband was lying here on the ground, letting me hold him in the most intimate way possible, and telling me he was frightened. The vampire that had just single handedly and with no weapons other than his own hands and teeth, killed and drained a large mountain lion without so much as a tear in his clothing, was terrified!

He looked up at me with an unfathomable expression in his eyes,

"_I can't loose you, Isabella, I can't. I keep telling you I don't want you to be like me, I keep insisting on showing you things that I think will bring you to your senses and send you running for the hills, but Bella . . . I love you . . . I want you . . . I want you forever. Isabella, if the truth be known, I want you like me! God help me, but I do. I can't live without you and one lifetime will never ever be enough!"_

"_Edward, sweetheart, you wanted me to see you hunt so that I would know what I was getting myself in for if I become like you. Fine. I've seen it and I still want you . . . Edward I want my forever with you!"_

His eyes were molten fire, they burned with all the emotion he had endured today and all the love he had for me. I only thought we had ever made love before this day. I had no real idea of the depth of love and emotion that Edward could show towards me. He touched me with almost a reverence, every caress felt to the bone, every kiss creating a fire that only he could extinguish. We rolled around in this bed of ferns for hours, consuming each other. I could not hold him tight enough, or kiss him hard enough. I have no idea how many times we made love, I only know that I will never, ever leave this man . . . and he will never leave me. Call it married, call it mated . . . call it love, if you will, but the bond between us was unbreakable now. He finally knew, as did I, that I would love him regardless, that I really did see him for what he was and loved him anyway.

Once we stilled for awhile, we had to dress as the sun was setting and the temperature was falling. It didn't matter to his body, but I was becoming really cold. We finally found all our clothing, it was sort of scattered about over the distance of 30 or 40 feet, the size of the fern covered area that we had crushed flat with our afternoons activities. We were about to leave when I spotted the backpack that Alice had handed me. I opened it and handed Edward the sweatshirt I had bought for him this morning, putting mine on as well.

"_I really like the hoodie, Bella. Nice choice of colors, but how did you know you would be needing one?"_

"_I didn't know, I just liked them and then Alice must have seen and brought them in the backpack for us. It's actually kind of disturbing that she knew what we would be doing this afternoon and that I would need a jacket!". _

"_Tell me about it! I've had the last 50 years to get used to her and I still haven't!"_, Edward laughed.

He reached out his hand and I rook it as we walked back to the cabin, secure finally, in the way our lives were supposed to go . . . or so we thought . . .


	21. Chapter 21 Oysters & Hot Springs

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: **I have been told by some that my habit of italicizing things that were said, in addition to them being in quotation marks is irritating, and normally denotes things that are being thought not said. I am going to try this in this chapter and see if it works for me! Let me know what you think!

**Chapter 21 Oysters & Hot Springs**

**APOV**

"Finally you're back!", I said as I saw them emerge from the trees.

"Alice!", Bella said as she hugged me. "Thanks for the jackets, good thing I bought them!"

"I suppose they are alright to wear in the back woods Bella, but they are NOT a fashion statement!", I commented indignantly.

"You two are all sorted out then!", I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Alice, you know we are!", Edward offered. "You had to have seen to know that Bella would be cold, but thank you. Thank you for being here for us and for caring!", he smiled as he hugged me.

Jasper and Emmett were playing Call of Duty on the flat screen while Rosalie absently flipped through some magazines. I had made dinner for Bella and I told her it was in the oven waiting for her, everyone else had already eaten but me. All the emotions flowing in this house had made Jaz thirsty as well, so he was going out for a bite with me.

"Jasper, are you ready to go?"

"Comming darlin'", he responded immediately, a loud cat call coming from him and a loud thud which was probably Emmett hitting the floor, having been knocked off the couch!

We found a small herd and devoured the entire thing between us. It had been quite a day!

"It is just unbelievable to me, Alice, the way that Bella is with him. I have never seen a human have the reactions that she does, nothing about him or his activities gets to her in the least! It's almost as if she should have been a vampire all along, you know what I mean?", Jasper said cocking his head to one side as if trying to understand.

"I have thought that myself, but I just never realized that anyone SHOULD have been a vampire, Jasper, it just always seemed to be a bad thing that happened to us."

"Well, it's not a bad thing for me", he said as he pulled me into his arms and held me tight, softly tucking a strand of my spiky hair behind my ear, "I would never have met you if we hadn't both been bit, Alice, and that would never do!"

We kissed for a long minute, enjoying the stars and the night.

"I'm happy for Edward, Alice. Ever since I first met him he has always been incomplete, lacking something. Imagine living with three couples for all these years, having no one for yourself. He's whole now, from the minute he found her on that track, he has been whole."

"I just wish he would decide when to change her. It scares me that something could happen to her while they wait! I know Christmas is only a couple of months off, but I can't see anything just after then, it's as if all of our futures are tied together, but they're in a fog!"

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Sometimes I think I'm dreaming.

Things could not be more perfect and I admit it scares me. We left the cabin this morning in time to have lunch at the Buffalo Bill Saloon, the one with the bar that Queen Elizabeth had sent over in the early 1800's. It was hysterical! I really don't know why my new family goes with me to eat, such a waste of money and food, but they love me and wanted to come and I could not help myself but to have some fun with them!

We were seated at a round table, reminiscent of the tables you see in the old western movies where guys are in a saloon playing poker. Once I looked at the menu, I knew what I wanted to do and I had to be the one to order for the table.

"Do you guys mind if I order for us?", I asked.

They looked at me like I was nuts, but politely allowed me to continue . . . Alice smiling from behind her menu! I ordered by pointing on the menu so that it would not give away my choices.

Edward laughed, of course, reading the mind of the waiter and the smile on Alices face was huge. Lunch arrived and each of us had a plate before us.

"Dig in!"

They just looked at me and started to move the food on their plates around with their forks.

"Okay, I know it's disgusting, but just please either take one bite of the meat, or put it to your tongue and taste it. I want you to tell me what animal you are eating!", i said with a smirk.

Edward just kept trying not to laugh and I had to ask him, "Did I succeed in getting your plate to you and you not knowing what you got?"

"You did, though I know the choices!"

"Well, try it! Make a guess at least!", I pleaded.

Alice was the first. She cut a thin slice and put it in her mouth and chewed. Her pixie like face scrunched up immediately as she looked as though someone had worn a Prada purse and Gucci shoes that didn't match at the same time! Rosalie grimaced at her expression and the guys just laughed.

"That was really disgusting, Bella. I hope you know how much I love you to do this!", Alice said.

"So, what animal do you think it is?", I asked leaning towards her, anxious to hear her guess.

"Well, I'm guessing it would be something off the normal, or you would not be so excited! I'm thinking elk."

"Alice! That's right! How did you cheat?"

"No cheating, Bella, it just made since given our surroundings and it doesn't taste like I remember cow tasting!"

"Okay, who is next?"

"I got this!", Emmett bellowed, taking a large bite and acting like he liked it. It took only moments for his expression to change. It was like seeing a teenager, anxious to prove himself, confidently take a large shot of a strong whiskey and then crumbling once the taste fully registered! The entire table broke into laughter!

"Not funny!", Emmett fussed as he spit the bite into his napkin.

"Emmett, I thought bear was your favorite!", I said, unable to wait for his guess.

"They ruined a perfectly good bear! That's just unbelievable! How could something so good raw be so disgusting cooked! Yuck!"

"Rosie, try yours", Emmett requested as the appalled expression faded from his face.

"Well", Rosalie looked reluctantly at her plate, "Mine looks different from the rest of yours, so that's a clue".

"Duck", she said as she swallowed an exceptionally small bite.

"Nice, Rosalie! That was really close, it was ostrich!", I told her, "That was good guessing!"

"Okay, Jasper or Edward, which one of you is next?", I said taking a large bite of my meal.

"I'll go next, darlin'. My plate looks just like yours and Alice's, but Alice's smells different than ours."

I had forgotten all about the heightened sense of smell that all vampires had, but still, he was probably not going to guess this one right I thought to myself.

"I'm going to guess buffalo just because of where we are and the fact that you seem to really be enjoying yours!", Jasper laughed.

"Right! You guessed it, Jasper! Mine is delicious, do you like the taste at all?"

"No. No, it's really disgusting, Bella. But funny that you had a cavalry officer eating buffalo! I might have really liked it . . . before!"

"Bella, do I really have to do this? You know, you have to be around me later when this comes back up! Can I just guess from the smell?", Edward asked.

"You can guess from the smell if you want, but take just a nibble . . . just to see! You love nibbling things!", I said as I playfully nudged him.

He put a bite I his mouth and chewed as the most wretched, vile look came across his features.

"Bella, that is disgusting even for human food! That makes the steak at your dad's house taste like fresh mountain lion in comparison . . . well, almost! What is this, anyway. The only other dish the waiter had in his mind was oysters and this doesn't look like any type of seafood that I have ever seen."

Alice lost it! She all but fell from her chair, unable to contain herself laughing.

"Edward, Bella just had you taste testicles, they call them Rock Mountain Oysters!", Alice explained.

The roar from Jasper and Emmett was not contained. The entire restaurant turning to look our way as even Rosalie laughed hysterically!

"God, I'm starting to really enjoy having you around, Bella!", Rosalie said, "Only you could get away with making Edward eat balls! Him not being able to read your mind really comes in handy!"

Edward just sat and continued to try and remove the taste from his mouth with a napkin. The look on his face remained priceless.

"You are so paying for that!", he whispered to me as his body still involuntarily shuttered, " I didn't know which is worse, the taste or knowing what it was that I just tasted!"

When the waiter came, I quickly grabbed the bill and slipped my credit card in the folder. Edward looked at me curiously.

"Well, you said I needed to get used to having money, so I can at least pay the bill for the entertainment I got out of all of this!"

"I love you", Edward whispered in my ear, "But you are so not through paying for this!"

I could only imagine what he meant by that and as we drove along the curvy mountain roads, admiring the spectacular view of the snow capped peaks of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, I realized that I was looking forward to the payback!

~oooOooo~

Alice had made reservations for us to stay a few days at a place called Dunton Hot Springs. It was apparently a very out of the way, rustic, abandoned ghost town that had been restored. It looked like something out of the movies . . . the old westerns that Charlie sometimes watched, as we drove down main street. The hotel didn't seem that impressive from the outside, small cabins dotted the landscape of the valley with stables off to the North side and what looked like a pool behind the lobby. Alice came out, handing us each our keys. She and Jasper were staying in the Major Ross Cabin, fittingly named since Jasper was an officer after all. Emmet and Rose were in Bjoermans Cabin and Edward was handed the key to the Well House Cabin. All three were off to the very Southern end of the valley.

"This place is exclusive", she said, "There are only 9 cabins total, and complete room service - all you have to do is call and order anything you want, any time of the night or day, Bella! You should totally take advantage of it, though the rest of us will order something so that we don't arouse suspicion. Lets all go get changed and jump in the hot springs! This place is famous for the 106 degree water in the natural mineral spring!"

We each went to our cabin. They looked like something Grizzly Adams would have stayed in from the outside, but the inside was a different story!

The cabin was small, one room with a bath, but the room was large enough to accommodate a beautiful king sized bed covered in luxurious comforters and pillows. The walls were perfectly sealed and polished wood, as was the floor and the high rafters of the ceiling. There was a comfy fire already in the wood burning stove that added welcomed heat to the room. There, in the other end of the room, was a contained of water. It looked like, perhaps an old horse trough but much larger. It rose to about a foot off the floor and was about 4 feet wide and ten feet long!

"Well," Edward exclaimed, "Alice has outdone herself this time! We have our own personal hot spring to soak in!"

"Really! That's what that is!", I exclaimed as I felt the water with my hand. Sure enough, it was really warm, flowing in at one end of the tub and continuing to flow out the other end.

Edward put our bag on the dresser. "I don't remember any swimwear on this trip, Edward!", I said as I looked through the bag. I spoke too soon. Alice had purchased a bikini for me and board shorts for Edward. I should have known the little pixie would have taken care of it ahead of time, she was always there with things she knew we would need, that she had seen in our future. Edwards cell buzzed, Alice.

"Change in the bathroom. Bella, or you will never get past Edward and join us!"

"Damn it!", Edward exclaimed as he released me from his arms, his hands had just started griping my butt and the kisses were becoming much more intense, "It's really frightening just how much she sees!"

We changed and met our family at the spring, it was about half the size of an Olympic pool, but there were jets in the sides that massaged your body as you clung to the edge and the warmth of the pool combined with the cool of the evening air was amazing. We basked in the warmth for quite awhile, just enjoying each others company. The sky put on a display of color rivaling anything I had ever seen, warm gold fading into brilliant pink which gave way to a dark rose color. Set against the pure blue background with a smattering of white stars starting to appear, it was magnificent. It felt like we were the only people on the planet and were being given a sneak preview of the heavens. Edward wrapped his arms around me, his lips kissing down my neck as he nuzzled into my shoulder with his face.

"I am so in love with you, you know that don't you Mrs. Cullen?"

"I do know that, Mr. Cullen!", I answered.

"This is just awesome, Alice! How did you know about this place?", I asked.

"I googled luxury resort hot springs in Colorado, of course! This place is exclusive and we were lucky they had a cancellation! Apparently a party had rented the entire town for a week, then called it off at the last minute, so we pretty much have the place to ourselves!"

"Is that what I think it is, Alice?", Jasper asked pointing to a small pool a few yards away from the main pool."

I wondered why they would have a hot tub beside the hot springs, it just didn't make any sense to me.

"Yep, it is!", Alice giggled as Jasper picked her up and headed up the steps to go to the other pool.

"Hell yea!", Emmett yelled, grabbing Rose and throwing her over his shoulder on his way to follow Jasper.

Rose was smacking Emmett on the rear and threatening not to give him any for a month if he put her in there, but after Alice and Jasper jumped in, he tossed her unceremoniously in as well, joining her with a laugh!

"What's going on, Edward", I asked. The sparkle in his eye worried me and I knew he was up to something!

"Come on, love, lets join them!", he said as he took my hand and led me towards the other pool.

I started to step in, assuming we were just changing pools for some random reason. We had been in the other pool for quite awhile and I was starting to get overheated. Maybe this smaller one was not a mineral pool or something, there had to be some difference.

"Forgive me for this, baby!", Edward said as he lifted me and tossed me into the pool.

"OH MY GOD!"

I thought I was going to have a heart attack as my head emerged above water, sputtering. My family stood in this pool, unfazed by it, but I was absolutely in shock! The water was ICE cold! In face, there had to be a refrigerating unit near by to get it this cold! It had no effect on them, but apparently the blue lips it caused on me and the shivering was hysterical to them!

"Edward! I'm so going to get you for this!", I screamed as I scrambled out of the water. He was long gone, running back towards our cabin almost tripping he was laughing so hard!

I ran after him, not just because I wanted to catch him, but because I wanted to be in front of the hot stove in the cabin . . . I was freezing. He stood in the cabin, hands on his knees supporting him as he continued to laugh! He was so adorable laughing at me that I couldn't be mad for long, but he didn't need to know that.

"Edward! How could you! Unfair stupid ridiculous vampires, the cold didn't anyone else, they were all just standing in the pool like it was nothing, like it was warm like the big pool - how was I supposed to know that it would be cold! You could have warned me!"

"Its a Cold Plunge, sweetheart!", he said as he wrapped his arms around me, "It's supposed to be healthy to get all warm in the spring then dip in the cold . . . my family just stayed in the cold a little longer than most, I guess to give you the impression it was comfortable there! You have to admit, the look on your face was priceless!"

"Well my getting pneumonia won't be", I said shivering.

Our swim suits were off in a flash, cast aside onto a chair in the corner. Edward picked me up and walked to the tub in our room, moving down the steps till we were both waist deep in the water, then sitting on the bench to submerge us to the shoulders. It was gloriously warm and I wrapped my arms around his neck to enjoy it for a minute, his body seemed still warm from the other hot spring we had been in. He hadn't gotten into the Cold Purge!

I was used to his normally icy touch, even joking with him about having sex with a Popsicle and I loved his warmer touch each morning, having been under the heating blanket and snuggled up to me all night, but this was different. He was warmer than I was, his body having become the temperature of the hot springs.

His lips felt like some sort of heated velvet as mine molded to them, caressing them with no desire to be anywhere else in the world. I turned to sit straddling my husbands lap, pressing my body to his and tugging at my favorite soft hair at the nape of his neck. With is arms encircling me, he rubbed soft patterns on my back and down my spine. The love between us was overwhelming. I traced my fingers along his jaw, feeling the smooth muscles of his neck as he kissed me and the hard planes of his chest as the muscles moved and flexes with his arms movements.

His abs were amazing, hard and rippled with soft velvet skin stretched across the bands of steel. I wondered if he had those before he was changed or if they were a benefit of being a vampire, I had never seen a vampire that was heavy or overweight and I had to remember to ask about that . . . but not now. Now I just needed Edward.

We starred into each others eyes for a long moment, each of us holding the others face in our hands, enjoying the feel of our lips and tongues moving together. God I loved this man.

It felt like a flame ignited within me. Edward's body was hot, just short of painfully hot as he entered me, the effects of the hot springs making themselves known. I screamed his name as I came into contact with him.

"Bella, are you alright?", he asked as a panicked expression crossed his face and his body stilled.

"I . . mmmmmm . . . ff . . . ineeeee, baby . . . . Ed . . . warddddd . . ., you're SO warm . . .", I barely managed to get the words out I was so consumed with pleasure.

He smirked at me, realizing that his body temperature was greater than mine right now.

"Do you prefer this to your normal Edward Popsicle, love?". he teased.

I could not answer. I couldn't take it, having no idea how long it continued, an hour or a minute, but I exploded. My actions triggering his, he roared so fiercely I was sure the locals would think wolves were on the prowl close by. Had he not been immortal and indestructible, I'm sure I would have removed a large portion of his hair my fists were so tightly coiled, tangled in his locks. He smiled the most delicious smile as his eyes returned to focus and starred at me.

**EPOV **

Bella had the most glorious, satiated look on her face that I had to smile. I was thrilled that I could please her so fully though seeming to me like I was being so gentle. If I were honest with myself, I could not wait till she was as indestructible as I was and I no longer had to concentrate so fully on not hurting her, not kissing her too roughly. The day was soon coming when I could make love to her with abandon for as long as I liked.

She had no idea, of course, what I was really holding back. It wasn't that I was holding out on her, exactly . . . I had to keep her safe. She was too precious to me to risk anything out of the ordinary or new till she was more durable. Listening to sex in the minds of people for almost a century now had given me ideas and I had so many things I wanted to try with her, to do with her, but they had to wait. She had to be protected, safe, even if I was protecting her from me. We agreed to talk about everything, I agreed never to take her choice away again, to always discuss everything, but I was sure she had no real idea about what sex would be like for us once she was a vampire as well.

I held her to me, whispering my love for her over and over into her ear. She was used to this by now, in fact, she expected it . . . relished it I think. I had the notion that she really did enjoy sex with me every bit as much as I enjoyed it with her.

She was stating to overheat, her face appeared to be perspiring in the hot tub and that was a definite sign that it was time to get out of the water! I grabbed the soft robe from the hook near the tub and placed it around her shoulders as she stepped from the bath, softly moving it over her skin to dry her off. She took a towel and rubbed it across my shoulders and back, then dried my hair for me. Life was so easy between us, gentle caresses and small acts of care and love between us just as a normal course of the day. She was my everything.

Emmett had accused me of turning to mush in the last few weeks and I was starting to agree with him, I loved it and I loved her. Being without a mate - without her for over 80 years had me focusing on every opportunity to show her my love and cherish every gift she was willing to give me from tricking me into eating testicles in a restaurant to drying my hair, making love to walking hand in hand with her. It was all the same, all part of my life with her now and I truly loved it. She was the other half of me and I could never survive again without her.


	22. Chapter 22   Revelations

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 22 Revelations**

"Any sign of them?", I asked as he returned to the hotel.

"No, nothing yet. The new guy was out test riding the bike and Dale and Martin were tinkering with it and running times. They said something about making sure the leathers for 'her' arrived, so it looks like she is coming for the award", he said while sneering.

I had stayed away, of course, busying myself by settling us into yet another hotel waiting for a way to track her, a phone call where she was mentioned, a letter or slip of paper that would tell us where Cullen had her hidden. If I could just do it myself, check on things . . . but then his sister would see and she would alert them.

"Thank God for that", I snapped at him, "after all your bungling we at least get a trail to go on and another shot at her."

"Good thing she is coming to pick up the trophy and bike. That new guy, James, is really good. They sure don't need her back as a rider!", he allowed.

James . . . I hated it that the new guy had that name, that I had to hear it and be reminded. My heart still hurt every time. I had to stay under the radar if I wanted my chance at her and I was determined I would have her. I had waited over a year already to have vengeance and justice for my James. I shook it off, it didn't matter, nothing mattered but that I get to her and she died. He had to feel what I was feeling now, he had to loose his mate like I did and know that pain. It was actually just as well that so many mistakes had been made, that Riley had bungled the job in Forks. They had more time together now, more time for him to be even closer to her, love her even more . . . if that were even possible. Once a vampire mates, the feeling never goes away, I should know. But the feelings could intensify, as they usually did in the first few years. I hoped they were, I hoped they were incredibly happy and that his love for her grew daily. Anything to make it hurt even more when I killed her. He needed to feel the same pain I felt, the loss of a mate and the hurt that would be thee for the rest of his existence.

"Are they planning on her racing, or just picking up her bike?", I asked him.

"Victoria, I told you they don't know yet. They ordered new leathers for her in case and I think that Dale is going to try and talk her into it, but Jacob is pretty sure that Edward will never allow her to get back on and race a bike, not after that accident", Riley smugly retorted, "I still don't know how the hell she ever survived that! The wheelie bar took just enough stress to wait till she was almost at full speed before it snapped, just like we planned. I actually cut that just right, they never saw it at all when they inspected the bike before the race."

"Yea, well don't pat yourself on the back too much, you sure as hell had no aim when you set the wheel on that car at the restaurant", I glowered at him.

"I set that steering just right and you know it. They were all sitting there when I released it, who knew they would pick that moment to finish eating and get up from the table. My aim was perfect, their table was completely smashed. That car missed them by seconds!", he defended himself, "And how was I to know that wasn't the right girl? She was sitting at the table with them and she had long brown hair just like you described. He carried her out of there first, carried her out and put her on that street bench. It sure seemed like that was her to me, why else would he tend to her first, carry her out in his arms to make sure she was safe first. She was bleeding everywhere and he didn't drain her, I thought for sure it was her!"

"Well now you know. You saw what she looks like, right, you saw the girl he left with?", I asked.

"Yes, yes, yes . . . I saw him holding on to her when they left, she had her arms around him. It had to be her. I know what she looks like now, Victoria."

He walked over to me and put his arms around me. I did my very best not to cringe, but it was still hard. I missed my James so very much and it was so hard to keep this one on a string, to keep him willing to do what needed to be done for me. I would do it though, I would do it for James. I needed to avenge his death, to make that Cullen boy feel what I was feeling, to make him hurt and mourn the loss of his mate forever.

I wish Laurent were here, he would not have failed to get her that night in Forks. Of course, he knew what she looked like from the time we first met her in the baseball field. How I wished we had just kept going that day and not stopped. James was so insistent once he got something on his mind, it was so easy to challenge him. If he had never caught that glare from Edward we would still be together, tracking and hunting and having our games . . . mmmn, how I missed our games. I never met anyone like my James. He could satisfy me completely. Sex with Riley would just never be the same, even though he was a younger man than James had been when he had been turned. James had just had a way about him, so self assured . . . a smugness if you will, that led him to excel at everything he did.

Laurent had been avenged, of course. After all, he had gone to Forks to check on the girl for me. We had no idea about the werewolves. There was no way for me to be sure which one of them was responsible for killing him, or how many of them participated in hunting him, so I decided that taking out the tribal chief would be some degree of justice. I could still remember that dogs eyes as I threw him against the wall. Too bad the others drove up and I could not watch him die. It wouldn't have been long, he died shortly after they got him to the hospital. Pity, I would have loved to have watched.

If Riley had just stayed and tracked her after the accident, after he ran that car into the restaurant, but he had been so sure he got her . . . drained her himself. By the time the paper reported the death and we figured out that he had gotten that Stanley girl by mistake, Cullen had left Forks and taken her with him. Why he didn't think something was amiss when Edward left the restaurant with his arm around a girl, I have no idea. Riley had obviously forgotten how humans act. He was still so young, not even a full year yet. If he were older and more used to their ways, he would have known that Edward would not have been calmly walking away with his arm around a girl when the love of his life had just been killed!

We tracked them to her house and hung around, listening to that idiot of a police chief long enough to hear that his daughter was driving home with her husband and two of his siblings. hey had already left and we had missed them. I ws not nearly the tracker James had been, so now we waited. She was coming to pick up her award and that bike they were giving her. I would not miss this time!

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

"Everything unpacked?"

"Yep, Dale, everything is down in the pits where it's supposed to be. Second string bike is headed to the garage just so we can tinker with it, just in case it's needed", I told him.

"I sent the tickets and fliers out a couple of weeks ago, have you heard anything from Bella about when she and her family will get here?", Dale asked.

"She said they would be here the day before the race, so that's what I am counting on."

"Good, good. Still think there is no chance we can talk her into riding for us?", Dale asked for the twentieth time this week.

"I don't think there is a snowballs chance in hell that her husband will allow it", I exasperatedly told him again, "You have no idea how protective he is of her since that last accident and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure she would risk it again anyway."

"Well. I can hope can't I", Dale grumbled, "Just think of the publicity if she did ride! You just can't even buy publicity like that, Jake! I know our team is on top right now, but it takes effort and skill to stay on top, so I'm always thinking of extra things we can do to get the name out there."

"Hey, Martin's calling you, Dale. I hear him down at the truck."

Dale turned to go and see what our chief mechanic wanted and I was thrilled that he was distracted from annoying me about Bella. I finished locking up the carry all and equipment that had not been needed in the pits and headed off to the garage to run some tests on the bikes like we had planned. We had arrived a few days early just for that reason and I didn't like distractions that took away my focus from making the needed adjustments on the engines. The new rider, James, was burning up the track. He was really good and I had no idea why Dale would want Bella to ride instead. Maybe the publicity of her riding would outweigh the fact that James would probably win the race, who knew with Dale. He had his own ideas of what was good for the team but it was, after all, his team.

We had done well in races since Bellas accident last June. Well, except for that first meet in Pennsylvania right after her accident. We had only had the second string bike and a new replacement rider that none of us really liked. Dale had hired James just after that and ever since we had won - Ohio, Kansas City, Sturgis. The last race in San Antonio, James had pulled it out with only hundredths of a seconds to spare, but he won none the less.

He was a cocky, really full of himself. I had gone out with him one night just after the first venue or two and I made a comment to him that he sure was an egotistical bastard. I'll never forget how he answered me. "Jacob, to be egotistical, you have to have an overinflated view of ones own abilities. I know exactly how good I am, therefore I am not egotistical at all!", James had said to me with a completely straight face.

Except for that last race there had been no contest, no competition really. Maybe that was why Dale wanted so badly for Bella to ride. Our place in first was assured, we had the trophy for the year and Bellas' appearance on the bike in a race would add a tremendous amount of publicity whether she won the race or not.

I thought about the last conversation I had had with Bella. I phoned her about once a week, just to keep up. I really missed her, but she sounded so amazingly happy. In face, she sounded better and more ecstatic each week as time passed. I was happy for her, she had the man she really wanted and I would still be her best friend. I could do that. He wasn't so bad, really, and he seemed to be good to her, taking care of her that was for sure and I couldn't wait to see the car he had gotten her, an R8 . . . at least he had excellent taste in cars.

"Bella! How are you, chika?", I asked thru the receiver of the phone in my travel trailer. All this talk had made me need to hear her voice.

"I'm great, Jake! We just went on a tour of Elvis Presley's house, Graceland, in Memphis and it was amazing! Did you know he had not just one, but two private planes?"

"No, I didn't know that, but it figures, right!"

"He had Harleys, too. You should see them, Jake. The paint jobs alone are amazing and all the chrome that has ever been made on them, customized ones as well as stock. Apparently he was an avid rider as well as a martial artist and . . . "

I cut her off, "Okay, okay, okay, Bells. I get the idea, you are having a great time on your road trip. I get that! The question is, when do I get to see you? Are you coming to Rockingham to pick up your award and the surprise they have for you?"

"We all are, Jake. Esme said that the tickets arrived in the mail last week. My dad may even fly down, though I'm not sure now, after the deaths and all at the restaurant", she said.

I wasn't sure that I had heard her right, "What deaths, Bella?"

"Oh, Jake. I forgot that you're still being stubborn and not talking to anyone at the reservation. You know Sam Uley and Sue Clearwater confronted Edward and I on the street in Forks and demanded to know how to reach you. I refused to give them your number, I really just didn't tell them that I had it, but II told them I would tell you to call and that I would see you at Christmas, well Sue will see you as well, but anyway, Sam was pretty intent that he had to talk to you. Something about tribal business, he made it sound really important."

"Yea, I bet he did, Bells", I said as I went to the fridge to grab a beer. All of a sudden I had lost my appetite for dinner.

"Jake, you never told me that you would be the next chief! Apparently there are a lot of loose ends that they need you to fix in order for the tribe to move on and Jake, shouldn't you at least do that for them . . . for Billy?"

She struck a note with me, she always knew how to get through to me when she wanted to but she was trying to distract me this time.

"Bella. What accident? What deaths at a restaurant are you talking about?", I insisted.

"Edward and I and Alice, Jasper, Jessica, Mike, Angela and Eric were all out having pizza in town at the pizza parlor. We had just gotten up from the table in front of the window when a car crashed through the window and smashed everything where we had been sitting. Jessica and a guy that I didn't know were killed and lots of people including Mike Newton were injured."

"I hadn't heard anything about it, Bells, You weren't hurt though, right?", I asked anxiously.

"No, we had all gotten up to leave just moments before and Jessica and Mike had lingered at the table. Edward carried Jess outside and went back in to help them lift the car off of someone but apparently she had lost too much blood and she died right there. Dad still hasn't figured out anything other than the fact that the old guy driving the car had a heart attack. He wasn't a local, just a stranger passing through town for some reason."

"Maybe that was all there was to it, you know. Not every accident is caused by sabotage like yours was on the bike."

"True", she said and then went quiet.

Damn it, I had done it again. I knew better than to bring up her accident unless we had information on who had cut that bar and caused it. Nothing had turned up even still. The police had investigated and ruled it attempted murder. The press had a field day and Dale had hired a security team to guard the bikes 24/7. There had been no second attempts at tampering, but there were also no clues as to who had done it in the first place. No clues at all. It was as if someone had just breezed in, cut the bar and left without ever having been seen. No one had even seen a stranger around the pits the night before or the day of the race. The police had even questioned Dale to see if he had done it to gain publicity, but even I knew he would never do such a thing - and I sure as hell hadn't done it, they decided that right quick, although that one officer had questioned me because he found out that my girl had married another man as soon as she had woken up in the hospital. That had led to some uncomfortable questions.

"Bells, don't get all quiet and thoughtful on me, I just meant that maybe the car running into the building really was just an accident. You never really liked that girl Jessica anyway, did you?", I asked knowing that my attitude would immediately take her mind off the bike and make her mad at me.

"Jake! How could you bring that up! No, I didn't exactly like her, but that didn't mean that I wanted anything bad to happen to her!", she fumed.

Bingo. She was irate, just like I thought, forgetting any discussion about the sabotaged bike. I could just envision her quickly standing up and stomping her little foot on the ground.

"Sure, sure. When did you say you would be here, I miss you. I was hoping we could spend some time together while you get here", I added in my sweetest voice.r

"We'll be there the day before the race, Jake, probably mid day or before. I would love to spend time with you, we all would. I'll see you then, okay? Love you, Jake", she said.

"Alright Bells, See you soon. Be safe."

I got off the phone smugly, knowing I had stopped her from questioning me about Tribal business and what Sam Uley wanted with me. I was just not ready to face the fact that I was expected, lineage wise, to be the next chief of the Quilette Tribe. I was only a kid for crying out loud. Funny that I cry 'kid' when I don't want to do something but 'grownup' when it was something I wanted, like my new job and life working with Dale. Whatever, I had a beer and I was turning in for the night. I had work to do in the morning, and a race to prepare for.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

We had only been home a few days, but it seemed like only hours. I had missed my cozy new home and I had really missed being with my husband in our own bed. The entire family was excited about the trip, going to Rockingham to watch the races and to see me get my award. If the truth be known, I was pretty excited as well.

Edward and I had just come up to say hi and hang out with our family for the afternoon. We had pretty much stayed in our room the last day or two and thought we should at lest be a little social. Carlisle had taken a few days off, starting today and we weren't leaving for the race till in the morning.

"So, Sis, you're a big time famous Harley rider now, huh!", Emmett's voice boomed from the living room.

"Yep, that's me! A career drag racing Harley Davidson motorcycles is surely in my future, brother!", I answered.

Edward scowled even though he knew I was joking. It was one of those moments when I wished Jasper had been there and not out hunting with Alice so that he could calm Edward down.

"Emmett!", Rose smacked him hard as she got up off the sofa to come to the kitchen and see us.

"Pay no attention to the big kid in there, Bella", Rosalie said as she entered the kitchen and hopped up on the counter, "He's just trying to get a rise out of Edward."

She stared at me for a long moment, then added, "But I would really like to get a close look at one of those bikes if you think you could arrange it!"

"I think I can get Jake to help us with that, Rose! We can go down to the pits for the first couple of races if you would like to, I''m almost certain Dale wouldn't mind. He would do anything right about now to get me back on one of the bikes. Jake says he asks about it all the time, trying to figure out how he can tempt me!", I said with a smile.

Edward sat stone still. A Smile was the last expression that crossed his face. His face was unreadable, really, and he offered not a word. He just stared at me. Esme broke the uncomfortable silence by greeting Carlisle as he came downstairs and into the kitchen.

"So, here sits the worlds only known sleeping vampire!", Carlisle said as he entered the room and put his hand on Edwards shoulder, "It doesn't seem to have adversely effected you in any way! Are you still feeling rested afterwards or has it happened again?"

Edward shook his head as if to shake off an unwanted thought, and answered his father, "It's happened three or four times now, dad. Always after we have a particularly intense lovemaking session."

I quietly turned crimson. Edward noticed immediately and came to life, pulling me to stand between his knees as he sat on the kitchen stool and holding my face to his chest whispering, "It's okay, sweetheart. He has to know all the details to figure out if everything is alright. We could talk in private in his office, but remember - vampire hearing - everyone would know what was said regardless."

I looked up at his eyes and said, "True, I know that's true, Edward. But somehow even the illusion of privacy is nice sometimes."

"Well, at any rate, I have heard back from some of my contacts and none of them ever heard of a vampire sleeping except one and none of them thought anything of it. They seem to all think it is just the influence of something around you. I couldn't, of course, tell them that you were that close to a human, for obvious reasons."

"Carlisle, the reasons aren't so obvious to me. Would it be an embarrassment or something?", I queried, "Is being near a human and not having them for dinner an embarrassment in some way?"

"No, no, no, my dear. Nothing like that!", Esme answered for him, "It's just that the Volturi might hear of it and we wouldn't want them to know that we had broken the rule."

"Rule?", I asked.

"Well, law actually", Esme corrected.

"Bella, remember the painting that Edward showed you in my office, the one in the 1600's with me in it as well?", Carlisle asked.

"Yes, the ruling class I think you said, I remember the name Volturi now. What has that got to do with anything?", I asked, turning in Edwards arms to lean my back against his chest so that i could face his parents.

"Well, sweetheart, the number one rule, or law, in the vampire world is to keep the secret. Humans are not allowed to know of us . . . and live", Edward spoke softly into my ear, "The Volturi execute the law, so for them to know could get us all into trouble with them."

"Vampires have laws?", I asked astounded.

"Only the one that is regularly enforced", Carlisle stated reverently, "But they are quite serious about it. The entire family would be punished, not just Edward. So, you can see now why I didn't mention that point. I would never be embarrassed by you, Bella. You are a daughter to me now just as surely as Edward is my son, but the Volturi would not see it that way."

"Oh, Edward! Maybe you should just go ahead and change me, and not wait for Christmas. I don't want there to be a problem for your family because of me", I said, admittedly rather panicked.

"So, you've decided then!", Esme and Carlisle said almost in unison.

They looked so happy, so very elated that this decision had been made. I hadn't known, of course, that there was any problem . . . that any laws had been broken in the vampire world. I knew that they thought it would be too hared for Edward to just let me grow old and die with him beside me and I knew they thought that they would loose him as soon as I passed away. He would find a way to follow me. Neither of us could possibly live without the other anymore.

"Yes, Bella made her decision", Edward announced softly, "She wants to be immortal . . . and I have agreed to change her after Christmas."


	23. Chapter 23 Rockingham

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 23 Rockingham**

**EPOV**

"Sweetheart," I said as I nudged her, "Wake up, there's the racetrack. Where were we supposed to meet Jake?"

"Um, he said to go through the tunnel to midfield where the garages are and we would see the haulers. I guess just head that way and let me call him", she said as she reached for her phone in her purse.

We had left before the others this morning, Bella was anxious to spend some time with Jake. I was okay with that. She and I had formed such a tight bond that I no longer had insecurities about her leaving me . . . well, almost no insecurity about it. Besides, I owed Jake big time.

Though he had tried to be more than a friend, he had respected her wishes and not pushed her. He had laid in bed with her every night for months, sometimes holding her when she was upset and he had remained a gentleman. I wasn't sure I could have done the same and I certainly could not blame him for wanting her, she just had no idea how desirable she was.

He had brought her somewhat back to herself, brought her out of the depression that my leaving caused, not to mention that he had saved her life, literally, when she jumped off the cliff at La Push. If he had not been willing to take her with him when he left and she had stayed in Forks, I wasn't sure she would have survived long enough for me to come back to her. He was young and hadn't made the transformation to wolf form yet and away from the tribal lands with no vampires around, I wasn't sure he would ever know that the legends of his people were true. He hadn't especially liked me in the beginning, but what he hadn't known was that that dislike was probably instinctual. Even though he didn't believe the Quilette legends about 'cold ones', his body knew.

"Jake! We're here, where would you like us to meet you?", I heard her ask him. I also heard the excitement in her voice and swallowed back the venom that tried to collect in my mouth. It wasn't purposeful, just my reaction to anytime another male that wanted her was in contact with her.

"Got it, see you in a few", she said as she clicked off the phone.

"He's in the garage, just like I thought he'd be. He always insisted on fine tuning the day before the race. Did you bring the paperwork with you?", she said as she looked down at her hands.

"Edward, you really don't have to do this you know. I feel . . . " , I cut her off, reaching for one of the hands she was fiddling with on her lap.

"Baby, we have gone over and over this. It is OUR money, not just mine, and we both really want to see him succeed. I owe him as much as you do. He kept you safe for me. Well . . . except for that last race", I said as the frown caused my brow to crease.

"You know that was in no way his fault, Edward", she quickly added.

"I do know that, I do. It's just that you getting hurt, well, I'm not very rational about that, you know how I am", I spoke softly to her.

"Yes, I really do know how you are, sweetheart", she said as she stroked my forearm with the hand I wasn't holding, "and I love you for it. But I just want to make sure that you know that we don't have to do this."

"Bella, we have more money than we can ever use. Even if we didn't, Alice and I can buy stocks and replenish funds quicker than you can believe. I want to do this for him and I think you do, too", I reassured her.

"Okay then. Do you want to tell him here, or should we wait till tonight or tomorrow at the track?"

"Well, if we give it to him today, do you think it will throw him off his game for the race tomorrow?", I asked.

"No, but lets wait till he finished with the bikes, does all his adjustments, then we can take him to dinner and tell him. Does that work for you?"

"Anything you want works for me, baby", I told her as I parked and took time to brush the hair away from my favorite spot just under her ear so that I could kiss it.

There was a noise from outside and Bella's car door opened quickly. Jake literally pulled her out of the car and into a hug.

"Jake!", a startled Bella called out, "Jake I'm so glad to see you!"

"I'm the one that's glad to see you, chicka! I've missed you! I hate sleeping in bed alone", he said with a smirk as he looked over the car to meet my stare.

"Jake!", she said as she smacked him hard on the shoulder. Way to make my husband like you!"

"It's alright, baby", I said with a smirk. It's not like we sleep in bed anyway", I retorted.

"Ha! You got me there! How are you, Edward?", Jake said as he put my wife down and reached to shake my hand.

"Good, good. How is everything here, I hear you do no wrong . . . winning every race! That's just amazing, Jake. Congratulations, man!", I offered a fist bump. Jake and I were actually becoming good friends. What else could explain my letting him made a comment like he just had and live. I just shook my head at how soft I was becoming.

After all the appropriate squeals and admiration for the bikes, we headed off to find the rest of our family and get settled into the hotel, leaving Jake to finish up his work on the bikes. We were meeting for dinner in just a few hours and Bella wanted a quick nap before hand. Well, she said she wanted a nap. I knew she wanted me in bed to reassure me that she was mine and to make sure I understood about Jake. I understood and I trusted my wife, but I would enjoy her reassurance just the same.

~oooOooo~

"Alice! We'll be out in a minute", Bella called out from the shower. Alice had come to our suite at the hotel and had discovered us in the shower. Six months ago, it would have mortified her to talk to someone while her legs were wrapped around my waist and we were in the shower together.

I sucked on her earlobe gently as I traced kisses along her jaw to her mouth. Her breathing was rapid now, she would not be able to hold out much longer. I increased the pace as she raked her nails down my back and pulled at my hair, trying to consume as much of me as possible, as I did her.

"I love you, you know", she whispered into my ear.

"I know, baby. I really do know that. And I am so in love with you", I told her as we sank to the floor of the shower, her legs still tight around me.

"Enough of the lovey stuff you guys!", Alice called to us as she banged on the bathroom door. "I just came to tell you that we were all going hunting, if you wanted to come!"

"Alice", Bella said as I opened the bathroom door and stepped out in a towel, "You know I don't hunt yet!"

"Not you!", she said exasperatedly, "I thought Edward might like to get a quick bite before you go to dinner with the humans."

"No, Alice. I'm okay, but thanks. We'll see you guys in the morning before the race. Is everyone here then?", Edward asked her.

"Carlisle and Esme will be here in 17 minute, and we will leave for the park. Sure you don't want to come?", she asked again.

"Alice, have you seen that I need to come?"

"No, no, of course not. I would tell you something like that. It is very unnerving to me, though, that what happens at the race tack is fuzzy. I can't seem to see anything at all that includes Jacob and I need to find out why that is!", Alice said with a worried look on her face.

"Well, we will see you tomorrow then", I said as I closed the door behind her and remembered to lock it this time.

Bella flopped down on the bed laughing and I crawled on all fours over her to kiss her lips.

~oooOooo~

"Longhorn Steaks, I love it!", Jake said approvingly of the restaurant Edward had chosen, "Now if you had only brought the R8!"

"Tomorrow, Jake. The R8 only seats two, and we wanted to be able to drive you, that's why we borrowed Carlisles' Mercedes to dinner with us."

Bella had really seemed to enjoy her meal, and from the thoughts I could pick out of Jacobs head, so had he. He was enjoying my wife's' company just a little more than I liked, but I was determined not to let my jealously creep into our evening. My wife had assured me that there was nothing to be jealous of and I was going to trust her.

"Any new leads on who sabotaged the bike Bella was riding?"

"No, nothing. It doesn't even make sense. No one saw anyone near the bikes. The security tapes show nothing unusual and there are just no clues", Jacob said.

"I don't think anyone was after me", Bella added to the conversation, "It had to be a rival racer or someone that was an enemy of Dale's. There is just no other reason to do something like that."

"Jake, do you still have those security tapes?", I asked him.

"Sure. In fact, I have copies at the shop. We can look at them tomorrow after the race if you want", Jacob offered.

"I would like that. I just want to see if there is anything that I might pick up on on the tapes, especially if we run them in slow motion", I said.

Bella looked at me questioningly. I know it bothered her that anyone would try to kill someone just for the sake of winning a race, and I need to know that that really was the reason, that it wasn;' anything intended directly towards Bella. We dropped the subject and continued to chat about happenings in our lives and his, from the last races he participated in to our adventures on our road trip home from Forks.

"Sam Uley really wants to hear from you, Jake. You should give him a call", Bella told Jacob.

Jacobs thoughts were interesting. He knew that he was supposed to be the next chief of the Quilette tribe, and he knew exactly the details that Sam need him for. He was hiding from it, not willing to pick up the heritage that was being handed to him. It wasn't that he was scared, it was just that he felt there were more things outside of tribal life that he wanted to try.

"I know, I know, Bells. I'll call him some time soon. I just don't want to deal with all of that - and I see it in your face, you want to talk about the fact that I am supposed to be chief. Just don't. We already had tat talk on the phone!", Jacob said emphatically.

"Okay, Chief Jacob", Bella chided, "but eventually you have to talk to me about it."

Conversation died down after that, and after the plates had been cleared, and dessert had been ordered by the two of them, I pulled a manila envelope from the seat beside me and placed it on the table. Bella noticed immediately, knowing what was coming.

"Jake", I started the conversation, "Bella and I have something for you."

I slid the envelope towards him. His thoughts were all over the place. He really had no idea and we seemed to have pulled this one off with him having not a clue. He opened the package and pulled out the neatly packaged legal documents with the artwork Bella had designed on the cover.

"Black, LLC?", he asked staring at me.

Bella was the one to answer. "Jake, we want you to have your own company, your own racing team if that's what you want. I can retain a part ownership in it. if you like, and we would be business partners!"

Jake looked at Edward suspiciously. "You're serious with this?"

"Yes", I said flatly. "We both want to see you succeed and believe you have talent and I want to show you my thanks for being there for her . . . when I wasn't. I owe you everything, Jake, and this is only a small offering compared to what you did for her."

"I didn't do it for money, or for you. You know that, right. I love Bella and I wanted to see her happy", Jake spoke slowly, "And you know as well as I do that I wanted her for myself."

My blood, had I had any, would have been boiling. Jake looked at Bella, really looked deeply into her eyes.

"I wish I could have brought out the same smile, the same glimmer in her eyes that she has when she sees or talks about you, but it never happened", he looked directly at me, "It was always you, Edward. She always wanted only you and I'm glad now that you two have each other."

He looked down at the papers and his eyes grew wide.

"Jake, we want you to have this. It's no big deal, really, and I want to do this with you!"

"Edward, you've set up the bank accounts and company already and put two million dollars in the account? I can't believe this and I definitely can't accept it!"

"You absolutely will accept it Jacob Black and it was both of our ideas. Believe it or not, this amount of money is not even a problem. Edward has made some very good investments and we want you to have this. You're an amazing mechanic and you need your own racing team, or mechanic shop, or whatever. You are free to use the money for any type of business that you want."

"Bella . . . Edward . . . I just have no idea of what to even say", Jake looked lost.

"Say yes, Jake! You rally have no choice anyway, I'm not giving in!", Bella demanded.

We dropped Jacob of at his hotel with a multitude of hugs and promises for making the business successful and paying us back. He was actually in shock for the most part and we were both glad we had done this for him. He had deserved a chance at becoming all that he could be and he was important to both of us as he had been there to support Bella. For now, he had a race to think about for tomorrow and Bella was excited to be at the track again. I was worried that she was a little too excited. I didn't want her riding no matter what as the memory of almost loosing her in that crash came painfully into view in my memory.

~oooOooo~

**WELCOME TO ROCKINGHAM!**

It was everywhere, the words welcoming racing fans to the track. We were all excited, but none more than Rosalie and Emmett. We all gathered at the VIP reception area and waited for the officiants to arrive and tell us where they wanted us. Bella was taken to seating down front, right at the edge of the tracks in front of the stands, and we were shown to seats in the front few rows. It wasn't long till Jacob, Dale and the other team members arrived and took their sets behind Bella.

"This is exciting, Edward", Carlisle leaned over and said quietly into my ear, "Esme and I are so very happy for you, happy that you finally found her, son."

"I know, dad. I never thought it would happen, that I could possibly be this happy. She is everything I ever wanted and lots of things that I didn't even know I wanted. She surprises me at every turn", I told my father.

"Yes, she certainly does accept us in every way, doesn't she. Quite a remarkable young woman, Edward. Definitely a challenging match for you, son", he said as he chuckled.

Over the intercom, clear as day, the announcement came-

_**And the new rider of the year award goes to Bella Swan!**_

_This little lady is just 19 years old and ladies and gentlemen, _

_she ha a hell of a career in front of her!_

Bella approached the stand to accept the trophy and whispered something in the speakers ear as she shook his hand and took the trophy from him. My heart sank a little. Bella Swan. I hadn't thought of her as Bella Swan in a very long time, and I wanted her known as Cullen, my wife . . . mine.

**Excuse me, folks, that's Bella Cullen!**

**Seems the little lady is spoken for and wants us to know it!**

**Well, Congratulations Bella and we hope to see much more of you in the racing world!**

She knew. She felt the same way I did, she was mine and she wanted it known. God I loved that woman! We all encircled her after the award, Emmett lifting her to his shoulders and carrying her around.

"Congratulations Bella!", Jasper offered as he patted her legs on Emmetts' shoulder.

"You did great, sis", Alice offered as Rosalie joined in on the praise.

"We are so proud of you, Bella". Esme said.

"Yes, we are very proud of you! As your doctor as well as your father-in-law, I just don't ever want to see you going that fast on a motorcycle again. I don't think even my stone heart could take it!", said Carlisle as he lifted her off of Emmett's shoulders and hugged her to him.

I grabbed her myself and kissed her. "I am so proud of you, baby, and thank you", I whispered to her, "I love that you corrected him about your name."

"No, sweetheart, thank you. I love being married to you, Edward, and I want everyone to know that I'm a Cullen now!"

"So, can we go down to the pits, Bella? Can you get me in to see the bikes?", Rosalie asked excitedly.

"I can, Rosalie, but Jacob only gave me the two passes, one for me and one for Edward."

"Go ahead", Edward said, "I can stay here with the rest of the family while you show her the motorcycles. She will go nuts if she doesn't get a close up view, anyway!"

**Ladies and Gentlemen,**

**if you will all take your seats, **

**the races are about to begin!**

"My family and I found our way to our seats, just down the line a bit in one of the front row boxes. We had a great view from here, and the races were about to begin. I was worried about just how loud it was going to be this close to the track, our hearing after all amplified each little sound and as I remembered from before, the bikes were incredibly loud."

The first race went off in just a few minutes, Dale's new rider, James had won again. That name really got to me. Ever since the episode with the tracker by that name and Bella almost being killed in Phoenix, I could hardly stand to hear that name. I had Alice keeping an eye out for Victoria, of course, since we had heard nothing from her since. I still had an odd suspicion that she had something to do with Laurent being on the Quilette reservation last spring when the wolves had tracked and killed him, and with Billy's death. I really wish I had been there to catch that scent and see if she had anything to do with his death.

As they set up for the next race, the officiant came over the loud speaker with an announcement.

**Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat today.**

**Bella Cullen will be riding for team Dale in the next race this afternoon!**

**Riders, start your motors!**

I stood as still as a statue. There was no way I would make it to her in time to stop her. If I had a heart, it would surely have stopped beating in that moment.

I starred at the form of the girl, it was obviously a girl, on the bike. Her face was completely hidden by the full face helmet and her body covered from head to toe in riding leathers that appeared to be brand new. The lights changed and the bikes roared to life.

She was flying down the drag strip reaching speeds I didn't even want to think about. Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder and I felt Jasper doing his best to calm everyone. Alice's hand covered her mouth as she gasped. The bike flipped. The damned bike veered off to one side and flipped side to side this time, not end over end like it had when Bella had almost been killed at the race in June when I had found her. The rider tumbled straight on down the strip as the bike went to one side, then crashed into the safety fencing, taking part of the fence down with it.

Carlisle and I were already moving. My phone was ringing but I didn't care. The others were moving at a fast human pace, but Carlisle and were literally flying down to the wreck, not caring that we were moving too fast and in fact moving so fast that we could not possibly have been seen. As we approached the last protective fencing between us and the leather clad figure on the ground we slowed. Several things happened at once. We both realized as we reached the leather covered body on the ground, that there was no heartbeat. As I placed my hand over the throat of the girl on the track, her scent reached my nose and she moved. In fact, she sat up just as Jacob and the ambulance arrived. She opened the visor of her helmet and I starred straight into the amber eyes of my sister, Rosalie.

I have never smiled so big in my life.

She stood and held both hands up in a victory symbol, letting the crowd know that she was alright and Jacob hustled her and us into the waiting ambulance while the rest of the crew tended to the bike. Once in the ambulance, she removed her helmet and struggled out of the leather outfit. Bella stepped forward from the front of the ambulance. I had not even noticed her i was so rattled.

"Bella!", I whispered almost reverently. She held me while I literally shook from the fear I had just experienced.

"Sweetheart, I would have talked to you first if I wanted to ride. Baby, you know that we agreed to discuss everything. Calm down, baby, it's alright. I'm fine", she said as she hugged me to her ans softly stroked my hair and bent over where I was sitting on the bench seat.

"How about helping me get this outfit on before they open that door and find out that Rose really rode the bike", she said urgently. My phone beeped telling me that I had a message - and the caller ID said that the call was from Bella. She looked at it and softly told me that she had tried to call and let me know that it was Rose and not her on the bike.

"What the hell happened, anyway, Rose?", Jacob asked.

"I have no idea. The bike just all of a sudden veered off to the left and I dove forward and rolled! Looked good though, didn't it!", Rosalie smirked.

I read her mind though. The story sounded good to Jacob and everyone else, but her mind told me the truth and I held Bella even tighter. One of our kind had run out across the track and literally kicked the bike as he flew past it, crossing the track before there was any way he could have been seen. My God, It was Bella that they were after and I was sure this time that Victoria was indeed at the root of it all.

"Rose", Emmett boomed as he helped us from the ambulance, "I can't believe you did that! I heard the conversation on your way back down the track! Thank God it was you and not little sis, though, She isn't very durable yet!"

Rose slapped him on the shoulder before throwing her arms around him and giving him a passionate kiss.

The last races finished up and we were all gathering for the presentation of the winners trophies, Dale's team having taken the championship for the year.

**Racing fans, we have one final presentation to make.**

**Would Mrs. Bella Cullen please come to the winners circle.**

I went with her. There was no way I was budging an inch away from her with all that had happened and Jake felt the same way.

**Bella, the All Harley Drag Racing Association**

**would like to present you with this **

**brand new Harley Davidson Springer FXSTS motorcycle**

**with its wishes for all the best for you in your future endeavors!**

She was speechless. She took the microphone and called me to her side. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, AHDRA associates and you the race fans for all your love and support! Thank you, I love the bike!", she spoke with assurance and authority. God, I really loved this woman!

Jacob lifted her to his shoulders and the crowd cheered wildly. When we returned to the pits, Jacob pushing the new bike for her, Dale was there to greet us.

"Thanks for riding, Bella. I can't tell you what that amount of publicity is going to do for the team. I just can't believe that there was another accident! So far, we can find nothing wrong with the bike, you say it just veered off to the left?"

Rosalie answered him. "Yes," putting her hand on his shoulder and escorting him toward the crumbled mass of bike on the garage floor, "The bike just moved to the left, nothing out of the ordinary hardware wise, it just behaved as if someone had come from the side and kicked it, hard."

"Well that's just something", Dale exclaimed, "That's really just something. Wonder what the hell made it act like that?"

"Jacob, nice to see you again", Carlisle offered, "I think we have all had a very busy day and we are headed back to the hotel. Will we see you later?"

"Yes, I'll be by in the morning to see you all off. Bella, what will you do with the bike?", Jacob asked.

"It's a beautiful bike - 'gun metal pearl' isn't it?", Rose said, having just walked back over to where we stood in the garage leaving Dale and Martin to continue going over the bike with the officials

"It sure is, Rose! I love that shade of blue!", Bella added, lovingly stroking the gas tank of the bike.

"Well, one of us can ride it home! I really love the bike, but I'm not so sure my husband would survive if I rode it myself just now!", Bella said as she put both arms around my waist and hugged tightly to me, "I'm sure one of my siblings will volunteer, Rose?"

"Damn right I'll ride it home. No bike is getting the best of me!", Rose glowered and then added so softly that only the vampires stood a chance of hearing, "And there will be no one to kick the damned thing out from under me!"

~oooOooo~

I had almost stopped shaking inside as my wife held me. We had made love several times since returning from the track and I knew that she really was unhurt. It had just brought back so much of the torment that her wreck near Atlanta had caused. I could never survive loosing this woman, and now I knew that Victoria was still on her trail, trying to take her from me. She had to be the one behind this.

"Baby, why don't we go ahead and use that honeymoon that your parents gave us. I know we just came back from a road trip vacation, but after what happened today, I think time completely alone in a safe place would be good for us", Bella purred in my ear as she lay stretched out over my chest, her naked body warming mine.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. We could get Emmett and Rose and Jasper and Alice to come along and stay in town, just in case we needed them. It would be a vacation for us all and somehow, we all still need one!", I tried even to laugh as I said it, but there was no humor in my eyes.

I was really beginning to look forward to Bella becoming immortal and perhaps I could convince her that Isle Esme was the perfect place for that to happen. I wasn't at all sure about waiting the two months till after Christmas. I almost started daydreaming . . . maybe it would only be a couple of weeks till I could be with her like I wanted to be . . . like we needed to be, with her immortal, too.


	24. Chapter 24 Decisions

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 24 Decisions**

**Emmett POV**

"We have to get one of these!"

"What, baby?"

"One of these bikes, Emmett! We NEED to have them!", Rose demanded as she placed the helmet on the counter in the garage.

She had ridden the bike in and parked in center stage in 'her' garage. It was a joke among us, the garage that is. In every house that Esme designed, Carlisle had a study, Alice had a closet at least as large as her bedroom, Jasper had an office to keep the family paperwork running smoothly from ( id's and credentials and names that we juggled had to be kept sorted, Edward handled the money and investments), I had a huge flat screen to play video games on, Edward had a piano and Rose had the garage. Totally. I mean, we were allowed to park our cars in there, of course, but they had better be clean and you could eat off of the floor in there - well, that's what the humans say any way.

This particular garage wasn't as large as her normal ones. It had room for about six cars: her convertible, Esme's Jaguar, Edward's Vanquish, Alice's Porsche, Carlisle's Mercedes and the center stage work area. The Vanquish had been moved to Edward's new house, finally making room for my jeep if I ever managed to bring it home from the Forks house. Good thing Eddie had built that extra garage, otherwise the Volvo and Bella's R8 would have been sitting outside in the snow all winter and even the thought of that made me laugh. Hell, he would widen the living room door and just bring the damn car in the house if he had to rather than leave it sit outside in the weather!

Anyway, the walls were lined with pristine work areas and cabinets holding every tool ever made in perfect order. Rose turned and stood with her hands on her hips eying the place. I knew that look.

"Emmett, which way do you think we should go with the expansion, to the side or just deepen the garage?", she asked.

I knew it. I just knew it. Now it starts, we'd be building on again by morning if she had her way. I thought I had better head this off and make my life easier from the onset.

"Rose, don't you need special lifts and tools to effectively work on those things?"

"Well, of course you do, but I figured I could just add that here in this space", she answered.

"But if you do that, then you don't have your car work space anymore, baby. You love pulling whatever you're working on to this area and fiddling with it with all the tools you need handy. I think you should just pick a spot outside and build an addition that houses only motorcycles and bike repair equipment, kind of a garage just for the motorcycles. Don't you need special tools and shit anyway for them?", I asked her.

Then I came to my senses, "Wait, Rose, this is Bella's bike. Are you planning what I think you are planning, because I think Eddie will be ready to lite your pyre himself if you encourage Bella to ride before he changes her!"

"I'm just thinking ahead. It takes a few months to custom order bikes anyway, you know. It will even take awhile for everyone to decide which model they want and what extras and the color . . ."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a kiss, "I love you, Rosie. You have this all planned, don't you. Everyone will love this, baby. I'll build the garage you want for you as a Christmas present, how about that."

"Oh hell no!", she slapped at me playfully as I kissed down her neck, "You're not getting out of getting me a new piece of jewelry for Christmas that easily!"

We walked to the house to join the others already inside.

"Watch how you bring this up to Edward", Alice squealed in delight as she literally bounded up and down, "He's going to need some time to get used to the idea of us being a motorcycle family but it will help in the long run, he needs to loosen up and get over Bella's wreck!"

"Motorcycle family?", Carlisle and Esme both looked at us questioningly.

"Sure! Rose wants to add a motorcycle garage and have everyone pick out the model they want so we can order it. Motorcycles are the way, even you can look hot on one, Carlisle! Just think how many of the nurses will go nuts over you when you show up for work on a bike", Emmett said.

"Great, son. Don't you think I have enough trouble now looking the age I'm supposed to be without adding me on a bike to the mix?"

"Nah, old guys ride all the time. I was reading in one of those HOG magazines at the track that a guy that was 93 had ridden in from Alaska to see the final race. A human guy 93! Imagine that, Carlisle. If he could pull it off, surely you can look old on a bike!"

"There is just no end to the stupid things that come out of your mouth sometimes Emmett Cullen!", Rosalie exclaimed, "Now hush before you turn everyone off on the idea before I have a chance to talk to the about it!"

"How about we all go on a hunt?", Rose asked looking around, " Are Edward and Bella not back yet?"

"They headed to their house as we pulled up, but we can all stop by there and see if Edward wants to go, I'm sure he's thirsty after all the excitement yesterday!", Jasper added, "He probably really needs to go."

~oooOooo~

**Rosalie POV**

"Cover up, the party is here!", Emmett bellowed as he knocked loudly then immediately opened the front door and walked in.

"Edward, could you come down here for a minute?", Carlisle called to him.

Sure enough they both appeared on the staircase, a pair of pajamas between them.

"You guys are serious? You're killing me here. Didn't I build a separate house for a reason, like, privacy?", Edward asked with a growl. We had obviously interrupted what they had just started.

"You did, brother and we helped you, remember? We just thought you would need to go hunting. We're all going and you're finished for now anyway, right, I mean you feel satiated to me!", Jasper retorted.

He knew exactly how Edward was feeling, of course, and by the way he was starting to stroke Alice's arm, they needed to leave quickly before lust overtook him.

"Come on Edward, go with them! I want to stay and talk to Bella about something anyway, alone", I said.

Edward kissed her lips and was gone in a flash, hopefully to dress, as Bella came on down the stairs and gestured me to follow her into the kitchen. The coffee had just started dripping as Edward, now dressed in jeans and a t shirt, came in to kiss her bye, the rest of the family waiting out on the porch.

"Be back shortly, baby. Are you sure you don't mind me going?", he asked as he playfully nibbled her neck and earlobe, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"Go, get out of here! When have I ever minded you feeding yourself, silly vampire. I need you to have energy for later . . .", Bella purred to him.

"Oh My God, Bella, he'll never leave if you talk to him like that. Go, get out Edward, you're annoying", I told him as I sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen counter.

Bella finished pouring herself a cup of coffee and came to sit at the counter opposite me.

"What's up, Rose?", she asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for letting me ride for you at the track", I told her in all sincerity.

"You're welcome, Rose. It was fun, wasn't it!"

"It was awesome on the bike, in spite of the damned accident. I feel bad that Edward thought it was you on the bike, though. It really seemed to shake him up. It kind of took me back to how he was while he was away from you and I never want to go through that again, he was unbearable to us as well as to himself."

"I guess I should have called and actually gotten him on the phone instead of leaving a message but Rose, honestly, he has to trust me. He has to trust us."

"Whatever you say, but I'm sorry for my part in upsetting him . . . it was really fun to ride though! I thought I would die when you told Dale you would ride in one race for him, did you see the look on his face?", I asked.

"Yea, and did you see the look on Jake's face when I asked you to come into the dressing room with me! He acted like it was hot or something. Good timing though, I can't wait till I have hearing as good as yours. Coming out dressed just as they all left the garage so that you could walk down with them with the helmet on, that was perfect!", Bella said.

"Well, I had a great time and the timing was perfect, wasn't it. Bella, I wanted to talk to you about getting bikes for everyone. I thought maybe that if Emmett and I built the garage, you would go in on ordering and buying bikes for Christmas. It would be the perfect gift from you and even Edward could not object to your riding after you're one of us", I offered enthusiastically.

"You know, as long as I promised not to ride till I'm more . . . durable, as he says, how could he object! But Rose, how can I buy such expensive gifts?", Bella said as her brow furrowed and she sipped her coffee.

"Bella, please. Bikes are only twenty thousand or so each. Not even noticeable after subtracted from the monthly account and you know it. You need to get used to having money, sister. We all had to get used to it. Besides, Alice spends more than that each month on clothing and she gives it away after she wears it a time or two! You could not possibly spend what she does, believe me."

"I guess so. It just seems so strange to me. Should we let them pick the bikes they want or should we pick them for them, what do you think?"

"I say lets pick for them, you know the styles and models, right, and I can give you input on what I think they would like. We could get each of them a different bike with the style and colors matching the individual. We better hurry, she said taking a list of all available bikes and options from her jacket, we need them in only a month and we will probably have to bribe someone to get them that fast!", I laughed as I opened the list and took out a notepad.

"You know that Edward will know what's going on, but let me do the ordering for his bike and I won't tell you any of the details. That way, even though he will know he's getting one, he will have no idea of the type or color. He is so into cars and I'm learning to appreciate them, but it will be fun to give him something that I know more about than he does!", Bella said as she excitedly started jotting down options and colors. I want to order Jake one as well", Bella said.

"Are you sure that won't be a problem with Edward, I mean, you know how jealous he is", I asked.

"It will be fine, Rose, I think they are even starting to become friends."

Huh. I wondered if she was taking into account the fact that Jacob, as the next chief of the tribe, was probably a werewolf. I wasn't sure how much she knew about the treaty between us and the Quilettes, and I would have to remember to ask Edward about it. Werewolves and vampires becoming friends was a very unlikely scenario indeed.

We sat there in the kitchen, Bella occasionally fixing herself toast or eggs or such, while we hammered out all the details for each and every bike that we wanted to order. I would take care of the details for the bike garage and storage area and we would be all set.

I was really starting to see why Edward was so into this little human. She could be fiercely loyal, even as a human. She was adventurous and fucking fearless as far as I could see. She had immediately agreed to marry him not half an hour after seeing him in the hospital, gone against her family to do so, moved to an unfamiliar house with him to recover from the accident, stood up to her father and told him to get out of her house for insulting Edward, seen him hunt and it had done just the opposite of scaring her - it had turned her on.

She was adapting to having all her private moments known to us all because of our hearing and Alice's gift. She had even taken me to the garage at the track when I asked to see it and gone along with the plan to let me ride in the race for her, hell, she had come up with the plan! Most importantly, she was good for Edward. He was happy and I would do anything to keep him that way.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

"What makes you think this is all Victoria, son?", I asked as we all gathered on a grouping of rocks overlooking the valley below us and the mountains in the distance.

"Think about it, dad - the wolves killed Laurent, who was probably sent by Victoria to check on Bella; Billy was killed in retaliation, probably by Victoria; Bella's accident was no accident, the bike was sabotaged; the car that crashed into the restaurant where we were sitting smelled of vampire; Jessica's body being drained and now someone 'kicked' the bike they thought Bella was riding in order to cause an accident! Too many coincidences", Edward stated calmly.

We were all in agreement then, just deciding what could be done to insure Bella's safety, when we noticed Alice staring off into the distance with her eyes glassed over.

"Alice, baby, what do you see?", Jasper asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"He's right. Edward is right. When you put it like that, it all makes sense. I see her and she has decided", Alice calmly stated.

"What had she decided, Alice? What do you see?", Edward asked not so calmly.

"She had decided to take care of this herself, to kill Bella herself."

Edward's growl temporily interfered with hearing Alice.

"Her newborn . . . Riley is his name, he keeps messing it up, making mistakes. She has stayed out of it to keep me from seeing, but she is tired of waiting and just decided that she would do it herself! When Laurent spent time in Denali he must have found out how my gift works from our cousins and told her - that's the only explanation for how she has handled this", Alice said.

"Can you see what she is planning, Alice"., I asked.

"Yes, she is irate because the newborn, Riley, messed it up yesterday. He left the track after the accident without making sure it was Bella! They lost our trail when we left and have no idea where we live."

"Thank God for that!", Esme added.

"Yes, but it gives us no advantage if we don't know when to look for her or where she will be", Jasper added, always the tactical military man.

"She is watching Jacob. She is planning on following him, thinking he will give her a clue, drop a name or an address that she can follow. It's her only lead", Alice said as she turned to Edward.

"Call Jacob and make sure he doesn't write down where we live anywhere. Let him just contact us with the cell phones, they are still registered in Washington State, not here in Highlands. We just have to be careful and take care of this when Jacob comes for Christmas, she'll follow him then and we will have our chance."

"Well, we better plan carefully then to have Jacob here apart from the other humans, no need to endanger anyone else before we take care of her!", I said.

Everyone stared at me and I knew why.

"Yes, I said 'take care of her'", I quietly admitted, "She is a threat to my family and though I know you are all surprised that I advocate ending her existence, sometimes it seems to be the only way. She hasn't stopped yet, so we have to stop her. There are some people, vampire and human alike, that have no regard for anything and just need to not exist."

**EPOV**

Hearing my father speak of ending the existence of any creature came as a shock. It spoke volumes about how intense his feelings were for his family. Obviously, he saw no other way to insure the safety of the ones he loved . . . no way to deter Victoria from her attempts at murdering my wife, other than to destroy her. I was so blessed to be in this family, to have had him save me and to be considered his son.

It was not so long ago that I would not have realized just how blessed I was. I thought I didn't have a soul. Carlisle had argued that I did. He had convinced me to go on a quest to find out for ourselves. It had taken years to learn the ancient languages so that we could decipher ancient documents in their original form. We had spent years in dusty dark dungeons around the world where old scrolls were kept that had insight into religious beliefs and vampire legends. Nothing had ever convinced me, till I looked into the eyes of my wife and saw a glimpse of what she saw, a glimpse of my soul. She had saved me and I was not about to let anything happen to her.

We were all quite full as we walked back toward my house. I was sure my eyes were lighter than they had been in a long time when I walked to the kitchen and put my arms around my wife.

"Are you ladies having fun?", I asked as I watched them shuffle papers quickly out of sight.

"Just planning for Christmas, Edward! Can't we get any privacy from you!", Rose fussed.

She was blocking me, effectively this time. I wasn't worried, I would find out eventually but she had picked the perfect co-conspirator. I still could not read Bella's mind at all.

"Well, now that we are all together, I have a suggestion for us. Bella and I would like to take advantage of the honeymoon trip that Carlisle and Esme gave Bella for her birthday, but we would like all of you to come and party in Rio with us first!", I said as I sat beside my wife.

Bella was still wearing just my pajama shirt that she had come downstairs in this morning and I was finding that quite distracting, as I added "I especially think now is a good time because we would all be close together if there is a problem from Victoria. Surely she would never be able to track us there, but just in case!"

"So you want us to be the guard dogs while you and Bella do nothing but run naked on the beach and have sex for a couple of weeks, am I getting the gist of this, brother?". Emmett asked.

My temper flared, everyone turned to stare at me. Normally I would have blown up at my ridiculously insensitive brother, but Bella put her hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes before turning to him and answering for me, "Yes, Emmett, you have the idea I think."

Everyone laughed and I looked down at my wife, then to my family sheepishly as I laughed as well, "It wouldn't just be like that, Emmett! We could all stay in Rio for a few days then you could even go hunting python and anacondas like you always talked about. There are lots of exotic things to hunt there and lots of nightclubs for Rose and Alice to enjoy. I know that Carlisle and Esme love the scenery as well as the shopping there!"

"For once Edward is right", Rose chimed in, "Rio would be a lot of fun and we do need to be close enough that we could get to them if need be. I for one would love the nightclubs, and Alice and i could shop like crazy!"

"Alice, what do you think", Jasper asked. She paused for a moment, eyes glassed over, then started squealing, "Yes! Rio would really be fun for all of us!"

"You know that I have to stay here, I can't get time away from the hospital just now", Carlisle said, "but perhaps Esme and I could join you for a long weekend in a couple of weeks, would that work for everyone?"

"Excellent. I'll make the travel arrangements and we can leave in a day or two if that's alright with everyone!", I said as I hugged Bella to my side.

I followed my family outside to say goodbye as Bella finished up the dishes from her dinner. We had been gone much longer than I had intended, as she had been having breakfast when we left! Rose winked at her as she was leaving, papers folded and tucked neatly under her arm reminding me that they were up to something.

~oooOooo~

"So, wife, would you like to tell me what is going on in that sneaky little head of yours, or do I have to torture it out of you?", I asked as I reached around her from behind as she was finishing up with a plate in the sink.

My hands just happened to find a button loose in the front and managed to connect with the soft skin of her stomach before she turned to face me.

"Mr. Cullen! You are being quite forward this evening, just because your wife is dying to have you, is that just cause to go unbuttoning her shirt!", Bella said with a serious tone looking me dead in the eye.

"Did you just . . . no . . . you just said . . . Bella! Did you just say you were . . . you were dying to have me?", I stuttered, absolutely flabbergasted that she had verbally said such a thing out loud.

"That's right! Now!", she declared with her hands on her hips and her hips cocked to one side.

My Bella had NEVER talked to me like that before and it was more of a turn on than I could ever have imagined!

"Oh, now you've done it," I said, tossing her over my shoulder and heading up the stairs toward our bedroom. She struggled and accused me of abusing my strength against her and slapped me on the buttock. She SLAPPED my butt! What the hell? Who was this banshee that I had over my shoulder and what had she done with my wife?

I tossed her unceremoniously onto our bed as she continued to protest my manhandling her.

"Wouldn't that be vampire handling you, my love?', I asked as I straddled her and started unbuttoning my shirt that she was wearing.

"Edward! I hate it when you vampire handle me!"

"You're in denial, love. You love when I do this", I said as my hands caressed her face, "and this", I said as I settled myself comfortably horizontal above her,"and even this", I said as I gently kissed her, rocking my hips into her generating the friction that I knew she loved.

My wife came unglued, writhing and calling out my name . . . and I hadn't even gotten started yet.

"Edward, Oh My God, Edward!", she screamed, grabbing my face in her hands, lifting her head off the bed and staring me straight in the eyes again.

"I really really love you, you cocky vampire!"

Dear God, I had no idea what was with her tonight, but who was I to question it!

"Is this what you wanted inside, love?", I said, as she watched me intently.

She stared at me like I was her last meal . . . and she licked her lips. Licked her lips.

I covered her body with mine . . . and made love to my wife, for the rest of the evening. I could make the travel arrangements in the morning, right now I was in paradise and had no need of anything else.


	25. Chapter 25 Isle Esme

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 25 Isle Esme**

**BPOV**

"All packed, Bella, are you ready to go yet?", the little spiky haired pixie asked as she appeared in the doorway of my bedroom. I had just come out of the bathroom and I stood there, still putting clothing into a suitcase for Edward and I as she stared awkwardly at me.

"What, Alice? What's the look for?"

"What are you doing?", she asked.

"Alice, what does it look like I'm doing. We're leaving in an hour and I just have to finish up packing for Edward and me."

She looked at me like I had just run over her puppy, stroking the side of the door frame absently with the palm of her hand as she kicked the point of one shoe nervously into the floor behind her.

This was quite odd behavior for her and it was starting to concern me. I moved to sit on the side of the bed and face her, my attention focused to her.

"What's wrong, Alice?", I queried, cocking my head slightly and trying to get her to make eye contact with me.

Edward appeared behind her in the hall and scooted past her in the doorway, commenting to her as he approached me for a kiss, "Its all in the trunk, Alice, but it's a miracle it fit. Maybe next time we should consider bringing a car just for the luggage if you're coming along. I don't even know how one person can need so many clothes just for a couple of weeks. Weren't you going to shop in Rio?"

"The suitcases are for you and Bella as well, Edward, not just for me", she said defensively, "I shopped yesterday and you have an entirely new wardrobe to bring with you to the beach!"

I plopped down on the bed looking exasperated at Alice as I exclaimed, "Is that why you're acting all upset, Alice, because you came upstairs and found me packing our suitcase? You didn't tell me you had packed for us you know, let alone shopped for us. How was I supposed to know, I was just getting us ready to go for heavens sake."

"Bella, you should _know _that I would have taken care of it!"

I looked at Edward expectantly, "Edward, is this why you haven't made any move to pack? I thought I was thinking ahead to pack for you as well, but you never even gave it a thought, did you?"

He smiled sheepishly and replied, "No, love. I never even considered packing, it didn't cross my mind. I guess I have been around the little faerie too long. Whenever we go anywhere, clothing just appears and it's done. I'm a guy, clothes don't matter to me. I suppose I don't even notice anymore that she takes care of it for me."

Alice looked as though he had slapped her. "CLOTHES DON'T MATTER! Have I taught you nothing in 50 years! Edward, as a brother, sometimes you can be a disappointment", Alice almost yelled with a shocked look on her face. She turned to leave, sticking her head back to look around the door at me. "Anyway, are you going to bring those, or are we ready to go?", she added eying the suitcase I was packing with disdain.

"Well, Alice, since I have already packed this . . . and since I know you didn't pack ANY of my comfy t shirts and shorts, I think I'll bring this anyway. At least we'll have some clothes that don't have designer labels on them", I said as I snickered to Edward.

Alice looked from Edward's face to mine and then back to Edward expectantly.

"Oh no, I'm not in the middle of this one", he said as I shut the suitcase and handed it to him, "I like sleeping inside with my wife, so I'll just take this to the car and wait for you both downstairs."

~oooOooo~

"Are they about ready up there", Jasper asked looking like he voiced the question in the entire family's minds as they all stood waiting outside my house.

"I think so, the fireworks seem to be almost over and Bella sent me down with our bag", Edward answered.

"Bag? What the hell? Oh . . . ", Jasper said, realization dawning on him, "Bella packed for you guys didn't she. No wonder I'm getting waves of surprise and disappointment from the house. Alice isn't used to someone else having opinions about clothing."

"Tell me about it. I'm just waiting here. They can sort this out between them, no use in my getting in trouble with either one of them", Edward added as he joined Jasper leaning on the fender of the car with his arms crossed.

Carlisle and Esme looked on, laughing at the two of us cross armed, waiting for our wives, absolutely terrified at the idea of having to enter the house to retrieve either one of them.

"How bad and ferocious is the vampire now", Emmett offered, "I'm pulling his vamp card if he lets the 110 pound human girl own him like this!"

Rose smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"What?", he looked at her like he honestly didn't know what he had done wrong.

"Just hush you big idiot, or you're going to think you are on this trip as a single man", Rose threatened.

Without consulting even one brain cell and showing absolutely NO intelligence whatsoever, Emmett reacted by saying, "All right! Now you're talking!"

It was the first thing he thought, but it should never have been the first thing he said. Rose moved to the other side of the car and asked if she could ride to the airport with us.

"Damn it", Emmett said almost to himself, "I need to watch what comes out of my mouth!"

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

The ride to the airport in Atlanta was uneventful . . . and quiet. Alice and Rose drove Alice's car to the Airport in Atlanta while Emmett and Jasper rode with Bella and me in the Volvo. Jasper wasn't in trouble with Alice, but she was certainly not wanting to spend time with me since I made the comment about clothes not mattering and I hadn't backed her up about the suitcase with Bella. Silly faerie, like I would ever go against my wife about clothing!

The flight on Delta to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, was a nonstop leaving just before 10 pm, but it arrived just before 11 am the next day so the weather forecast was important. Alice had seen that tomorrow would be overcast in Rio and there would be no problems with our being out mid day. I hated these long flights, 10 hours on a plane full of humans was not an easy thing to tolerate, especially for Jasper.

Bella had a late night snack along with a glass of champagne before we asked the stewardess for pillows and blankets. We ended up making out like teenagers under the blanket most of the night, much to the amusement of my siblings.

"Edward, why is that guy holding a card that says _Cullen_?", Bella asked as we came into the main terminal area of the airport, once we exited customs.

"He's here to drive us to the hotel, love", I told her.

The gentleman with the sign took our cart of bags from us and motioned for us to follow him to the limo. Bella looked at me in disbelief.

"A limousine, Edward?", she looked at me like I was out of my mind.

I just shrugged, "Of course, that way we can all ride together and still have a vehicle large enough to accommodate the luggage."

I didn't see the big deal, but then again, I was used to being met by a limo driver. What I was not used to, however, was the overwhelming memories that this airport held for me.

The last time I had been here, less than a year ago, my world was upside down. I was lost. I had been without Bella for over six months. I could barely form a coherent thought, much less an intelligible sentence. I wondered how I was even able to purchase the ticket to Houston, it was no wonder that the reservation agent had a hard time dealing with me, I couldn't have been making much sense, let alone my appearance. I had Alice to thank for reminding me to go and purchase new clothes rather than wear the cobweb covered ones I had been wearing for weeks. I should be more appreciative of Alice, really. She stuck by me during all the insanity and kept me somewhat presentable. I guess I really should not have told her that clothes didn't matter back at the house. I hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. I really should apologise to her.

"You're forgiven, brother", Alice said putting her arm around me and kissing my cheek.

"Alice . . ."

"It's alright, Edward. I saw the apology you were going to make to me and the flowers and I love them! You're forgiven and you're welcome as always," she said squeezing my neck before flitting off to grab Jasper and point to something excitedly in one of the store windows.

"Copacabana Palace, please", I told the driver once we were all in the limo and he had managed to stuff all the suitcases in the trunk and front seat.

"Edward! The Copa? You are really going all out on this, aren't you", Rose commented.

"I just thought since you were coming for us, we could at lest make sure you had comfortable accommodations. They had a three bedroom suite available and I thought it would work for all of us now and there would be room for Carlisle and Esme when they arrive next week. I thought Bella and I would stay here with you guys for a night or two to see the sights in the city!', I explained, if she wants to.

"That sounds like fun! I have never been out of the country before and everything here looks so different!", Bella exclaimed as she watched the scenery outside the window intently.

Our progress slowed to a standstill as the limo stopped in traffic, pedestrians crowding in on all sides.

"Edward, what's the problem? The crowd around us is filled with excitement and . . . lust!", Jasper asked as he stared out the window, amazed at the vast numbers of women trying to get close to the hotel.

"They all appear to be trying to see some movie stars that are staying here, that new film, _Twilight_, one of that series I think", Edward explained, "at last that's what all of these people are thinking about!"

The limo driver had to answer a few questions, as did I when the officer came to the window. It was one of those times when I was glad that my Portuguese was fluent. When we finally made it past the mas hysteria that they called fans, we registered and moved to our suite. The hotel was everything it was supposed to be, elegant and roomy with an amazing view of the ocean and parts of Rio. Our suite took up the entire end of one floor, so we could see East to the ocean as well as North to the city and West to the mountains.

~oooOooo~

I stood put on the balcony looking at the cross on the mountain in the distance as the sun set. We had spent the day touring old churches and admiring the architecture before returning to the hotel for Bella to have dinner and the rest of us to change and get ready to go out to the clubs for the evening.

I couldn't help but digress to that time, months ago, when I had looked at this same cross in the distance with very different thoughts running through my head. I had scoffed at it as it mocked me, a soulless creature of the night damned for all eternity to walk the earth in agony. I had nothing and I thought I deserved nothing. I had even refused to get a hotel room for myself there, choosing to climb into the attic of an abandoned building on the far side of town and lie there, stationary to the point of having cobwebs form across the entire exposed side of me and rats chew on my shoes. I laid there without moving for weeks and would have continued to lie there had it not been for the ringing of my cell phone, the insistent pixie determined to rile me up to the point of answering the phone. My need for Bella won out in the end and it forced me back to some semblance of reality, it forced me to go and find her.

"What are you thinking about so hard, sweetheart?", Bella asked as she walked out onto the balcony and put her hand on my shoulder, snuggling close to my side.

"You", I said as I turned, encircling her with my arms and putting my chin on her shoulder to breath in her delicious scent at my favorite spot just under her ear. She looked at me, knowing I was holding back and I added, "And I was remembering how you saved me from myself here."

"What do you mean, Edward? You are the one who saved me, remember?", she said as her lips brushed against mine and her tongue sought entry. I kissed my wife with every fiber of my being. I didn't care that my brothers and sisters might walk in on us, I didn't care about anything other than her at that moment. I had left Forks, left her to protect her, to save her from me and and the dangers that my world brought to her, but in the end it was she who had done the saving.

She had convinced me of my soul by showing her love for me in so many different ways. Her blind faith in me was unending and it left me with a hope that I had never felt before. If we were truly one soul divided in two bodies, soul mates if you will, than I had no choice but to believe, as she and Carlisle did, that I had a soul, because I had seen hers.

We spent the evening enjoying all the flavors of Rio, the bright costumes of carnival, the majestic old Spanish architecture that was everywhere in the old historic portions of the town, the lively conversation and music in the streets along with the street vendors. It seemed kind of unnecessary to go in to a club, like we would be missing out on the very essence of the city unless we remained in the open, vibrant streets that were alive with people and music and dancing. We found a table for six that was on a slightly raised balcony over the street and Bella had dinner while we each ordered drinks. It seemed almost magical here and it wasn't long before we all wanted to head off to the hotel, or to walk on the beach for some time alone with our mates.

Bella and I entered the hotel for the evening to an onslaught of flash photos being snapped all around us, the photographers apparently mistaking us for the movie couple that was staying there. After accepting their apologies, we headed up to our room. No one was there yet and I took the opportunity to pick my wife up bridal style and hurry into our bedroom to ravish her before anyone else got back, taking full advantage of the privacy to allow all the noises Bella would feel too self conscious making once they were here.

Bella returned from her morning 'human moment' in the bathroom. She had been having more and more of these even in the middle of the night, but the fact that I never needed use of the restroom made her times there stand out, so I really didn't give it too much thought.

"Edward, would you mind if we went on to the island today instead of seeing more of Rio?", Bella asked me as she crawled under the covers and wiggled her naked body closer to me. The sun was just coming in our windows as the morning broke over the ocean, the colors and breeze filling our bedroom.

"Are you not enjoying Rio, Bella?", I asked as I propped my head up on my elbow so that I could look at her face.

"Oh Edward! I love Rio! It's just that, well, we have never been really alone for very long. Other than a couple of nights at your house in Forks, we have always been near family. Not that I don't love family Edward, I really do, but . . . "

I stopped her sentence by covering her lips with mine and pulling her close to me, "I want what you want, love. We can always see some of the city after we spend time on the island, if that's alright with you. I don't want you to miss anything, but I really can't wait to be with just you. I've been trying to share, but I want you alone and naked where no one else can disturb us for days at a time."

**BPOV**

We reached the docks early morning, having said good bye to his family and discussed how we would keep in touch. Alice was watching and she saw no trouble, no signs of Victoria. In fact, she could see Victoria shadowing Jacob, waiting for a clue as to where we were. Thank God she didn't see Victoria as a threat to Jacob.

We walked nearly to the end of the long dock and Edward stopped at a beautiful deep blue Chris Craft speedboat that was docked there. The term speed boat was indeed appropriate for this craft as it looked like it would literally fly across the water with what appeared to be not one but two inboard motors.

I marveled at his prowess in getting the boat ready to leave the dock. I had never heard Edward speak of an interest in boating, or even the sea but he was certainly more than just proficient as he moved to open and stow the cover, check the engine and remove the lines tethering us to the dock.

"Ready to go, love?", he asked as he put our suitcases in the boat and held his hand out for me to step in.

"More than ready, sweetheart", I said, brushing my lips to his as I let my hand trail across the front of his jeans.

"You, Mrs. Cullen, are becoming quite forward!", he said raising one eyebrow as I sat in the passenger seat beside him.

"Not forward, Mr. Cullen, I just have a hard time keeping my hands off my husband. He is so gorgeous."

Edward looked down shyly and I knew that if he could blush, it would be happening. As bold as he tried to make himself out to be, my husband was not experienced at showing or receiving open affection or physical familiarity. He was exactly as new to this as I was, he had just been waiting 90 years for it to occur. He cut his eyes back to the controls, his emotions under control again and all business. He got the boat away from the dock as though he had done it his entire life and we headed out to the open sea. If my geography was correct, the next body of land out there was Africa, and that was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

When we had been flying over the waves for almost an hour, I had to ask, "Are we there yet?"

He laughed at my childishly phrased question, putting his arm around my shoulders and murmuring something about being there in just a few more minutes. About the time I looked over the horizon again, a small rough area on the sea began to show itself. As I looked more intently and we closed the distance towards it, it became clear that it was a small island, well, maybe not so small. The closer we got, of course, the larger it appeared. We pulled to a dock on the North side of the island and one of the most beautiful homes I had ever seen came into view. It was two stories tall and appeared to be made from rough hewn timbers and glass - mostly all glass!

Edward docked the boat and picked me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style towards the house. He paused to open the unlocked doors saying, "Welcome to Isle Esme, love".

It was amazing. Absolutely amazing from the vaulted sky lit ceiling in the great room, to what appeared to be loft bedrooms. I was soon to find out as apparently, that was where my husband was headed with me in his arms.

Edward laid me in the middle of a huge white canopied bed with the breeze from the ocean gently blowing the curtains as well as his hair.

"I love you", he said as he crawled up my body on all fours and settled himself down beside me with his lips at my ear. He trailed kisses from my ear along the line of my jaw till he got to just the edge of my lips, kissing them softly as he reached to caress my cheek with his hand. He kept peppering kisses along my neck and collar bone as his hand trailed down my neck and came to a halt over my heart. Though his body was colder than mine, it felt like fire everywhere he touched.

"I'm sorry we didn't have a proper honeymoon the first time we made love, sweetheart", he told me, his beautiful molten gold eyes lined by long dark lashes and on fire with the emotion they conveyed.

"I would have carried you into this house and placed you on this bed covering you with kisses and slowly unbuttoned your clothes, like this . . . "

"And gently, for the first time, I would have held you the way you deserved", he told me as his mouth trailed kissed down towards my now exposed breasts.

"Then," he said, removing his shirt as he kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned the top button of his jeans, "I would have done my very best to make you understand what you mean to me, how much I love you . . . "

"And I would have removed the rest of your clothes and kissed every single inch of your body", he whispered as he did just that.

He kissed me passionately as his tongue danced with mine.

"I would have taken care to bring you pleasure, making sure everything would be as comfortable as possible for you when I finally made love to you", he said as I arched my back and screamed his name.

He moved to place his body over mine. I held him to me, my fingers tangled in his hair, tracing circles on his back, grabbing his butt and pulling him to me in every way possible to encourage him but I was mesmerized by his voice and his words. My heart was beating double time and my breaths were ragged.

He looked at me with unfathomable longing. "Then I would have completed us both", he said as he made love to me as though it was the very first time. We moved together for a very long time, sensing and feeling every part of each other. As the passion built I thought my heart would rupture in my chest and my body would burst into flame and I still would not have cared. There was nothing in the world but us, moving together as one, drinking each other in completely but never fully enough. We came together, at the same instant, his roar deafening in its ferocity. Edward loosing control was the most glorious sight I had ever seen and it never ceased to amaze me . . . his head thrown back, face drawn, teeth clenched and every single muscle in his body flexed at exactly the same instant.

God I loved this man.

He let his weight rest on me as we watched the last traces of sunlight disappear over the water, content in each others arms.

~oooOooo~

I awoke in the night, Edward's arm over my chest and his body pressed tightly to mine. He seemed to be sleeping and I was able to get out of bed without disturbing him and run to the bathroom. I spent the next few minutes bent over the toilet throwing up. Edward heard me, of course. He was thee instantly holding back my hair and finding a damp washcloth to wipe my face and neck with.

"What's all this, love?"

"I just feel very nauseous, sweetie. That's all. It will go away", I told him as I stood in front of the sink. I turned to face my husband, to get him to see that I was indeed alright.

"Maybe we should go and see one of the doctors in Rio, just to make sure."

"Edward. Do I have a temperature?"

He felt my forehead with his lips, "No, just the right temperature, love."

"Is my breathing okay and my blood pressure?"

He put his arms around me, "Yes love, everything is just perfect", he said as he nuzzled his face into the hollow of my shoulder.

"You have not one but two medical degrees, right?"

He pulled away just a bit to look into my eyes while his fingers traced patterns on my naked back, "Yes, love. You know this, what are you getting at?"

"I'm just trying to get you to see that I'm fine", I said as I kissed his lips. Let's go sit down, sweetheart.

I led Edward by the hand back into our bedroom, still naked from our escapades earlier in the evening. We sat, facing each other on the huge white bed and I took both of my husbands hands in mine. He looked so worried, so unsure of what I had to say to him. I had to do this just right, I knew he would be shocked, but I had already bought the drug store tests. Four times.

I wanted to be alone with him when I told him, I wanted to be totally alone out on this island so that I could calm what I knew would be an almost panicked vampire. I leaned forward and kissed his lips, and gathered my nerve.

"Edward . . . the baby and I are just fine."

It was as though my words didn't register, as though they had somehow become lost in the air over the distance they had to travel to go from my lips to his ears. I leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Sweetheart, we're having a baby. I know you said it wasn't possible, but I'm pregnant and you are going to be a daddy!"

"A baby, Bella? . . . A baby . . . you and I . . . but . . . but it's not possible. I wish it was, but it's just not possible, love!"

"Edward, my period is late, I'm nauseous, food tastes different to me than it did a month ago, I can't possibly get enough sex no matter how many times we make love and I throw up in the middle of the night. I'm pregnant, sweetheart."

He didn't breath, he didn't move. He became still as only a vampire can, his eyes focusing on nothing, starring straight ahead where my eyes had been when I told him. I heard his phone ring, I could guess that it was Alice and I was right.

"Alice, is something wrong?", I asked her.

"Bella, I was just about to ask you that!"

"Have you seen anything with Victoria, or is she still stalking Jacob to find me?, I asked as I stroked Edward's cheek with the back of my knuckles.

"No, no. Nothing new with Victoria, no problem from her right now. I called because I thought I saw something, I just . . . "

"Alice, I'll fill you in as soon as my husband comes out of shock from me telling him. Let me share this with him, first, then we will call you, ok? I just answered the phone in case there was a problem."

"So . . . there is no problem Bella?"

"No, Alice. Unless you see a problem with Victoria, everything is just perfect, well, if Edward hasn't turned to stone!"


	26. Chapter 26 Isle Esme, Acceptance

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 26 Isle Esme, Acceptance  
**

**EPOV**

"Edward, the baby and I are just fine."

It was as though my hearing had temporarily failed, as though the words that I saw her lips forming had somehow become lost in the air over the distance they had to travel to go from her lips to my ears. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Sweetheart, we're having a baby. I know you said it wasn't possible, but I'm pregnant and you are going to be a daddy!"

_What? I was going to be a what? _This must be a side effect of some sort to the falling asleep that I had been doing. I seem to be caught in the middle of a conversation that could not be taking place, it could not be real. I forced myself to answer, to address what I thought she had said.

"A baby, Bella? . . . A baby . . . you and I . . . but . . . but it's not possible. I wish it was, but it's just not possible, love!", I said as I rubbed the backs of her hand with my thumb, hoping to comfort her when she realized that her words were all a dream.

"Edward, my period is late, I'm nauseous, food tastes different to me than it did a month ago, I can't possibly get enough sex no matter how many times we make love and I throw up in the middle of the night. I'm pregnant, sweetheart."

I was dumbfounded. Especially about the sex. I didn't know whether to be worried about her health, or excited for the sex! Dear God I need to make this woman into a vampire so that I can go as crazy as she wants me to! Wait . . . what did she say? BABY?

I couldn't move. I had completely shut down, save for trying to figure out what it was she was trying to tell me. Baby, she thinks we're having a baby? God I hope she is alright, I hope I haven't pushed her over the edge. This must be why she accepts everything about me so readily . . . the blood, the hunting, the claiming her . . . it just finally got to her and she snapped. She just wanted us to work so badly that she had deluded herself into believing we can be a normal couple, have a normal life with a family. I have to reason with her, call Carlisle . . . perhaps there is a doctor in Rio that can help.

I drug myself back over the desperate planes of my mind to allow my body to connect with it and function again. I had to remain calm. I had to help her, she had to be alright. This woman was my whole world. I took a breath and held her hands in mine again.

"Let's just go to the doctor in Rio and check it out, love. You probably have an odd Brazilian flu of some description that we are just not familiar with", I told her softly, convincingly, willing her to listen. I used every ounce of persuasion and all my ability to dazzle her as I spoke to her.

She looked at me like I was an errant child, a slight gleam in her eye.

"Don't be silly. I'm not getting on that boat and getting sick for an hour there and an hour back just to be told what I already know", she said with a soft determination. She looked around to find her suitcase, only to realize that the luggage had never made it off the boat and into the house. We had come straight to the bedroom and bypassed everything else when we had arrived.

"If you want to be helpful, go and get the suitcases for me."

"Bella, I think we should just leave the suitcases on the boat and head back", I started gathering clothing from the floor to hand to her, "I really want you looked at by a doctor, love."

"Edward! You are really starting to exasperate me!", she said picking up my phone from beside her on the bed. I had no idea how my phone had gotten there, it had been in the pocket of my jeans when I kicked them off last night. She quickly dialed the phone and began talking.

"Hi! Yes, we're fine, we came to the island today! Yes, I love it Esme, thank you and Carlisle so much for giving us this gift, the timing is just perfect! No, no. Can I speak to Carlisle, please? Yes."

She continued with her conversation, all the while tracing patterns on my arm and thigh with her free hand as we sat naked facing each other on the huge bed. I had no idea what she hoped to prove with this, but at the very least she was consulting a doctor and the only doctor that I really trusted.

"Carlisle, yes we are fine. Well, I thought he was going into shock or something, he was a statue for several minutes and now he is acting like I have lost my mind and wanting to get me to a doctor. Yes, of course he's overprotective, isn't he always. Yes. Can you please talk to him for me. Okay, here he is."

She handed me the phone. "Carlisle", I said putting the phone to my ear, my eyes never leaving my wife.

"Edward, congratulations son! It looks like you are going to be a parent after all."

I hardly registered what he said, I heard the words, but I just couldn't accept their meaning.

"How is that even possible, Carlisle, I can't have children. You said so", I stated in disbelief.

"Edward, there has never been a couple like you and Bella, it seems that there are lots of firsts here. Female vampires cannot have children because their bodies can not change. Bella's body can. Maybe it has never happened because no other male vampires had the self control that you have to be with her and not kill her, Edward. At any rate, she is in fact pregnant."

"Carlisle, how did you know?", I asked him, my mind trying to wrap around this.

"I did the blood test a day or two before you left, Edward. She came to me. She already knew and had bought one of those drug store tests to confirm it", Carlisle explained.

"And Bella . . . ", I asked, "the legends, Carlisle."

"Relax Edward. I know you tend to overreact and there is just cause for concern. I'm not saying this is going to be easy and it will be dangerous . . . certainly more dangerous than a normal human pregnancy. I already explained to Bella the possible dangers and the fact that we would have to do a Cesarean section to deliver the baby. It seems to be progressing about a third faster than a normal human, from the ultrasound she appears to be about six weeks, though the date of her last menstrual cycle has it at only four weeks. Either way, she should be just fine away from home right now and I'll be there in 10 days or so, anyway, so just relax. Edward . . . it really is a miracle, son. Congratulations."

I hung up the phone and just sat there starring into her eyes.

"We're having a baby, Bella! We're having a baby!", I said as I hugged her to me, jumping off the bed and swinging her around in circles while I kissed her lips.

"I know, sweetheart, I know", she said as she gently stroked my cheek. "Are you alright with this, Edward? Is it alright? I know we have never really thought about it, well of course we didn't think we could so it wasn't something we ever had to discuss but I just hope that this doesn't change anything between us because I just love you so much and now I really love this baby. I just don't want you to think that I was lying to you all along, telling you that I didn't want children, that I didn't care about it. I don't want children, Edward, I just want _your _child. Do you understand, only because it is a part of you", she cupped my face in her hands to emphasize what she was saying to me.

She was speaking rapidly, working herself up into a frenzy.

"Bella, I love you. If we can safely have this baby, then I would love to have a child with you", I told her as I kissed her lips and nuzzled her neck.

I pulled away from her, staring directly into her eyes, willing her to really hear the next words that I had to say to her, desperate for her to acknowledge the danger. I didn't want her to think me a monster for not caring about my own child, not putting the child first, but I wanted to be clear -

"Please understand though, if there is ever a choice between you and the baby, you are my priority. I can't live without you and I won't loose you. I'm willing to try, if Carlisle agrees that it is possible Bella, but I won't jeopardize your life."

"I love you", she said as she kissed me again.

I was scared to death. Carlisle assured me she was safe for now and I didn't want to disappoint her or bring in all the gloom and doom, but I knew the legends all too well and I wasn't sure Carlisle had shared those with her. I would have to, though . . . I had promised her no secrets. I understood her delay in telling me about the baby, having me here on our own island alone was just the right setting to tell me so that we had to face each other and I would see her joy and be able to control my fear instead of rushing her back to Carlisle to have it removed from her.

This baby was a danger to my wife and though I already had feelings for the unborn child she carried, I refused to take any chances with Bella. I convinced myself to just take it one day at a time and we would see if this were possible.

My attention was drawn back to my wife who I was hugging to me.

"Bella", the name escaped my lips like a whisper of wind.

I was over her in our bed before she noticed that we had moved, kissing her way harder than was normal for me. She was so into it, she grasped me even harder now, stroking up and down almost violently. God it turned me on beyond belief as I strained every fiber of my being not to hold her too tight or bruise her as I rocked into her underneath me. I breathed in her smell, her taste as our tongues danced and all of a sudden it was too much . . . I wanted her too badly. My back arched as I fought the urge to squeeze my arms around her, to hold her to me. I placed a hand on either side of her shoulders and allowed the inhuman sounds that were building in my chest to escape my lips.

I was afraid to open my eyes, sure that I had scared her.

She was mine, this was my wife and my baby. I made love to my wife again and again as I slowly moved her body up the bed from the force of my actions. She tangled her hands in my hair and had I been human, I'm sure she would have had clumps of it in her hands and blood under her fingernails. She threw her hear back into the pillows and screamed just as a loud, feral growl coming from somewhere deep in my chest as I released as a loud, primal scream that resembled the word_ 'mine'._

I froze, stopped cold. Unmoving. What had I done! Dear God, please don't let me have hurt her . . . or the baby . . .

I tucked my head down to her shoulder, the lack of tears didn't lessen my sobs. I was crying like a baby on my wife's shoulder as the first rays of sunshine filled our room.

"It's okay, sweetheart", she said as her arms wrapped around my head and shoulders and she clung to me, stroking me lovingly all the while trying to calm me, "I'm fine, Edward. I'm really really fine, you didn't hurt me baby. I'm fine."

She pushed on my face with her hands, to no avail. I did not budge.

"Edward . . . Edward," she called to me calmly as she continued to stroke me, trying to move my face with her hands. I gave in, allowing her to place both of her hands on my cheeks and cup my face in them.

"Look at me. Edward, look at me", she insisted.

I opened my eyes to stare into the molten chocolate eyes of the only thing that mattered in my life. She was smiling at me, glowing really.

"It's alright, sweetheart. You didn't hurt me . . . you would _never _hurt me. You just needed to claim what's yours, baby. It's okay, I was hoping you would."

"Bella", the name escaped my lips with no intent from me.

"I hoped you would accept the baby, Edward and I knew that this would be your natural response when you did . . . you needed to claim us. Vampire, remember? You don't always have normal human reactions", her eyes twinkled as she spoke to me, stroking my face softly.

"How could you possibly know, Bella, how is it that you know me better than I know myself?", I said staring longingly into her eyes.

'It's my job to know you, husband. I love you", she said kissing my lips.

"Um . . . Edward", she asked softly, almost embarrassed, " . . . can . . . can we do that again?"

"What! No! No we most certainly can not, Bella! I could have hurt you, hurt the baby", I said as I looked down her body to her flat belly.

I timidly, almost reverently stroked her stomach, "Bella you're so thin, are you sure there is a baby in there?"

She pushed me as if to move me off of her and I gave in and rolled to one side of course.

"How about getting our suitcases", she asked as she stood by the bed with her hands on her hips.

I reached for my pants as she placed her hand on my wrist to stop me.

"No. No clothes. This is our island for the next couple of weeks and there are no clothes allowed!", she told me with a twinkle in her eyes.

I was back before she had time to move from where she was standing by the bed. I placed the cases on the floor and the one she had packed on the stand by the dresser. She handed me a small box from the suitcase, gesturing to me to open it.

In the box, nestled in tissue paper, was the test indicator - two red stripes, a positive for pregnancy. I still couldn't believe it. Beside it in the box was a small round pin, the type that people wanting to be elected to office have produced with slogans on it. This one simply said, _'I'm going to be a daddy!'_

"Bella, how can I wear my pin if you ban clothing while we are here?"

She laughed, "Silly vampire, you can wear it when we go back to Rio to go dancing! Right now, your pregnant wife is really really hungry! What do we do about food on out deserted island?"

I took her hand and led her downstairs to the kitchen. I looked in the refrigerator and turned to ask her what she wanted.

"I called and had the caretakers, Kature and Gustavo, stock the kitchen. What would you like, love? Eggs and bacon with toast alright?"

"Sounds wonderful, I'm so hungry."

"I haven't been feeding you enough, love. I'll have to remember much more often now . . . now that it's not just you that you are eating for."

I stopped dead in my tracks, the little button claiming I was going to be a daddy had become the focus of my attention, it was still in my hand. Bella got off her stool and walked over to me, putting her arms around my shoulders, "It's okay, Edward. I'm really okay and we will get through this together. We can take it one step at a time, together. And as for my request, you know, _'doing it again'_, you need to know that I mean it."

What was she thinking. We couldn't have sex like that with her pregnant, it might hurt the baby! I didn't want to upset her, but she had to understand.

"Bella, I can't. I won't risk hurting you and the baby while you are pregnant. We can make love after you have the baby, after you are changed. God, I just realized, this means you are not going to be changed right after Christmas, doesn't it!"

"Is that alright, Edward, that I stay human a little longer?"

"Of course it is, it's alright if you are always human, love", I told her.

She knew me too well.

"Tell me, she said as she put her fork down having finished her breakfast. You promised we would discuss everything, remember?"

"Bella, I just . . . it's just that . . . I've been", how would I ever tell her this now that we were expecting a child. I needed her to know, but I didn't want her to be upset. I had to tell her, we had promised each other to always discuss everything and make no decisions without discussing it.

"Bella I have been having more and more trouble being gentle, not hurting you when we are intimate. It is increasingly difficult to make love to you and keep my body from doing what it almost insists it needs to do", I sat beside her at the counter, unwilling to look into her eyes, afraid to face and admit my weaknesses to her.

"I know. I really do know, Edward. It's as if I keep needing more as well. Not that it isn't awesome, it's just that I need _more._ You need me to be your equal, a vampire, so that you can make love to me with no restrictions, no curbing your strength or power and with no time limits. I need to make love with you repeatedly, over and over again because I just can not seem to get enough. Carlisle says it's my pregnancy hormones, that some women get that way when they are pregnant, but Edward, I _need _you to make love with me now more than ever."

I just stared at her, dumbfounded. She talked to Carlisle about sex? That was so not like Bella, it must really be a need of hers if it was strong enough to make her go to Carlisle to discuss it.

"So, this talk of not being with me while I am pregnant . . . there is NO FUCKING WAY you are getting out of fucking me repeatedly, everyday."

I fell off my chair. Fell off my chair into the floor. Bella was laughing almost hysterically at me as she sat down on the floor beside me. I just laid there with my mouth agape.

"That's right Cullen. I said it", she said as she lifted her leg to straddle me, "I have rights to this", she said, gesturing to my body.

"Bella . . . we just can't, love! I'm still upset about attacking you upstairs this morning!"

"That was hot, sweetheart! I really really liked that and though we may have to tone it down just a bit as the pregnancy continues, right now I want some!"

"Bella, baby, I was literally pushing you across the bed with each thrust! I could hurt you, sweetheart!"

"Edward. Humans actually do that all the time, even I have seen that in movies! I think that's how you get rug burns, but I can't be sure!", she giggled as she said it.

She obviously had her mind set on this. She proved that to me when she suddenly scooted back, sitting further down on my thighs and took me into her mouth. She looked up at me with her eyes gleaming. I did the only thing I could and tried not to destroy the furniture within my reach, choosing to just clench my fists at my side as I lay there writhing on the floor by the kitchen.

I didn't dare touch her for fear of grabbing her too hard. Bella started to make love to me. I responded immediately, of course, she was my wife and I loved her. She barely noticed as I flipped her over, moving her to the huge rug in the center of the living room and kissing her passionately.

"Would you really like to see what they mean by rug burns, sweetheart, I mean, I don't want you to be deprived in any way of something that you want", I told her as I traced soft kisses down her neck. I nudged her legs open wider with my knee as I settled myself into my favorite spot between them. I rocked my hips a few times. and she was coming unglued, moaning and writhing beneath me as her heart rate sped up and her breathing became ragged. I took her her face I my hands and waited till she met my gaze, then I whispering in her ear that if she wanted me to do this, she had to remember to tell me if anything hurt her. She didn't say a word, I wasn't sure she could form words at that particular moment, but she nodded her head furiously up and down.

I took care to have my arms under her and my weight off of her so that she would slide more easily without hurting her skin. She loved it, her smile was glorious as she giggled and played with my hair. I repeated the action again and again as I took her there on the floor. I ended up crawling above her on all fours, my thrusts literally pushing her forward as we moved across the floor. We ended up in a tangled weave of arms and legs at the other end of the room. She lay stroking my hair and staring into my eyes, each of us having the same foolish grin on our faces like the teenagers we were.

"So we really are going to have a baby, Bella . . . we really are going to be a real family with a mom and a dad and a child", I whispered softly to her.

"Yes, we really are having a baby, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're okay with it, I was so worried."

"I just have to keep you safe, Bella. This means being human longer than just Christmas", I told her, "I will admit that I was actually looking forward to you're becoming a vampire and being a bit more . . . durable."

"Well, if I were more durable, Edward, we would have knocked the walls down here in Esme's house and I don't think she would have been happy about that! Besides, Carlisle thinks we will have the baby sometime in March, so it really isn't that far off".

The phone rang from across the room and we both jumped up at the same time and ran to grab it as though it were a race. I won, of course, grabbing it off the counter and running to jump over the back of the sofa and lie there as Bella tackled me and grabbed for it. I pressed the button to answer, not knowing who it could be as we continued to giggle and wrestle for it. She was so cute thinking she stood a single chance of taking the phone from me! I pulled her down on top of me on the sofa and brought the phone to my ear.

"Hello?", I laughed into the phone.

"Edward, what in the world! I'm putting you on speaker phone, we are all here at the hotel."

"Okay, Alice, I'll hit speaker as well."

"Well it seems as if you took the news well, you certainly sound happy, Edward!", Alice said.

"I haven't been given a choice, Alice. She is forcing herself on me", I said as Bella continued to claw and grab for the phone, naked on top of me.

"Can I come over and watch?", Emmett yelled into the phone. You could hear Rose smacking him even over the phone.

"No, you can not watch Emmett Cullen and I obviously can't force anything on him, even though I wish I could some times!", Bella added, still squirming.

"Congratulations to both of you", Rose added oh so softly.

"Thank you Rose and I hope you can brush up on your baby care skills, this baby will need lots of attention from its Aunt Rose. I know nothing about babies and I am going to need your help! Will you help me with it, Rosalie?", Bella asked.

"Of course, Bella . . . I'd love to", she replied. I could imagine her crying if it were possible. Bella asking her to help with the baby was the perfect thing to say to help Rose get through this.

"I can almost feel your emotions from here you guys are so happy, congratulations!", Jasper called into the phone.

"Thank all of you, really. Bella is trying to keep me from loosing it over here when she told me."

"Um hum. Yes . . . well, Bella, go take a swim in the ocean and then a shower . . . it will help the rug burns not to show up too badly and freak Edward out", Alice suggested.

Cat calls and laughter filled the phone coming from my siblings as Bella turned red with embarrassment.

"Enjoy it now, when you are a vampire, you will just make a trench in the floor!", Alice laughed.

Bella took all the ribbing from my family really well asking, "Are you having fun in Rio? Anything planned?"

"We are going on a hunting excursion this weekend. We have a boat hired and a map to find the anacondas that Emmett wants to try for dinner. It should be entertaining at the very least!", Rose said.

"Well thanks for the warm wishes and we love you guys! Call if you're coming over as I have declared it naked week and you probably don't want to see your brother naked!"

"Edward, you sure I can't come over there?", Emmett questioned, "I know I know, but I have to tell you that I am really glad you brought Bella into the family. She really makes things fun, Edward. Love you little sister!"

"Bye all!"

We decided to take a walk around the island, just to decide what we wanted to do tomorrow. I wasn't used to walking around naked, but for Bella, I guess I could adapt!


	27. Chapter 27  Siblings

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 27 Siblings**

**Emmett POV**

"Alice, you've put me off for days now and I've shopped till I dropped on more than one occasion. I promise you, if you don't fit in a hunting day soon Jasper and I will go hunt some of the wildlife in downtown Rio!", I threatened.

"Emmett! You most certainly will do no such thing!", Rosalie yelled at him, "It hasn't even been two weeks since you hunted and you can wait just a little longer, you're not that thirsty! You drank just before we left Highlands!"

"Ah Rose! I really want to hunt Anacondas while we're here. It might take more than one day to find really big ones!", I pleaded with her.

"Well, Emmett, if it's okay with everyone, let's go today", Alice offered.

"Thank God . . . ", Jasper muttered.

"Jaz! Were you really wanting to go, too?", Alice asked him as she crossed the room to sit in his lap on the sofa.

"It's not so much that I'm thirsty, darlin', it's just that I don't know how much longer I can stand the anxiety and frustration that's rolling off Emmett. He's making me crazy with this need he has to hunt big snakes."

"Alright then, I packed us a couple of changes of clothing in those backpacks by the door, I see some of us getting really messy on this hunt. We need to leave in order to be back here by the time Carlisle and Esme arrive on Thursday. Emmett, get up and let's get on with this if you're so anxious", Alice prodded me.

She didn't have to tell me twice! I grabbed a backpack and was out the door in a flash, not even waiting for Rose - which I regretted as soon as she caught up to me!

"You big dumb ox, we would have to go North two days to get closer to the Amazon to find the kind of snakes you're looking for! I checked on it for you and reserved a small plane to take us there next week, after Esme and Carlisle leave - kind of a birthday present for you!", Rose said.

I picked her up and swung her around, kissing her as hard as I could! I thought she was going to yell at me some more when she caught up to me. I never expected her to go along with my crazy idea about the snakes, much less arrange it for me! Man, I need to be nicer to my Rosie, she was one of a kind!

"So what are we hunting today if it's not snakes?", I asked.

"Jaguar", Jasper answered as he came through the revolving door of the hotel. The bellman looked at him as he handed him our ticket so that the valet could get the car. "Not the car, the car is just a rental, not a Jaguar!"

The valet looked confused but walked off to get our car never the less.

"There is a reserve not too far from here, we should find some reasonable hunting there. Jaguars aren't that big but they are supposedly very powerful and fast, Emmett".

"Alright, as long as it is something new I guess it's better than nothing for today, till we can go where the snakes are", I answered.

"You know there are very large wild boars here. Have we ever tried boar?", Rosalie asked.

"I don't ever remember us trying these large ones, at least not while I have been with you guys", Alice added.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement that we hadn't gone after large boar before, so I guessed that was on the menu as well! The car arrived and Alice moved to the drivers door.

"Alrigh, it's decided then", Alice said, "I'll take us to the place I've been seeing all morning - no humans for miles and lots of wild game. About two hours away! Everyone ready?"

We were all in the car and underway. Traffic in Rio was congested even at this early hour. Not congested in the normal way, all cars and people trying to get to work, but bicycles, pedestrians, carts, animals, you name it. It was a different way of life down here and kind of fun to notice the differences. After a while there were fewer people and less congestion in the streets. The vegetation was thick on the sides of the road and the mountains in the distance were amazing.

I always did love the mountains, guess that's what got me killed in the first place, tracking bear in the mountains. I was doing just that when Rose found me and took me from a bear. Thank God. I love my new life! I have no time limits and I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want and I have Rose! Thanks to the Cullens, I have no worries about money, that is about limitless, too!

"Hey Alice, the baby that Eddie is having, is it a vamp or is it human? How does that work anyway, I didn't think we could have kids!", I asked.

"Apparently you guys are still fertile, Emmett, but I have no idea about their baby. I can see them with a child, I can see it playing in the yard with Edward with his crazy hair on its head so it has to be his child he's playing with, but I really can't tell that much about it", Alice answered.

"You keep saying 'it'', Alice, "is it a girl or a boy?"

"Emmett, I can't tell you that. Bella and Edward need to tell me if they want to know the sex first. Edward would just read it from your mind and then the surprise would be spoiled", Alice said.

"He'll just read it from your mind, too, darlin'", Jasper added, "You can't block him for 9 months!"

"Well, according to Carlisle, she will only be pregnant for six months and there are only five left, so clearly the vampire part is playing a role in changing the normal human time frame. I just wonder what else it's changing", Alice said with a worried expression on her face.

"I just wonder what the baby will be like . . . will it want blood or human food and will it sleep like they do? What about growing up, will it grow up and get old? I just don't understand how something like this will work, Alice."

"None of us do, Rose. We just have to wait and see. Maybe Carlisle will know more about it when he hears back from some of his contacts", Alice said.

"Well, one thing is for sure - Bella knew just how to handle Edward, waiting till she had him out on an island alone to tell him", Jasper laughed, "He couldn't yell at anyone or panic or do anything but listen to her and apparently she really wants this baby. The feelings coming from her the last few days before they left, they all make sense now. She was so strong, content . . . just amazing. I guess she needed all that to keep Edward calm, he must have just lost it when he found out! I wold have loved to have been there just to see the expression on his face when she said she was pregnant!"

"He wasn't as wild as you would think. She calmed him right down, as soon as he quit being a statue and she could get a response out of him at all! I don't know how she anticipates our reactions, vampires I mean, the way she does. She always seems to give him just what he needs", said Alice.

"Well, I don't know what to think. At least now she'll put off letting him turn her, she'll be human a little longer at least because of the baby. Maybe once she has the baby, she'll see what she almost gave up and decide to remain human", Rose added.

"Rose, you aren't thinking of Edward at all. What do you think he will be like to live with if he has a family for a few years and then they get old and die and he is alone again! If he could even manage to exist without them, he would be worse than he was before. I hope he turns her as soon as she has the baby. If she has a problem with the baby, human blood and all if the kid's human then they can go off somewhere for a year or so and leave the kid with us till she can control herself. She needs to be a vampire . . . soon. Eddie can't be careful with her forever, sooner or later he's gonna slip and she's gonna get hurt. Think of what he would be like then, Rose!", I told her.

"Whatever you guys, I'm thirsty and I think we are here", Jasper added excitedly.

The idea of tracking big cars was always exciting, but the 500 pound boar sounded like lots more fun. We parked the car and headed off into the jungle. We hadn't gone far. 30 miles or so, when I caught something on the wind. The others must have a well as we all stopped to listen and smell.

Sure enough, it was a familiar yet unfamiliar smell . . . definitely big cat, but not one I had hunted before. I motioned for Jaz to take the lead and he was off. The cat was upwind so we had the advantage, coming across him as he was drinking near a stream. There was no contest, Jaz had him in seconds and I grabbed the other one before it could take off.

Really unusual to find several of them at once but I guess it was just that it was a favorite watering hole or something for them. Rose and Alice had found a herd of some form, funny looking little things lots smaller than deer but apparently a lot faster! They had managed to only get the one each before the herd took off and that was really weird. Usually when we found a herd, we went ahead and killed a couple each, then took the time to feed. These little suckers had to be like lightening to have avoided Rose and Alice!

We all climbed the top of a rock outcropping to sit for awhile and look at the view. The jungle was gorgeous, lush trees and vegetation everywhere like you see in books. The wind was in our faces, blowing from the valley below. All of a sudden, we heard a growl from behind us and I turned around just in time to see a large cat leap in our direction. It took me a split second. I could not remember an animal ever attacking us, well unless we were hunting it and it was defending itself. This cat had stalked us and was on the attack! Ha! This was awesome! I grabbed the cats paws and rolled it to one side, me and it a tangled mess of limbs and fur flying. I won, of course. The cat lay on the ground, its neck broken as we rolled, even before I sank my teeth into its neck. Man, everyone was thrilled with this kill! Alice literally bounded up and down with excitement wringing her hands together. Jasper was getting off in triplicate by absorbing the excitement and thrill around him. None of us could remember a time when an animal had attacked us! It was just unheard of!

I think all the excitement got channeled somewhat into lust as each couple went off on their own for a little while. We all had the same idea . . . sex in the jungle. Rose and I found a wide field that was halfway up one of the hills that had a view of the area. It was covered in tall ferns that were kind of soft when you crushed them down, not that it really mattered. I spent the next few hours making love with my wife and didn't break a single bed or even knock down any trees. That was really amazing. Well, we did kind of pulverize a stand of small shrubs and the rock outcropping they were growing out of, but that seemed minor. It was the side of a cave entrance, and a larger entrance could only be good for whatever lived in there anyway!

Finding our clothes was kind of hard. The undergrowth was so thick, I guess I really should have paid attention to where I threw each piece. Rose was really mad about some bra that she really liked and apparently we weren't leaving till we found it. Huh. I should have just put it all in one pile if I had been paying attention.

The bra turned up after about a ten minute search and our siblings were not far behind. We all headed out to go back to the car when we heard a scraping, thudding kind of a noise. It was an odd kind of a sound, odd at least till I realized it was a heavy animal pawing at the ground. That was odd, usually animals ran from us as soon as they got a whiff. In fact, every animal ran when they smelled us, they just knew that we were predators that were higher up on the food chain than they were, except for the cat I had just killed that is.

As we looked more carefully, we saw him. Had to be a couple hundred pounds, not so big but full of fire. Maybe he was just stupid, challenging us like that, but it didn't matter, I had him in a matter of minutes and his squealing stopped flat when I sunk my teeth into his neck. The fluid in my mouth was different than anything I had ever had, kind of salty even, more than normal. I watched the others as they caught the scent of something and took off West.

I finished my meal and headed off after them only to see Alice faced off with about a five or six hundred pound version of the boar I had just drank from. Apparently she had found the parent and they were facing off, the boar pawing the ground and growing at Alice. I had to hand it to these things, they really had balls. We had never found another animal that would stand and fight like that, except of course a cat when we had them cornered or the one that had just attacked us back on the rocks. These guys seemed to act like they enjoyed bullying other animals around and thought they stood a chance at winning! I liked that about them. Never enough fight in it for me I liked a challenge to get my dinner!

Alice had only to jump on the animals back once she tired of listening to his antics. Her leap was precise, about 20 yards and she had its neck snapped and was drinking before the animal really settled onto the ground from where it had been standing. Damn that little pixie was quick, even if there wasn't much to her.

"Five bucks says she can't finish draining it", I offered to bet Jasper.

"You can keep your money, that thing is four times her size and she already fed. There is no way she can drink all that!", Jasper replied.

"You guys are all full of it! You think she's some kind of a wimp just because she's a girl?", Rose added, "Neither of you could drink that thing by yourself either!"

"Okay, Rosie. I don't think she can finish it even if you help her, what about that!", I shouted.

"Rose, get over here. They are about to offer us two days of shopping and nightclubbing without complaining about it if we can do it!", Alice said as she looked up from her kill.

"That's right, that's the offer if you can do it. Otherwise its two days of what Jasper and I want to do, no complaints!", I threw in.

"Done", Rose said as she walked over and knelt by the huge beast, sinking her teeth into the opposite side of its neck from Alice.

It took them awhile, almost ten minutes to finish, but they did finish every drop. Jasper reminded me never to bet him in on a bet with me as he now had to suffer along with me. I'm not sure he minded though, Jasper was pretty much okay with anything Alice wanted to do just as long as they were together. I liked that about him, even if I wasn't like that at all. I enjoyed Rose's company but shopping just wasn't my thing and I hated every minute of it, even when she let me have sex with her in the dressing rooms, I still preferred not to accompany her. I just really hated shopping I guess.

After we conceded the loss and complemented them on their drinking abilities, although being able to drink too much was probably not a good thing, we headed back to the car. Night was falling now and the jungle had lots of sounds. Lots of the sounds stopped as we neared, fear I suppose, but it was cool to listen to the ones that were still there. It wasn't as though they could hear us, we wee deadly silent as we moved - the definition of stealth. It was a vampire thing, it came with the strength and all of our other attributes, including great night vision. Good thing too, I had never seen dark like it was dark here. A human wouldn't stand a chance of finding their way in this pitch blackness with undergrowth chest high and animals probably lurking all around. In our case, they were hiding and waiting for us to pass by.

We arrived back at the Copa around ten, just in time to have the girls spend a couple of hours getting ready to go out. Rio nightlife didn't really crank up till after midnight, so there was plenty of time. Jasper and I finished showering and dressing in no time and found ourselves both out on the balcony looking over the ocean.

"What do you think it's like, Jasper, being with a human? Have you ever done it?", I asked him as we both leaned on the railing.

"Well, not since I was changed. I had many a young ladies favor before that, while I was still human. Being an officer, the ladies were all over me and it would have been impolite to refuse their offers, after all. I don't remember much about it, except that they were warm and it was a pleasure, but I haven't been with a human since being a vampire. I have no idea how he does it. I would never get that far, to make love to them I mean. I would smell them, maybe be able to be alone in an enclosed room, start a kiss . . . maybe just before I drained them. The burning in his throat alone has to be almost unbearable."

"Yea, that's what I thought and yet he manages to do it for hours at a time. I have no idea how. Maybe it doesn't burn his throat anymore, maybe he is immune to it now after all these months", I said.

"No, he isn't immune. I feel his pain from time to time and the conflict in him. He ignores it, the need for her is stronger that the pain and he remembers how unbearable it was without her. It lets him be with her, but I have no idea how he controls his strength enough to actually be with her and still have it be enjoyable at all to him. He has to be barely moving and barely stoking her, otherwise wouldn't he hurt her?", mused Jasper, "We have to be so careful even just shaking hands with them, can you imagine an holding a woman, naked next to you and not squeezing too tight!"

"I have no idea. I would have turned her long ago so that I could hit it hard. I don't know how he's doing it and now with her pregnant, doesn't he have to be even more gentle with her? I don't know, Jasper. It just seems to be a messed up situation if you ask me. If he had just turned her to begin with she would be one of us and they would be a normal couple, we could all go do normal things. I have to admit, it does make us look a whole lot more believable as humans when she is with us and actually eats the meal she ordered", I laughed.

"Or trips over her own feet", added Jasper, "She really is a riot to be around."

~oooOooo~

**Rosalie POV**

"You boys ready to go", I asked at the glass door to the balcony.

"Sure Rosie". I said turning to face her, "Wow! you look amazing!"

Well at least the dress had the desired effect. Emmett was twirling me around, his approval evident from what I felt against my leg. Jasper had what appeared to be a similar reaction to Alice, kissing her passionately on the balcony.

"Ladies, we had better get going before we keep the both of you in for the rest of the evening", Jasper offered.

"Oh no you don't. a bet is a bet and we have the two of you captive for two days of fun!", Rose reminded us.

"Rose, I could make staying in lots of fun, I promise", Emmett said as he let my body slide down his till my feet touched the floor, palming my breast as he spoke.

I slapped his hand away, giggling like a schoolgirl instead of getting mad at him. I took his hand and led him towards the door, "Come on, you own me a good time!"

"Rose! I'm trying to give you a good time! Right here! Bed! Fun! Remember?", Emmett pleaded.

"Not a chance, sailor! You are taking me dancing this evening, then we'll see about the bed and the fun!", I said as I led him towards the elevator.

Jasper and Alice were laughing as we took the elevator down to the lobby of the hotel and headed out into the streets of Rio. It was carnival, and everyone was out to have fun. There were bands in the street and dancing everywhere.

We made a spectacle of ourselves, of course. I was an excellent dancer and the natural grace and beauty that being vampires afforded us naturally attracted humans. We found the street cleared in a space where just the four of us danced and twirled around, apparently putting on quite the show. It didn't matter, the lighting was low and diffused, so we appeared as human as the next person, just really good at dancing and I guess really attractive as I watched the faces of the onlooking men.

The first rays of morning found us still dancing, having the time of our lives. Even the boys were happy until Alice mentioned that the stores opened for shopping in just a few short hours.

"Rose! What about time alone, at the hotel . . . in bed?", Emmett asked with an eyebrow raised, "We're not skipping that part and going straight to the shopping are we?"

"Course not, baby. Let's go", I whispered into his ear.

Alice and Jasper heard, of course and seemed just as anxious to get back to the hotel.

We regrouped around 10 am, an hour or so after the shops opened but late enough to appease the boys. . . as well as the girls! Alice was in full shopping mode, having routed our path to take us to all the best shops in town. I had no idea how she knew which ones they were, much less where they were unless she had spent some hours on the internet doing research. It must have been in the days prior because the noises I heard coming from their room the last few hours didn't sound like they had anything to do with the internet or a computer.

I had no idea that the shops here would deliver our purchases to the hotel, or maybe it was just some service the Copacabana Palace offered. I didn't know. What I did know was that it allowed Alice to take us to shop after shop with no realization of just how many things we were purchasing, as there were never any bags with us! By the time the sun was setting we had made the circuit that she had planned for us and headed back to the hotel. We had just boosted the economy of the country by at least some small percentage, I was sure of it. Even I had not swiped my card that many times in quite a few years.

We were going to need an extra room. Seriously. There was no available floorspace other than a path to get to each bedroom from the front door. The entire common sitting room was covered in bags! It only took Alice a short time to unpack and sort what was for who, putting mine and Emmetts' things on my bed for me to hang and put away and those for Edward, Bella, Carlisle and Esme in the third bedroom. Her things along with Jaspers' were put away in a flash as well. The only tell tale evidence of the shopping trip were the bags neatly sitting in the extra bedroom, waiting on Carlisle and Esme to arrive.

It wasn't much of a wait. We had just started dressing to go out when Mom and Dad came in the door, smiling from ear to ear they were so glad to see us. Esme was always happiest when she had all the 'kids' in one place.

Though Esme was never the avid shopper like Alice, she enjoyed clothing and loved looking at all the new pieces Alice had bought for her.

"We saved the shops I thought you would like best for tomorrow, Esme. I saw you arriving.", Alice told her, sitting on the bed in her bedroom.

"I don't know if we will be clothes shopping tomorrow, dear, I think Carlisle has something else in mind . . . and he wants to check on Bella. Have you heard from them?", Esme asked, a concerned look crossing her features.

"I called them day before yesterday, just to check on them, but it has been what, almost 10 days since she told him. They sound fine and everything I see is wonderful but it's best not to look right now", Alice told us.

"Why in the world would you not look, Alice! you need to make sure they are well, that Bella is alright!", Esme exclaimed curtly to Alice.

Carlisle walked into the room and put his hands on Esme's shoulders as she sat on the bed to comfort her. Their concern for their youngest daughter was apparent, Carlisles' face lined with worry.

"Mom . . . Bella declared it a 'no clothing' vacation. I really have no desire to see my brother naked and most of the time, they are busy doing something I don't want to see anyway!", Alice told Esme, defending her reluctance to look in on the couple, "Victoria is up in Canada watching Jacob, so I saw no danger to Bella . . . other than from Edward".

"Yes, well, that may become quite a problem in itself. She is needing him more and more and he is finding his control harder and harder to manage. I only hope he can continue to not hurt her. The effects would be devastating for him as well as for her. Edward would never forgive himself. Anyway, I need to get there so I thought we could go over in the morning", Carlisle insisted.

"Okay, but we are supposed to call first, Bella asked us to. I'm serious Dad, they haven't even opened their suitcases except for one shirt and then only because Bella was starting to get a sunburn! They were not even at the house when Gustavo and Kature cleaned and restocked the kitchen, they only talked to them by phone. Something about bringing new pillows and cleaning up feathers, but I can't see clearly what that is about.", Alice told us.

We all laughed. Just the thought of my uptight, turn of the century morals brother walking around stark naked for over a week was beyond my ability to imagine. I couldn't wait to see Bella knowing that she was pregnant. She probably didn't look pregnant, but just knowing was enough to make me see her differently. This was going to be an interesting few months for us all!


	28. Chapter 28  Isle Esme, Family

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 28 Isle Esme, Family**

_I couldn't tell Bella what she had said, I could not even speak. How the hell was I ever going to get through this and how would Bella really feel if we took the baby to save her._

_I sat on the floor, once again a statue with Bella's arms around me and her soft voice trying to comfort me as we heard a boat approach and the sound of people out on the dock._

**Esme POV**

"Hey if you wanted warning, you should have answered your phone!"

Emmett yelled toward the house. There was no need, Edward would have heard if he had spoken normally but Emmett was Emmett and though I had spent the better part of a century trying to teach him a more quiet, well mannered way to behave, I have to admit there is a soft spot in my heart for his boisterous mannerisms.

The ride over to the island had been wonderful. Carlisle and I had discussed it in advance, of course, and made all but the final arrangements. We had gone to the docks and finalized the documents before meeting the children at the hotel. The yacht we purchased had staterooms that would accommodate four couples and plenty of space on deck, yet it was small enough not to attract too much attention here in Rio. We had arranged for a caretaker and a permanent dock on the mainland thinking that the kids would have developed a fondness for the island and we would need a larger boat to transport all of us back and forth if we started coming here more often now that Bella was a part of the family. She was a sun worshipper and I hoped that she would fall in love with the island as I had years ago when Carlisle had given it to me.

I was anxious to see Bella. She was the final link in our family, the daughter we so desperately wanted and the mate Edward so desperately needed, though he would have never admitted it. Bella was everything I would have asked for in a mate for Edward: headstrong, opinionated and fearless. She had a natural ability to know exactly what he needed when no one else did . . . and to give it to him. She completed him as he did her.

I suppose all the pain they went through happened for a reason, I have to believe that. I know the pain it caused the rest of the family led us to value the positives more dearly and not to take our time together for granted as so easily happens when you believe you have forever. We had all missed Edward so during the time he was separated from Bella, even when he had been with us. He was a vibrant part of my family and it had hurt us all to see him in such pain . . . so tormented over his decision to leave Forks and leave Bella behind.

We understood, of course, and we had gone along with his decision. In hind site, I don't think I would have allowed him that choice again, but maybe he needed that . . . we needed that pain to realize just how important she was to us all.

Looking toward the house from the bow of the yacht, I saw them standing on the deck, arm in arm. Bella looked radiant but there was a pained expression on Edward's face. We had passed the cleaning crew heading back to Rio as we approached and I wondered if there was a problem with them or with the house.

"Well, you did bother to put clothes on!", Emmett called out as we approached the deck where they stood.

"Only because the cleaning crew was just here, Emmett, otherwise you would have had quite a view, surprising us like this after we told you it was a naked vacation", Bella told him as he hugged her and swung her round and round.

"Emmett!", Carlisle, Edward and I all shouted at the same time.

"Oh, sorry! I'm not squeezing my little sister too hard, I'm just excited to see her!"

Alice, Rose and Jasper all exchanged hugs with Bella and Edward as Carlisle and I said hello as well.

"I love the sundress on you! Do you like the rest of the outfits", Alice whispered "and the nighties?"

"I haven't seen many of them, Alice. I only opened our suitcases this morning because the cleaning crew was coming", Bella said noticing Alices obvious pout, "But I can't wait to wear them now that you're here!"

"Bella, you look wonderful, dear", I told her as I held her hands out to look at her, "You are positively glowing!"

"Yes, you really are", Carlisle offered," You look the picture of health."

"Well, coming from both my physician and father-in-law, I appreciate that", she answered as she smiled and returned her arm to its home around Edward's waist.

"Mom, Dad, glad you could make it", Edward greeted us. There was something unsaid going on, something Carlisle wanted Edward to know but then they were always having silent conversations. I simply waited patiently until Carlisle explained.

"New ride?", Edward asked, nodding to the yacht at the end of the dock.

"We thought it would be more comfortable bringing us all over, now that the family is expanding", I said looking at Bella's belly.

"Well, let's have a look at you while the others unload a bit, shall we?", Carlisle said as he gestured towards the living room.

My husband took out his unneeded stethoscope and listened to both Bella's heart and I suppose the babies. I didn't need to be a doctor to know that she was absolutely fine and happy.

"You and the baby seem to be fine at this point", Carlisle told her, "Have there been any problems?'

"Just the nausea and throwing up occasionally and I seem to be really really tired, but I feel great, better than normal most of the time", Bella told him.

"She has some scrapes and cuts on her rear, Dad, from sliding a bit but other than that she has been great", Edward added. "Edward!", Bella yelled as she swatted him playfully, "You didn't need to mention that!" "What?", Edward asked acting all innocent, ":He's the doctor, he needs to know!"

"Bella . . . he needs to know", Edward prodded her.

"Fine", she spat as she turned redder than could be healthy, especially around a house full of vampires! "I seem to be having some hormone issues", Bella said as she looked at Carlisle. Everyone was silent for a long minute as if contemplating what exactly that meant and no one knowing for sure. Edward spoke up to answer the unasked question on Carlisles' face. "Bella seems to want to have sex all the time. All the time", he said with a smile.

"You go little sister! Congratulations Eddie!", Emmett yelled from upstairs in the form of cheering them on.

"Really Emmett!", I reprimanded. "You shouldn't worry about that, dear", I sat beside Bella on the couch and took her hand in mine to sooth her, "I felt the same way when I was pregnant. Just could not get enough from my husband. Of course, back then ladies were not encouraged to express such things but even as a human, once or twice a day just was never enough."

Edward and Carlisle both looked at me as though they were seeing a two headed monster they had never seen before. Apparently the times had not changed that much and my admitting to have not gotten sex often enough had them speechless. I thought I would go with it a bit, just for fun.

"Of course now, as a vampire", I said as I gave Carlisle a sideways glance, "All day is sometimes not enough."

My husband cleared his throat, bringing his fist to politely cover his mouth and turning his head away as he always did when he was uncomfortable or embarrassed.

"Esme has a valid point, Bella", Carlisle offered, "Hormones during pregnancy can get out of hand. Nothing to worry about and having sex should cause no harm for the baby, as long as Edward is careful. I would wait to try anything . . . new however, until after the child is born."

There was a moment . . . Edward was listening to Carlisles unspoken words and Bella and I both noticed. Before either of us could say anything, Edward did.

"Dad, I appreciate your candor but Bella knows already. I explained the legend of the baby killing its mother in its effort to get out", he sat on Bella's other side and took her hand, "I want no secrets. Bella can take it, she needs to know and we will face whatever it is together."

I had never been more proud of my son. He had come along way from the overprotective make all the decisions himself boy that he had been all these years. The man that now sat beside Bella was willing to share in the decision making and obviously placed her opinions and abilities in high regard. They had grown strong together and I was overcome with a sense of pride.

"There is nothing new to discuss. Other than the legend you seem to have already told her, Edward, I have found nothing new. Actually, the legends here in Brazil seem to be the most active and show the most promise", Carlisle told them.

"And the baby?", Edward asked. "Any more information on what it is we have created, Carlisle?"

"Well, it seems to be progressing about a third faster than a human child. I can detect a heartbeat already and the size of Bella's uterus tells me that she is already about three months, though she has only been pregnant for two months or so. We were lucky in that the ultrasound seems to work showing us images of the baby. The amniotic sac must be thin enough to allow it, our normal vampire bodies allow no resolution with an ultrasound. This is good, it means I can keep a close eye on its development. As long as we take the baby before it feels it's time to come out, Bella should be fine. I'd like to take it one week at a time, of course, and I imagine we will all look for any changes or symptoms. You must tell me immediately if anything changes, even the current need for sex, Bella, as it tells me there is a hormone change going on that might be important, okay?", Carlisle asked.

"Yes, very okay Carlisle, and thank you for worrying so much about us and taking care of the baby. Edward and I discussed it and we would like to try and have this baby, just as you and I talked about back at home. The only difference is that we have agreed that since we cannot survive without each other", she said looking into Edward's eyes, "we will not risk loosing us in order to have the baby. If at some point we decide that you need to take it, you need to know that I'm alright with that. Only if there is no other way, though. I think we both already love the baby very much. We had agreed that I would join your world after Christmas with my family this year, but obviously we are postponing that until after the baby is born."

"Well, now that all of that is settled, has anyone asked Alice what she has seen, or do you want to know if it's a girl or a boy?", I asked.

"Alice. Of course. We didn't even think of that", Bella said.

"I see, never the thought to the one who keeps you from embarrassing yourself in public with the way you dress", Alice said as she and the others came downstairs, finished with the unpacking they were doing.

"Alice, what have you seen?", Carlisle asked.

"Well, how much do you want to know? Do you want to know whether to decorate in blue or pink, or leave it as a surprise?", she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"We want to know", Edward said looking into Bella's eyes as she nodded her head yes.

"Well, I can't see him while you carry him, or him at all on his own, but I can see Edward playing with a small boy with the same coppery mess of hair on his head and green eyes. He looks like more than just human, but I can't really see anything else very clearly. The vision I have has all of us smiling in it, especially you, brother, and the little boy is big enough to run and play ball in the yard, maybe the size of a four year old?", Alice told Edward.

"Oh My God, Edward. We're having a little boy! You get to have a son and I get to see you grow up through him!", Bella exclaimed while tears rolled down her face.

Edward was more reserved, having seen the vision in Alice's head. "Alice, Bella was not in that vision. Have you seen her in the future?", Edward asked with a fearful expression on his face.

"Edward, really. Do you think you would be smiling if Bella were not there with you?", Alice scoffed as she flitted off to the boat to get yet another suitcase.

"She's excited about this, too. I love the gift I have when the main emotion I'm feeling is contentment, love and lust", Jasper said with a smile as he followed Alice out the door.

"Bella, I'm so happy for you! I have been thinking about what you said about needing help with the baby and I have some idea for the nursery, especially now that we know it's a boy!", Rosalie said.

It was happening, my family was finally whole and pulling together as we always had in the past. Bella was the glue this time, she had brought Edward to life and taken the edge off of Rose's grating personality by asking her for help with the baby. Alice would have someone else to shop for that actually changed sizes and needed new clothes and I could design a new room at my house for when the baby visited. Carlisle had an infinite amount of research to do with the pregnancy and he would pour over all the details and fresh information with the same amazing enthusiasm he always showed for new knowledge. I was elated. It wasn't my little boy, the one I had lost, but at least there would finally be a child in my life.

We all sat and talked till late in the evening when Bella became sleepy. All the talk of Jaguars and hunting wild boar had made Edward realize how thirsty he was and he and the boys were going for a quick hunt on the mainland in the morning. Edward retired to their room after agreeing to meet at the boat around midnight to go to the mainland.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Morning came uneventfully, except of course that Edward's arms weren't around me. He needed to hunt, and I knew that. I had to practically peel him off of me last night to get hm to go when midnight came. We were still awake, having made love for several hours prior to his leaving. He just kept trying to fit in one more time. He had actually 'one more timed' me to death before I convinced him to go. I went to sleep feeling completely satiated for the first time in quite awhile.

The sun looked to have been up just a bit and I was smelling coffee and bacon. I threw on some shorts and a t shirt over my bikini and headed downstairs. Alice was waiting at the foot of the stairs for me, bounding up and down and Rose was reclined on the sofa flipping through what was probably a baby magazine at this point.

It was Esme that had my attention though, as the food smell was coming from where she was in the kitchen.

"Good morning, dear. Are you hungry?", Esme asked.

"Esme, it seems like I am always either hungry or . . . well, it seems I am always hungry for something", I said as my face turned red.

"I totally understand, sweetheart. Since Edward isn't here right now, how about breakfast?", Esme offered.

I settled into a plate of steaming hot eggs, bacon and toast with my coffee, orange juice and a cup of fresh fruit. She was spoiling me.

"Esme, you really don't need to fuss over me like this", I said as I washed and dried my plate,"I can cook for myself and I don't want to be any trouble!"

She turned to me and put her arms around me to pull me into a hug. "Bella, Please let me do this for you! I have such a relatively short period of time that I can cook for you. It's not like I can serve up a mountain lion on a plate to feed the others! Let me do this, please?", she asked.

"If you really want to, I love your cooking! Just don't make so much that I end up weighing three hundred pounds by the time I have the baby!", I laughed.

"Well, before you gain all that weight you are planning on, let's go upstairs and let me show you what we got for you while we were shopping in Rio!", Alice exclaimed.

What could I say. The little spiky haired pixie would not be thwarted, and we all headed upstairs to see the new treasures she had found.

"Just meet me in your room, Bella", Alice called out down the hallway as she disappeared into one of the other rooms.

Esme, Rosalie and I went into mine and Edwards room to sit and wait for the fashion show to begin, but as I entered my room, I realized Rosalie was sitting on the side of the bed staring at the headboard and smiling at Esme who was standing behind her.

Alice rounded the doorway and broke out laughing as she placed a suitcase full of shopping bags on the foot of the bed.

"Well! No wonder my brother didn't want me looking while you were here on the island!", she said as she stared at the chunks of thick wood missing from the headboard. Who am I kidding, there was very little headboard left on the left side. Apparently Edward liked to grab things with his left hand.

"I'm so sorry about that, Esme", I said as I turned bright red, "We will replace the bed frame, of course. I hope it wasn't sentimental or anything."

"Dear, this is Edward's room and I would think that headboard is too sentimental now to ever get rid of!", she said as she smiled and giggled like teenagers with the rest of her daughters.

"I just have to say this, Bella", Rose quietly said as she stared into my eyes, "I had no idea he even had it in him! My brother . . . Mr. Prim and proper straight laced Edward must have fucking come unglued to have done this and from the looks of it . . . repeatedly!"

"Rose! Language!", Esme reprimanded.

"Well, we were in the master bedroom till we had a pillow fight. Did you know that down feathers are almost impossible to clean up once they fly all over the place? Anyway, while we waited for the cleaning crew to bring new pillows and clean up, we moved to this room and decided to limit the destruction to just one room from now on hoping we might be invited back someday!", I told them.

"You have an open invitation to come here anytime either of you want, Bella", Esme offered, "with or without Edward or the rest of the family!

"What is it you want my wife to do without me?", Edward said, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He sauntered over to me and put his arms around my waist and his chin on my shoulder while he stared with me at his mom.

"Edward, you shouldn't eavesdrop! I was just offering the use of the island to Bella anytime she wanted, with or without you, that's all. She needs to know that she is also a member of this family, independent from you, sweetheart", Esme told him.

"We were just about to look at the clothes Alice got for us, want to watch?", I asked him.

He turned me around to kiss me, pulling away after a long moment to tell me that he would be downstairs playing video games with his brothers whenever I was finished here.

As he turned to leave, Rose called after him, "Nice job tearing the place apart, brother! Way to control yourself!"

"What's Edward controlling?", Emmets' booming voice called out from the hall as he came into the room with us. He spied the headboard.

"Damn Eddie! Way to go man, I didn't think you had it in you!"

He looked at Edward who only shrugged his shoulders, his hands in his jean pockets. I couldn't resist, "Actually, Emmett. He had it in me!"

Holy shit did I just say that with his mother in the room! Edward doubled over on the floor laughing.

"Holy shit little sister, you rock!", Emmett said as he gave me a fist bump. His sisters and mother stared at each other, then at him with their mouths open and their eyes wide. Esme was so shocked she forgot to correct him for language!

"Well, anyone want to look at clothes?", Alice chimed in as Edward finally got a hold of himself and the boys left the room.

We sat and looked for several hours at all the things Rose and Alice had bought in Rio, then at the things that were already in my suitcase that I had not seen yet.

"You were serious about 'naked vacation', weren't you!", Alice asked in amazement.

"Yes, today is the first clothed day we have had. Edward carried me in and when we woke up the next morning, he started to go get the suitcases. When he reached for his jeans, I told him it was a 'naked vacation', and we didn't open a suitcase till this morning. Of course, there are some bad sticker bushes on the east side of the island, and I sat and scratched my rear on them, but other than that, it has gone really well", I told them.

"Bella, I'm just so very glad he found you. Welcome to the family, little sister!", Rose said as she, Alice and Esme all hugged me at the same time.

We spent a long weekend together, all of us, swimming and playing in the surf, The vampires flaunted their ability to go without oxygen, thereby cheating on the swimming under water contests, but I should have known they would. Esme took really good care of me by preparing three meals a day for me, she wouldn't even let Edward fix any of it. She said it was her turn to spoil me for a little while, and she meant it.

~oooOooo~

We were scheduled to fly to Jacksonville for Thanksgiving with my mom on Wednesday, but Alice saw that it would be a sunny day and the flight landed in the middle of the morning, so we had to make other arrangements. The rest of the Cullens were going to take the yacht up the coast to the Amazon so that Emmett could have his wish and hunt Anacondas. It would take them several days to get there on the yacht and Edward made flight arrangements for us out of Rio Grande so that we could spend a couple of days on the boat with them and enjoy the ocean and the new boat. The large cabin on top of the boat had tinted windows, allowing them to be up there even on the sunniest of days and escape the notice of passing boats!

"Hey, if Eddie here is coming with us, he has to promise not to rip the boat apart like he did that headboard!", Emmett teased as he brought the last of the luggage on board.

"Emmett!", Carlisle and Esme both yelled at the same time.

"I'm just saying . . . you know the boat will sink with holes in it like that!"

Edward tackled him as he said it. Luckily we were on the deck of the boat and they both went over the side and into the water, continuing their wrestling match as they ran ashore and into the trees.

"Do not tear up my trees or the cliffs!", Esme yelled to them. They probably heard her, but they were well out of sight by then.

We were all packed and ready to go and instead of waiting on them as I was patiently doing, Carlisle started the boat and pulled away from the dock, Jasper in the smaller boat accompanying us to take it back to its dock in Rio de Janierio.

"We're leaving them?", I panicked, "Wait, we can't just leave them!"

I started to cry. Stupid hormones.

"Bella", Alice said as she put her arm around me, "Look there!"

She pointed to a small movement way at the other end of the island that we were now a few football fields away from. In a matter of just a few minutes, the specks got larger and I could see that it was the boys apparently swimming out to the boat. I was so relieved when Edward jumped into the lower level of the boat that I ran to him, tears still in my eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong?", he asked as I got all wet hugging myself to him, "Nothing now. I just sometimes forget you're you, sweetheart."

It was going to be an emotional few months ahead of me, but my new family seemed to be more than willing to be there for me and along with Edward and I, they were excited about the newest member we were about to add to the Cullen family.

**Authors Note: Just one more chapter of semi fluff, Thanksgiving with Renee in Jacksonville, then we have action coming back - so enjoy the simple life while it lasts!**


	29. Chapter 29 Thanksgiving

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 29 Thanksgiving**

**EPOV**

My wife was amazing. Ever since the first day I had brought her to our new home, she had woken up wanting me and had not gone to sleep at night without me having her. Not to mention the times in between. Sometimes the nighttime and the morning were connected, as I remained in my wife the entire time she slept. I loved it, as did she and the heating blanket that had become our favorite travel item went anywhere we did. We had no need for it at home, of course, as we had a separate heating system just for our bedroom and we hadn't needed it on Isle Esme as the tropics were plenty warm enough all on their own.

Here in Renee's house however, the air conditioning kept the rooms just at 70 degrees and Bella needed the heating blanket to comfortably sleep with me, that is without her teeth chattering. I thought she would be reluctant to make love under the same roof with her mom, but I was wrong. Our routine continued in spite of our whereabouts, we just adapted. Her moans could be muffled by my mouth covering hers and I attempted to keep my growls to a minimum. Those that escaped were thwarted in their attempt to make it into the open air by my wife's mouth fastened securely to mine and her tongue attempting to stifle any sounds coming out of me.

She was over three months pregnant now, though she had only conceived about nine weeks ago. One of my favorite past times was to lay with my head on my wifes' stomach listening to the babies' heartbeat. It was clear as day and quite strong. Carlisle would do an ultrasound when we returned home and check the progress and development, but the baby seemed fine and Bella . . . well Bella just absolutely glowed. We had agreed to take each day for the gift that it was and to be happy, to cherish this time together and face whatever happened when the time came.

Bella had decided that she wanted to tell her mom about the baby and I had reluctantly agreed knowing that if Renee knew, Charlie would find out. Renee would probably be supportive and understanding, something that would be quite helpful to Bella just now but Charlie would not. If his past behavior was any indication, I would need to keep him out of touch with her to keep him from upsetting my wife.

We had arrived unexpectedly, sort of. We had taken the boat up the Amazon with my family for part of their hunting trip, Emmett trying to hunt anacondas had proven just too much of a spectacle to pass up, but we had left early. Alice had seen a very sunny day on Wednesday when we had been scheduled to fly into Jacksonville, so I rearranged the flights so that we arrived Tuesday, early evening. Twilight in fact, so that we could get a rental car and surprise her mom. I had requested dark tinting on the windows of the car and that had to be ordered in advance as well. The tinting would be necessary to drive Bella around to do the various shopping she wanted to do on Wednesday in preparation for the holiday meal. We had been flying all day from Brazil and Bella was visibly tired when we arrived in Jacksonville.

"Would you like to call you mom, love, or shall we just drive over and surprise her?", I asked as they brought the car around to where we stood at the terminal.

"Let's surprise her. I never have the chance to do that anymore and it might be fun! It's what, seven o'clock? They should be home and not in bed yet. Let's go!", Bella tried to sound enthusiastic through all the tired.

We pulled up to Renee's house, I had gotten the directions ahead of time off the internet and hadn't needed to call to ask how to get there. The squeals coming from her mom when she opened the door were deafening. I wasn't sure how someone could make those noises and not be in excruciating pain, but she was right there in front of me, happily hugging my wife and continuing to make those sounds.

"Mom! I'm so glad to see you!", Bella exclaimed, "Phil, I'm glad to see you, too. I know it's only been a couple of months, but it seems like ages since I saw you!"

Renee hugged me and Phil shook my hand as they welcomed us into the house.

"I just made up your room today so that I would have one less thing to do tomorrow, honey. Fresh linens and towels in the bathroom as well. Should I send Phil out for the suitcases . . . wait, how did you get here, we were picking you up at the airport tomorrow I thought", her mom rattled on.

"We rented a car, Renee. I thought it would be easier since Bella wanted to do some shopping tomorrow for things to make for dinner and I can get the suitcase from the car". I told her.

"Come on Edward, I'll walk you out there", Phil said putting his hand on my shoulder.

I opened the rear door to get our suitcase as Phil stared at the car. "Mercedes, Edward?", he asked. "Yes, I believe so", I answered, "I wanted something with tinted windows and this is what they had. Eyes are sensitive to bright light and after being on the island for a couple of weeks, I'm looking forward to shade!", I laughed, trying to blow it off so that it all made sense.

"One suitcase! I'm impressed, Edward. Is that your doing or Bella's? Every time we go anywhere I think Rener packs the kitchen sink to take along. I never remember us going anywhere with less than four cases!", he added looking astounded.

"Well, we had most of the luggage shipped home, Bella only wanted to bring one suitcase with us. Actually, she only packed one to leave from Highlands with, but Alice packed 4 for us and I have no idea how many she filled with her shopping trips in Rio. She is addicted to clothes", I frowned as I told him.

It was true, Bella had packed only one suitcase out of the four that we had on our trip and the two extra that Alice had purchased to hold all the things she had bought for us. We had gone through them on the island and selected what we thought we would need and was appropriate for Florida in November. I had brought slacks and button downs for the holiday and jeans or shorts and t shirts for the other days. Bella had chosen to wear a comfortable sundress today, her sunburn had turned into a dark tan and she looked amazing. Shorts and t shirts completed her wardrobe, much to Alice's dismay, with a nice dress for Thanksgiving day.

We had both packed sleepwear, much to our dismay. Clothing was something I had gotten really used to not wearing. I hated seeing Bellas' body covered so that it was more difficult for me to see and admire it. She didn't know it yet, but I had purposefully taken all the underwear out of the suitcase before she closed it! I couldn't wait to see the surprise on her face when she got dressed!

Phil and I made our way back into the house and he showed me to our room.

"If you need anything, just ask or if you see it just use it", Phil said from the doorway, "I think the girls are in my room talking. I'll just go and tell them we're back inside."

Lucky for us there was at least a bathroom and a hallway between our room and theirs. Maybe we could be quiet, but no promises. I had gone without all day while we were flying and I had become very unaccustomed to that. I walked over to the door to Renees' room and leaned against the doorway. Bella saw me and from the sparkle in her eyes, I knew what she was about to do. She was so excited she just could not keep it in.

"Mom, Edward and I have some news to share with you", Bella told her.

"Is everything alright, was someone hurt while you were out of the country . . . Brazil wasn't it? You two are getting along still, right?", she looked at me suspiciously.

"As a matter of fact, Mom", she said as I walked over and placed my hands on her shoulders as she sat at the foot of her mother's bed, "We are getting along perfectly." "Edward is an amazing man", she said as she took one of my hands in hers, "and the baby will be just as amazing."

"Baby? Baby, Bella? But I thought . . . you . . . but . . . baby? Are you sure?", she stuttered.

"We're positive, Renee", I added, "Carlisle has confirmed it already."

"We're expecting this spring, Mom. The due date is still a little unclear, but we are really excited about the baby", Bella told her.

Renee hugged her and congratulated us and seemed happy for us. Phil had a rather dubious look on his face and I knew from his thoughts that though he was happy for us, he worried that Charlie was going to hurt Bella's feelings about the baby when he found out.

My wife stood and I hugged her to me, her mother and Phil's thoughts reflecting how cute they thought we were together and how in love we were. They genuinely wished us the best and wanted everything to work out for us. They thought we had a lot going in our favor. . . and they were right.

Bella had a snack with her mom before wanting to go to bed and I watched some television ballgame with Phil while I waited for her. They planned the menu and Bella went through the refrigerator to see what ingredients she would need for the meal. Her mom was relieved that she wanted to do most of the cooking and they both apparently agreed that Renee was a terrible cook. Phil had invited a few members of the team over that had no family in town, so there would be about ten of us for dinner and Bella seemed comfortable with the idea of cooking that large a meal.

"Sweetheart, it's late and you've been traveling all day. Let's get to bed so you can get up early to do the grocery shopping in the morning. You need your rest", I said to Bella as I entered the kitchen where she sat with her mom.

"He's right", Renee agreed, "and thank you for taking such good care of her, Edward. She is positively glowing."

Bella stood and kissed me, really kissed me in front of her mom and I did nothing but encourage her, putting my arms around her and holding her tight to me. Renee finally coughed and her thoughts betrayed her embarrassment. She had an idea that her daughters' rest was not the only reason I wanted her to come to bed, and she was right . . . though we did manage to be somewhat quiet.

I woke Bella before the alarm. I had been awake holding her the entire night while she slept, her leg hitched over me under the electric blanket. Rather than waking her, my touch seemed to comfort her as she slept. My hand running over her leg or hip did not disturb her in the least. The most it ever did was cause her to nuzzle closer to me or arch into my hand, her breathing never altered . . . unless it was morning and time to wake up.

God I loved mornings.

I loved the first glimpse I got each morning of her chocolate brown eyes and the way her lips searched for mine. Apparently she was not the only one that could not get enough sex now that she was pregnant. I was becoming just as insatiable as she had become.

"Bella, we need to get going to the store before the cloud cover lifts. I really want to be able to go with you, love", I said.

It was all I could do to bury my face in her neck and try to stifle my growls and whatever the hell else noise that I was making as I came apart for her. The purring started, of course. It had started lasting most of the night as well lately, as long as we were joined I didn't seem to be able to stop myself from purring. Bella absolutely loved it, something about it being better than having a pet kitten in bed with her.

Emmett would surely have my vamp card pulled if he ever got wind that she said something like that to me. I would never EVER live that down.

"Sweetie, could you just promise to keep the purring just between us, it would be really embarrassing if anyone else found out that I purred while I was with you", I asked her shyly.

"My lips are sealed sweetheart, as long as you promise to continue doing it. I really love it, I think it's so sexy, it makes me want you again and again", she whispered in my ear.

Done. If that was what it did to her, done. She could put it on a billboard for all I cared. I would never stop purring if it got me Bella in response!

~oooOooo~

We got out of the house undetected and stopped at a little diner for Bella to have breakfast before we went grocery shopping. She said she only had a few things to pick up, but forty minutes later and half a cart full of whatever the hell she kept pulling off the shelves and we were still only halfway through the store.

"Bella, I can have a meal faster than you can even shop for the ingredients for one! This is nuts! How many things go into one casserole, anyway?", I asked her.

"This casserole has peanuts, broccoli, cream of celery soup, mayonnaise, eggs and shredded cheese . . . oh an then the butter and bread crumbs on top. How many ingredients is that?", Bella asked.

Eight.

"Then there is the turkey and the stuffing, of course. Stuffing has bread crumbs, cornbread, buttermilk, eggs, celery, onions and butter. That's . . . "

Edward cut me off, " . . . seven."

'See! My point. You have to buy all these things, mix them and then wait for them to cook. I take a short run, sink my teeth into somethings' neck, drink its blood, and done. Way less trouble and I get exercise at the same time!", Edward gloated.

"But you, my husband, get no flavor choices. Same old thing everyday, blood, blood, blood."

"That is so not true, as you will eventually see. Deer is entirely different from elk or rabbit, lion is different than bobcat, and bear is different from all of the rest! Lots of flavors 'on tap' so to speak. Doesn't get any fresher than that and no preservatives, Bella!", he bragged with a grin on his face.

"Edward, do you even remember human food, the taste I mean?", she said as she turned to walk down yet another aisle.

"No, I really don't think I do", I said as I continued to push the cart and she kept putting seemingly random things in it.

"You take bites of food though, from time to time."

"Yes, when I can't avoid it. You've seen me swallow food. I had some cake even at your birthday party, remember?"

"Do different things taste different to you?", she questioned as she entered the fresh produce section and picked up some green leafy thing and sniffed it.

"Um, I don't think so. Would dirt from the yard taste different to you than dirt from a flower pot or dirt from the desert?, I asked her, "It's still dirt!"

"Are you planning on eating tonight, sweetheart?", she asked me as she stopped and turned to face me.

"If I have to and can't avoid it I will, why?", I looked at her wondering what the hell she was getting at.

"How about you try one mouth full of each thing I make and describe each one to me and lets see if there are any differences in flavor to you, will you try?"

"Ahgggh! Bella! If you really want me to I will, but that's just gross. You might have to be there when it all comes back up, and that's even worse!", I threatened.

"Deal. I'll be there when it goes in and when it comes out. Just an experiment, okay?"

"Damn it, Bella! How do I get in these positions with you where I say yes to the damdest things! This is just torture, you just have no idea yet! In fact, I'm doing this to you when the time comes, and you can remember that you had it coming, that you did it to me first!"

I continued to grumble all the way past the cashier, out of the store and to the car.

~oooOooo~

"Hey Mom!", Bella said as we walked into the kitchen loaded down with bags of groceries.

I set them down on the counter and started taking everything out of the bags so that Bella could put them where she wanted them.

"Well, did you two buy out the store? You're up so early this morning, can I make you breakfast?", Renee offered.

"We already ate. Edward and I went to the diner earlier, before the store. I wanted to get back and start cooking. Dinner is at 5, right?", Bella asked.

"Right baby. Edward, what's your family doing for Thanksgiving this year?", Renee inquired.

"They are staying in Brazil, taking a tour up the Amazon to go hunting. Dad just bought a new boat and they wanted to stay on it a little longer", I told her, trying to stick as close as possible to the truth.

"It's really a great boat, mom. Edward and I stayed with them a couple of nights, up the coast of Brazil, but then we flew here to have Thanksgiving with you", Bella hugged her mom as she spoke.

"That sounds exciting baby! I hate for you to miss out on fun like that to come here!"

"Believe me Mom, Edward and I were so excited about the baby, I couldn't wait to get here and tell you!"

"I'm thrilled for you, but why did you decide to have one so soon? Wouldn't you like college or travel first, or something? i mean, did you guys plan this baby?"

Bella ducked her head down and blushed, turning to me.

"Actually Renee, we didn't ever plan on having children. I wasn't supposed to be able to father a child so we never worried about birth control, but it seems Carlisle was wrong about that!", I told her.

"Oh! You must be tremendously thrilled to know that you two can have a family then! Wow! This is an even bigger deal than I thought! I'm happy for you both and what a relief to know that everything works!"

"Mom", Bella said with a smug look on her face, "We already knew that everything worked!"

It was priceless. The look on Renee's face was just priceless she was so embarrassed. She turned to me and I just shrugged my shoulders and winked at my wife.

"Yep", I allowed," Everything works!"

We all broke out in laughter, thank God, because the tension was getting unbearable.

I remained in the kitchen and chopped, cut and stirred anything Bella asked me to, stealing kisses whenever possible and chuckling to myself at the odd thought that crossed Renees' brain during the day.

The meal was almost ready, the house set up and everything prepared when Bella suggested we have a shower and get dressed.

Make My Day.

I had no problem showering with her in her mom's house or anywhere else. I had seemed to have lost any need to feel embarrassed about being with my wife anywhere and I seemed not to care who knew it. Renee noticed when I followed Bella to the bathroom, towel in hand. I stepped into the shower behind my wife. Pouring the shampoo into he hair and lathering it filled the room with the fragrance of strawberries. I didn't relate to strawberries, but that scent I now equated with Bella. It was so easy to be here with her, natural even. She turned around to face me as the water cascaded over her face rinsing her hair and it was as if we both decided at the same time to forgo any charade of foreplay. Her arms went around my neck as I lifted her and held her to me, her legs encircling my waist.

I stood in the shower holding her, I could have stood there for days, never tiring. We were still but for our soft kisses and quiet sounds. We stayed still, holding each other for a long moment till Bella squealed, the warm water having turned suddenly cold.

"Good thing we got cold water thrown on us, I would have stayed in that shower all day with you", Bella said smugly as she dried herself with the towel. We had neglected to bring clothing into the bathroom and Renee snickered audibly as she watched us walk to Bella's room with only a towel around each of us, obviously having heard Bella's calling out my name. You had to love her mom, she just wanted to see Bella happy and loved that I made her so happy.

~oooOooo~

"Dave, Joey, Mark, meet my wife's daughter Bella and her husband Edward", Phil Introduced us as his team mates came in the door. And the introductions continued as Jose, David, Jim and Rusty arrived. They all seemed nice enough, I couldn't really blame them for the thoughts they had about Bella, she was beautiful and anyone in their right mind was bound no notice. Most of the thoughts were harmless enough - just an appreciation for her beauty and some mild fantasies. Some thoughts of what a lucky bastard I was and how I was too young to appreciate what I had. Assholes. Fucking little they knew about anything.

After the blessing, we all sat down to eat the feast before us, everyone complimenting the cook on how good everything looked and smelled. I squeezed Bella's leg under the table, she needed to know that I was always so very proud of her and her abilities.

The guys on the team filled the conversation with talk of their new manager trainee, the condition of the field, their bonuses for the year. One of them asked me what I did for a living. It was a question I should have been prepared for, but I had always just gone to high school or college and had never really thought about an answer to the question.

"Bella and I haven't yet decided if we will be attending college or not next year. We're taking a year off and I'm involved with my families businesses", I told them.

Their thoughts gave the meaning of the smiles and snickers away as the conversation eerily came to a halt and the subject abruptly changed.

_Kid is going nowhere._

_Probably expecting to live off their parents for awhile._

_Kids is just milking his parents, on the family payroll._

_Little prick, too busy fucking to care about anything else or the people supporting them._

_He looks like being married, they need to drop this charade and go back to school._

I was used to ignoring peoples minds, just tuning them out, but somehow it disturbed me that they would consider that I thought that little of Bella, that I would act in any of the manners that they imagined. I excused myself and went to help with the cleanup in the kitchen, leaving the humans to play with each other. I felt no need to defend myself to them.

I had most of the clean up done, . . . vampire speed came in handy when left alone to perform a task. Bella had stepped out onto the porch to get some air, she apparently was put off by the commentary as well. I just wasn;t sure what the story should be, and I would have to consider it in the future and not be caught unprepared.

I was drying my hands when my attention was again brought to the conversation among the guys in the living room. Renee had gone in with a fire lit under her.

"Boys", she said sternly, demanding the attention of them all, including Phil," You will not disrespect my son-in-law in my home. I won't have it. He is too mature and too much of a gentleman to defend himself to you, or perhaps he is too self assured to care, but I will not have it."

"Come on, Renee", the one called Mark said to her with some familiarity, "You know those kids have no ability to support themselves, you guys will be sending them money and paying off student loans till the cows come home and you know it! They are too young to be married!"

She blew. God love my new mother-in-law, she was just as fiercely protective of me now as she was of Bella . . . though I did wish there was some way of stopping what she was about to do.

"For your information, that young man is worth more money than all of you together will see in a lifetime and he made the money HIMSELF. He happens to be a financial genius and HE invests for most of his family, though his father is a respected doctor and Chief of Staff at a hospital!"

She eyed them one at a time as she spoke,

"David, will you ever drive a Aston Martin Vanquish? How about yachting off the coast of Brazil before flying your wife to her moms so she could tell her about the child you were expecting?

Jose, did you take your wife to your mothers private island for your honeymoon?

Mark, did you give your wife an R8 just because you wanted to say sorry?

Joey, when was the last time you had a new house built for your wife's birthday?

Jim, ever sent your in-laws first class plane tickets so that they could come and visit your wife?

Rusty, ever designed a necklace for your wife and had it covered in diamonds and sapphires for her?

I didn't think so. You know NOTHING about this young man, yet you choose to think badly of him. Shame on you. Since he has no need of defending himself, I feel compelled to demand an apology from each and every one of you in some subtle way this evening, do you understand me!", she declared and stormed out of the room, chastising Phil for allowing them to behave that way.

I was so floored by her defense of me that I failed to notice what was occurring on the patio. Bella had been followed out the door by the youngest member of the team, Dave. His thoughts had been the most disturbing . . . and lustful towards Bella when he had first arrived. I saw through his mind that he had his hands on Bella's waist and the words I heard stopped me cold.

"Come on baby, you need to know what it would be like to be with a real man, not just some boy that can't even take care of you. Let me show you what I mean", he said as he tried to take her in his arms. She slapped him just as I seemed to appear beside her, forcibly removing his hand from her waist and effectively dislocating the arm from his shoulder. He yelped and grabbed his arm as the others came to see what was going on.

"If you ever touch my wife again", I said as I calmly stood there with my wife clinging to my side, "I'll rip that arm away from the rest of your body. Do we understand each other?"

His mind was racing. He had felt my strength and he believed I just might be able to do what I had threatened. "I'm so sorry. You're right, I was completely out of line. Bella, please forgive me", he said as he turned and also apologized to Phil and Renee, bidding them to please enjoy the rest of the evening and not let him spoil it. He then excused himself and left out the front door. Alone.

"Please, let's go back inside and enjoy the dessert that my wife made for us", I said as I gestured to the house and Bella headed in.

They all stood out there for a moment apparently stunned. Bella and I went to the kitchen. She assured me that she was alright and kissed me soundly. We started to prepare the dessert as I listened to the banter on the patio.

"Boys, you have just seen a teenager outclass us all", Phil told them. Let's go back inside.

Bella took the plates in and I carried the large tray to the table for her. They all came in and stood around the dining room table, their minds quiet. Phil was the first to speak.

"Edward, I'd like to thank you for handling that the way you did. You had every right to beat the shit out of him but you didn't. I want to apologize for not stopping this attitude when it first popped up."

"Yes, you are a very unusual young man", Renee said as she put one hand on my chest and her other arm around my waist, "My daughter is a very lucky young woman and you will be a wonderful father!"

There were congratulations and apologies all around from everyone. The most important comment was from my wife. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I'm so proud of you for controlling yourself!"

"Would you like to take a walk with me?", I asked her, "The beach isn't far from here."

We walked hand in hand for awhile in the cool night air, the ocean breeze blowing the salt spray and the clouds gently to the shore. Bella had her shoes off and was kicking sand with her toes with every step. We came to a jetty made of huge stones jutting out into the water, inch thick wrought iron holding some of the stones in place. We climbed up one of the flat stones and I sat behind Bella sat with her arms hugging her knees up to her chest, me behind her with a leg on either side of her and my arms around her. I rested my chin on her shoulder as we admired the shimmering reflection of the moon on the water and listened to the waves breaking.

"Bella, I'm sorry I didn't notice right away when he left to go on the patio with you. I should have been there."

"I handled it, sweetie. It's good that you weren't and thank you for hot really hurting him. I am just beginning to realize how strong you really are."

She pointed to one of the wrought iron bars near my knee, "Bending that is nothing to you, is it?"

I reached out and turned the top six inches of it into a circle using just a couple of my fingers. I then put my hand flat against the boulder beside us and pushed down, instantly pulverizing the rock into gravel.

"I guess I really have no idea how hard it is for you not to break things, just by touching them do I? I know how hard I clutch on to you when we make love, it must be incredibly difficult for you not being able to hold me the way you need to. Soon though, after our baby is born. Then we will have our time."

She paused for a minute, almost holding her breath as I softly traced circles over her belly where our baby was growing.

"Will it always be this perfect", she asked me, "Will it be like this, this feeling between us forever?"

"No, Bella, it won't", I told her as she gasped.

"Sweetheart, vampires mate for life. Once your changed, the love we share will continue to grow and bond us together. I'm told it intensifies for at least the first ten years, so . . . no, it won't be like this, it will be stronger."

**Author's Note: A Safe Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and be sure and count your blessings this day.**


	30. Chapter 30  Black Friday

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors note:** If you live in the US, hopefully by now you have had your fix of shopping for a day or two. I preferred to stay home and write this. Hope you enjoy some lemony goodness after a long day!

**Chapter 30 **B**lack Friday**

**EPOV**

"_Sweetheart, vampires mate for life. Once your changed, the love we share will continue to grow and bond us together. I'm told it intensifies for at least the first ten years, so . . . no, it won't be like this, it will be stronger."_

We sat in silence, listening to the waves crashing on the rocks and watching the wind blow the wisps of clouds across the moon. Without speaking, she turned to face me and kissed me oh so softly, trailing her fingers along my jaw, pinching my earlobe, down my neck and across my chest. She extended her wrist and pushed - just a gentle action really, I would hardly have noticed except I was so tuned to her every move. She wanted me to lie back, she was pushing me actually, I just had to notice it and I instantly complied, of course.

She straightened her legs to lie between mine, her belly on the rock where we sat and her chest propped up by her elbows on either side of my hips. Her eyes never left mine as she rested her chin on my belt.

I grabbed her, pulling her to me so that she sat straddling me as I kissed her passionately there in the moonlight, my tongue exploring every crevice, stroking her mouth, tasting me on her. This woman was my life. I had no idea how I had ever survived without her. My hands traced slowly up her legs to her rear as she hugged herself to me.

"Bella, you have nothing on under that dress!", I exclaimed.

"Well how could I, I believe a sneaky vampire thought he would play a joke on me and unpack all the underwear I had put in my suitcase. You wouldn't have any idea who that sneak would be, would you?", she asked, her arms around my neck and her head still cocked to one side.

I looked at her and I could not stop the silly crooked grin from coming over my face.

"Why, Mrs. Cullen! Who would do such a thing! Do I need to hunt them down and seek justice for their actions!", I asked playfully.

"No, Mr. Cullen, I think I can avenge the act myself in this case.

"Hum, perhaps we should go home now", she said as she started to pull away, "I think you were very presumptuous to make me run around exposed. Such a mean joke, so naughty of you!"

She leaned forward and put her lips to my ears, "I love you more than anything", she said as she hooked her legs behind me and squeezing me to her as we sat there on the rocks.

~oooOooo~

We walked home a couple of hours later. Everyone had left by now and Renee was finishing up in the kitchen when we walked in. She took one look at us and knew, of course. Her mind raced.

_Bella looks so flushed, they mush have had sex on the beach._

_God they seem to have sex through out the day, several times a day._

_Wish I was 19 again!_

_Look at how he holds her, like she is the most precious thing in the world._

_My daughter loves this boy so much._

_She looks so happy, so in love with him._

I chuckled at her thoughts, but tried to cover my actions, "Well I guess it worked! We missed the cleanup entirely!"

"Don't even try that on me, young man! You did most of the cleanup when you were in here earlier!", Renee said as she dried her hands on a towel, "Thank you."

"Anytime", I answered her, "I'm just going to call my parents and see how their trip is going".

"I'll wait for you upstairs", I said to Bella, bending to kiss her on the neck before I exited up the stairs. I knew that Renee wanted to talk to her daughter.

**BPOV**

"Anything left that you need me to do, Mom?, I asked.

"No, sweetie, unless you want to sit and have a cup of coffee with me."

"Sure", I answered, getting myself a cup and sitting down at the kitchen table to join her.

"Thank you for cooking today, you are so much better at it than I ever was", Rene told me, "I love eating your cooking. I'm surprised your young man hasn't gained weight with you around to cook for him!".

I snickered, the thought of Edward gaining weight made me laugh, he would always look just like he did not, the perfect body, tight abs . . .

"Most of the time he beats me to it and has food ready for me before I even have a chance", I told her, "He spoils me silly."

"He adores you, Bella. He notices every move you make. You don't often find that in a young man . . . hell sweetie, you rarely find that at all, regardless of their age!"

"He is really sweet, Mom, but he has his moments. He tends to be overprotective and very opinionated."

"Well, he's overprotective because he loves you and most men get that way when their wives are pregnant. As far as opinionated he's intelligent, of course he has opinions. Look at how he makes his living, he makes decisions based on his own assessments and opinions. It just seems natural that he would be that way," she said as she put a hand on mine,  
I'm happy for you. You two are perfect for each other. He brings out your self confidence and you allow him to show his softer side. It seems like it's new for him."

"Mom, you have no idea. Anyway, what are your plans for tomorrow?", I asked, though I had a bad feeling that I already knew.

"Well, I was hoping you would go shopping with me! It's Black Friday and all the stores have sales. Do you have any idea what you are getting people for Christmas?", she asked me.

"Well, I don't know what to get you and Phil and Charlie, but I already ordered gifts for the Cullens. Rosalie and I are going in together to buy them."

"Buy what? What are you getting them this year?", she asked as she sipped her coffee.

I stared at my cup, kind of embarrassed to tell her. I'm so not used to having money or spending exorbitant amounts of it on gifts, but I suppose this was my first test. I needed to get used to it.

"Well, you have to keep it a secret from Edward", I told her, knowing full well that he would pick it out of her head. He just wouldn't know which one he was getting, and he would probably be proud of me for venturing to spend this much money anyway. "Rosalie and I ordered new Harley Davidson motorcycles for the family, seven of them", I told her.

"You what?", she said as she spat her coffee.

"Well, the Racing Foundation presented me with a new one when I got that award last month, so Rose and I decided that the rest of the family needed their own so that we could all go riding together. It'll be fun!"

"Bella! Aren't those bikes expensive?"

"Kind of, but Rose and I went in together on it", I explained to her.

"Don't think I'm getting into your business, sweetie, but how much are things like that?", my Mom asked.

"Well, by the time we paid shipping and an extra fee to rush delivery, and all the extras we added to customize each bike, we spent about a hundred thousand each", I said.

"Well, it's not something I could ever imagine, dear. How I would get that much money and my husband not know, you're surprising him? How?", she asked.

I really don't know if he will notice or not, Mom. I wrote the check out of my account, not our joint account, but Edward does all the books. He hasn't said anything and really, I don't think he ever would. I still have over three hundred thousand of the original five he put in my account before my birthday. He asks the first of every month when he does payables, but I keep telling him not to put any more in the account, to leave it somewhere where it at least gains interest. I just don't spend money like Alice!", I told her.

"Oh! I nearly forgot, I bought you some things in Rio. We went clothes shopping as always and I just saw some things I knew you would like! Honestly, I could never shop like Alice does. It's a good thing her credit card has no limit, it scares me to think how much she spends on all of our clothes!", I stammered.

"Alice buys all your clothes?", I nodded my head, "Every ones' clothes?"

"Yes, Edwards, every ones."

"Do you pay her back?"

"No. She just does it. The Cullens really don't keep up with who buys what, from what I can tell. No one really cares about money in this family Mom. When the supply is so great that you can't really even manage to spend the interest every month, you just seem to loose interest in who bought what. As long as everyone has what they need, it's all good. I have to argue with her to use my credit card when we shop for me even!", I complained to her."

"Well, I love you, and don't spend your money on me, sweetie. Let me spend some on you tomorrow! And you have to help me pick something for Edward for Christmas! Since we are coming there this year for the holidays, I need to know what to get the Cullens. Motorcycles are out for me, though!", she said laughing.

"Okay Mom, we'll shop tomorrow. Right now, I'm sure Edward is waiting up for me."

"Yes, I'm sure he is", she said with a smirk on her face.

"Mom!"

"What! Go! I'd do the same thing!"

~oooOooo~

I awoke to my Mom gently shaking my shoulder. "Mom? Is everything okay?", I said groggily.

"Everything is fine. Time to get up, the stores open in two hours."

I looked over my shoulder, Edward appeared to be sleeping on his stomach facing away from me, the covers draping across his lower back and only his torso exposed. I looked at the clock. It was 4am. FOUR AM.

"Mom. Really?"

"Really. I'm going to take my shower, meet me downstairs when you're ready, I want to get there by 6 though!"

"Mom, that's two hours from now!"

"I know sweetie, but it's not like the two of you join the rest of the world for awhile after you wake up in the mornings! I woke you up extra early to be sure we could be there by 6!", she said over her shoulder as she left the room and closed the door.

I looked over at the muscled back of my husband, knowing he never slept without his arms around me.

"Okay faker, you can wake up now!", I told him as I kissed the back of his neck.

He slowly turned his head, his hands still under his pillow and opened one eye to look at me.

"What, I'm sleeping!", he said fighting back a snicker.

"Sure you are", I said as I smacked him over the head with a pillow.

He rolled towards me onto his back and I laid on him, hugging and giggling and kissing in the early morning hours. I rocked into him with more intent, deepening the kisses and gripping his shoulders. God he was gorgeous, and he was only mine. Forever. How could I ever really get over that fact.

He put his arms around me and held onto each of his own forearms with his hands as he became more intense, my hands grasping at the hair at the nape of his neck and my nails scraping down his back, pulling him in impossibly closer. He knew we would be heard, he also knew that I didn't care as we came apart together, the intensity on his face now more than ever before revealing his raw passion and power. I hugged him to me as he struggled to just keep his hands gripping his own forearms so that he would not destroy anything or harm me. It was nice to be within his encircled arms, even if he wasn't squeezing me, fearful of his own intensity and strength.

I gently pushed and he gave way, rolling to his back.

"They are getting larger, you know!", he said softly, staring at my breasts.

"What?', I asked as I continued to study him.

"Your breasts, they are getting larger, heavier. They seem even more sensitive than normal, too", he said almost reverently.

"They are more sensitive. Is this your medical school training showing, doctor?", I teased him.

"Partly, it's supposed to happen when you're pregnant. God Bella, I just never thought I would ever be a part of this, experience this", he said as he stared at my belly, "I know all the medical ins and outs, at least for humans, but I just never thought I would experience this as the father of the baby. It's just hard to believe I put that in you and I'm so scared that it will hurt you Bella . . . I am just really scared."

I couldn't believe he was actually admitting this to me. I had known it, of course. But he had opened himself up to me in a way I never thought him capable of. He was willing to share everything with me and I loved him for it even more. My invincible, super humanly strong vampire was lying in my arms telling me he was scared. Was there no limit to how much I could love this man. I wondered how it could possible grow stronger for years to come, would we ever be able to stand not being intimate all day everyday!

"We won't let him, Edward. You and Carlisle will just have to get Masen out before he knows he wants out!", I told him.

"Masen?", he asked with a raised eyebrow. I blushed.

"Well, unless you will let me name him Edward!", I said still fiddling with his curls.

"No, Masen is perfect, love", he said pressing his lips to mine and effectively ending the conversation.

I opened the suitcase and took out jeans to slip on. Edward stared at me, his head in his hand propped up on his elbow.

"Going commando are we", he chided, knowing full well I had no underwear to put on.

"Yes, and if I have to so are you", I said tossing him his favorite worn looking jeans. I knew he didn't like wearing jeans when he went out, preferring slacks instead, but he didn't argue. He gracefully rolled out of bed and pulled them on, attempting to confine his hardened length.

"Edward", I said as he found a button down and tucked it in, why were you on the other side of the bed this morning? Were you really asleep?"

"No, love. I heard your Mom's thoughts as she came down the hall and I knew she was just going to walk in. I was wrapped around you and well . . . you know. Anyway, I thought it best to cover you and appear to be asleep. Lying on my stomach hid my . . . condition . . . from her view."

I had to giggle as he tried so delicately to tell me what he had been doing and I just could not resist shocking my husband by stating what he was too proper to verbalize to me.

"You mean you were fondeling me as I slept and didn't want my mom to see the evidence, so you hid it by lying on your stomach?", I saw him do a double take at me with his mouth agape through the corner of my eye. As I nonchalantly headed down stairs, I heard a faint, "Bella . . ."

We were in the kitchen and I had a cup of coffee in my hand when Mom came in to join us.

"Ready to go?", she said.

"Yep", I answered. Edward stood and scooted his chair in, startling my Mom. She jumped and let out a squeak, apparently she thought it was just me in the kitchen.

"Oh, Edward. Good morning", she said as she looked at him questioningly.

He answered the question he undoubtedly heard in her head, "I thought I would drive you ladies around today while you shopped."

"You're going shopping with us?", Mom asked.

"Mom, we do everything together, haven't you figured that out by now?', I said as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't want to intrude, Renee, but she is right. I always prefer to be with her, even shopping. I can make myself scarce if you need me to, if you want some alone time, I understand.", Edward offered.

"No no dear, it's fine. I just didn't expect it. Getting Phil to shop with me is like pulling teeth with pliers!, she stated with some amazement.

Well, let's go then", I said grabbing my purse and heading towards the door.

Edward opened the rear door of the car, closing it after she got in and sat down and then did the same for me in the front seat. Mom cocked her head and looked at me with surprise as I just shrugged my shoulders, "He's just like that, Mom", I told her as he got into the car to drive and took one of my hands in his.

We shopped for hours, Edward making several trips to the car to relieve us of our treasures so that we wouldn't have to carry them around. I had managed to swipe my credit card a few times instead of Renee's to pay for her purchases as well as mine. My mom was so spacey she had never noticed. Her attention span was sometimes non existent.

When we approached Victoria Secret, Edward stopped at the door.

"There is an electronics store across the way", his head nodded towards the AT&T store adjacent to a Best Buy, just cross the walkway, "Would you mind if I looked around there instead of going in here with you, love? I neglected to bring my laptop, and if we are staying for a few extra days, I have some business I need to attend to."

"Perfect sweetheart, see you in a bit", I said as I kissed his lips.

"My, my, he is just the perfect gentleman, isn't he", my Mom said.

"What?",I looked questioningly at her.

"Bella, that boy has the manners that people used to have back in the day, you know, early nineteenth century. He just gracefully declined to go into a store that sells intimate apparel without ever saying that was what he was doing. We have passed that electronics store twice today, he never wanted to go look around in it before!", Mom said.

"Yea, I guess he did", I said thoughtfully.

My Mom was always intuitive, sensing too much sometimes. I hoped this wasn't one of those times.

"So you two are staying longer than just the weekend?", she asked.

"Well, Edward talked to the rest of his family last night. Seems that Carlisle and Esme are heading back to Highlands because Carlisle is due back at the hospital, but the kids are meeting us in Orlando to go to some of the theme parks. Alice and Jasper want to go to Universal and ride the roller coasters!"

"Wow. Last minute decisions seem to follow Alice! I am happy that you will be here a few more days, though!", she said as we walked into the store.

Alice had seen that it would be terribly overcast all next week and weekend and they seemed to be just looking for an excuse to go to the parks. Edward was reluctant, given my pregnancy, but Carlisle assured him that I really was fine and I told him that it sounded like fun. Done. We were going. Victoria was safely still in Calgary, trying to find my whereabouts through Jacob.

I had a couple of dozen pairs of underwear in my hands, my mom's eyebrow shooting up at some of my selections

I explained that I had forgotten to bring underwear with me without blaming it on Edward, then I decided to just be a little bolder and see if she could handle it.

"Maybe I should get a couple more pairs while I'm here."

"Well, sweetie. You'll need maternity ones soon enough!", Mom reminded me.

"Doesn't really matter. These will be gone in a couple of weeks", I whispered to her.

"Do you misplace things that easily, Bella". she questioned.

I gathered my nerve and said it, "No, I don't loose them. Edward destroys them every time when he rips them off".

She just looked at me, stared really, no expression at all other than shock. She wasn't used to me being willing to share my thoughts like she wished I would and I just had. I had chosen some sets as well, having to purchase larger bras for my increasing size.

Edward appeared at the register as I was checking out and handed the woman his credit card to pay for my purchases. Mom was still somewhat of a statue and I knew Edward was reading her mind and trying not to laugh.

"Why Mr. Cullen", I said, won't your wife notice that you made purchases at Victoria Secret?"

My wife trusts me completely, as I do her . . . and Victoria Secret purchases on my credit card will indeed be a first, Mrs. Cullen", he said as he signed the receipt and took my bags for me. Mom still stood with her mouth slightly ajar, not knowing what to say.

Edward had several large bags of his own, so we headed to the car. Mom and I had both had out fill of shopping as it was late afternoon and I wanted to get home to the leftovers!

~oooOooo~

Edward took all the bags upstairs for us and Mom and I went into the kitchen to find food. I realized after a few minutes that Edward had not come downstairs. When I went upstairs to find him, I heard him in the bathroom and I went in to check on him. The food that I had dared him to eat yesterday was finding its way back out and he was miserable. Though he tried to get me to leave, I wet a washcloth with cool water and stood beside his kneeling form, wiping his forehead and neck with the cool cloth to sooth him. He was right, the food came back up in exactly the form it had gone in, no changes like there would have been if I had vomited food I had eaten last night. I would never try to get him to eat again, I felt so bad for him.

He finally got all the food back up and I started the shower for us. Maybe it wold make him feel better. I undressed him and followed him in, shampooing his hair and washing soap all over him not do much because he needed it, but because I loved doing anything for him that I thought would give him the least bit of comfort.

"You take such good care of me, sweetheart", he said s he hugged me.

"I love you. Thank you for letting me do little things for you, it makes me feel like there is something I can do for you, some way I can take care of you even if the reality is that you don't need anything", I said quietly.

"Bella!", he said grasping my shoulders in his hands and pulling away from me to stare into my eyes, "I need you more than you can yet understand. I waited a hundred years for you and everything you do matters to me, every comfort you offer, every time you show your love for me. I love you, Bella", he said as he hugged me to him.

I kissed up his neck to his jaw, but he didn't move to kiss me like he usually did when I asked like that. He noticed my pout.

"Let me brush my teeth first, love. You wouldn't want to kiss me right now, I promise."

~oooOooo~

I dressed and went back downstairs to the kitchen. Mom had finished her sandwich and I let her know that Edward had eaten something that didn't agree with him and he would be upstairs lying down for awhile

"So, have you told your father about the baby?", Mom asked.

"No. I spoke to him yesterday to wish him and Sue a happy Thanksgiving, but Edward doesn't want to tell him yet, he thinks Dad will upset me and wants me to wait till we are home where Carlisle is close by, just in case, I told her as I sat to have my sandwich, "I told you he was overprotective!"

"Well, overprotective in a good way. It seems he doesn't worry that ripping underwear will hurt you!", she said laughing.

"MOM!", I said turning eight shades of red.

My Mom and I talked for several hours, chatting about Charlie, Phil, things that had happened in Phoenix. She wanted to know all about racing motorcycles, Jacob, what life was like on the road with the race team and what life was like now with my own home and how I felt about having my own family.

I was just telling her that I would eventually like to go to college when Edward entered the kitchen.

"I was so hoping you would eventually like to go, love! I was just checking correspondence on line and we were both accepted to Dartmouth, not that you knew you applied!", he said with a smile.

"Edward! Dartmouth! How?", I asked as I stood and threw my arms around his neck.

"I filled out the application for you year before last and you did the essays, remember, junior year in high school?", he went on, "Well I sent in the forms last spring and requested a deferral, still hoping I would find you. Anyway, if we want to go next fall, we are both accepted! You can't even yell at me about the cost now that we're married!", he said as he swung me around.

"That's just great, Edward. Way to go planning in advance!", Renee said.

"We will have to see what happens with the baby and all, but the option is there. Probably not a good idea to travel and let me show you Europe till the baby is a little older anyway", he explained.

"What an extraordinary life you two will have", my mother marveled as she stared at us.

"Well, Renee, not knowing exactly what our plans are, now with the baby coming and all, I took the liberty of purchasing you a new cell phone while I was in the store", He said as he handed it to her, "I have new ones for all of us as well and they have the capacity to do video calls, so you can see each other when you talk, if you choose to. All of our numbers are programed there for you, as well as the office number for my dad at the hospital, in case you need it."

"That was really thoughtful of you, sweetheart", I told him as he handed me my new cell phone, already in a leather case.

"Edward, I can't accept this. You shouldn't have", Mom told him.

"Please, Renee, this will make Bella more comfortable that anywhere she is you can reach each other, these are satellite and will receive and transmit virtually anywhere in the world. You just never know how crazy we could get and be somewhere entirely out of range of our current phones, and with the baby coming I'm sure she will be wanting to speak with her mother a bit more often", Edward responded, "I have also set up a laptop in Bella's room that has video capability. I needed it to do some business with on Monday, but I planned to leave it here for you after we leave so that you can stay even better connected with e-mail capability, although you have e-mail on the phones as well."

"Well, I don't think I am going to when this one, and when you put it that way, Edward, thank you. his was very thoughtful", Mom replied. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, just a passing thing. No food for me tonight though, thanks!", he held his hands up to gesture just how sure he was that he didn't want food.

I had to laugh as Edward backed out of the kitchen and headed back upstairs to finish his work, now that he had a computer.

"That young man thinks of everything, doesn't he", Mom said.

"You have no idea, Mom. No idea", I added as I thought about forever with my thoughtful, overprotective vampire.


	31. Chapter 31 Investments

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 31 Investments**

**BPOV**

"Yes, okay . . . no, it's not necessary . . . yes, thank him for me . . . I have it. I'll put in the buy order as soon as the market opens. Yes. Call me or I'll sell at $6.75. Got it. Bye Alice".

I reached for my husband only to grab air. His velvet voice filled the room, I had heard it. As I became more conscious, I realized Edward was on the phone. He was sitting at the desk in our bedroom with his laptop open. He was so cute sitting there naked. I knew he was working, planning and coordinating the list of the day's trades.

I lay still and thought about our visit here at my Mom's house. We had spent the last two days with Phil and Renee going to the beach, swimming, playing putt putt golf, even riding go carts at the amusement park. The weather had cooperated perfectly, just as Alice predicted and we were under a thick cloud cover the entire weekend.

Edward at the beach was a blast! You never knew where he would turn up, him and his ability to go without oxygen was maddening in that waves crashing over him didn't phase him and he never had to sputter or breath salt water or any of the things that I endured! Edward also had an uncanny ability to move fast underwater and would startle me and grab me from beneath at the most unexpected times . . . it was like playing with a shark on his own turf!

My attention turned back to the present. I knew he wasn't actively trading, it was only 4am and the market wasn't open yet.

"What are you doing over here all alone", I asked as I put my arms around his neck.

"Just preparing, love. Getting some work done. What are you doing?", he asked as he pulled me around onto his lap.

"I was just admiring my naked husband and I had to come over here close . . .", I said as I stood and repositioned myself so that I was straddling his lap.

". . . so that I could get a better view", I said.

"Did you now", he said, pushing his papers further onto the desk, moving the laptop aside and giving me that crooked grin, "And do you like what you see?"

"I love everything I see", I told him as I kissed his temple, his cheek, the very edge of his lips and down his neck. "I woke up lonely, my husband wasn't in bed with me!", I whined.

"Well, perhaps I can entertain you till he returns", he said as his hands stroked from my waist to my backside.

"I don't know. My husband is kind of overprotective", I told him.

". . . and I would never do this", I said as I kissed his lips and licked them with my tongue.

". . . or this", I said as I ran my hands over the defined muscles of his chest and stomach.

". . . or this", I said as I kissed him, my tongue begging entrance to his mouth.

His unnecessary breathing increased now, as did the the wandering of his hands. He kissed me so lovingly for the longest time, until I needed air and even then his lips never left my skin

The desk chair fell backwards as he stood, his mouth claiming mine and our tongues tangled together. My husband made love to me right there, sitting on the desk in my room. He had to grab my face with his hands to keep his mouth over mine as my moans escaped me. We just held each other for the longest moment.

I don't remember moving to the bed, but I loved the feeling of Edward's body over mine. He almost never allowed his full weight on me, just enough that I felt him pressing me into the bed.

". . . and I would never do this", I said as I let my hand run down over his naked rear.

He lifted his head and held my face in his hands. "Damn right you wouldn't", he said as he kissed me soundly and continued to make love to me again and again. Instead of our lovemaking becoming more gentle after the first couple of hours as was our habit, Edward seemed to become more frenzied, desperate even. I handed him a pillow to stuff behind the headboard to stop the noises it was making, but it did not deter him, he continued to become more frantic. I was just about to start trying to calm him, to have him soften his movements when the bed giving way under the strain and the top part of the mattress falling to the floor with a loud crashing sound.

As we calmed and held each other close, Edward had the presence of mind to grab covers and pull them up over us. It seemed an odd thing to do in our head angled down position on the off kilter mattress, but when the knocking on the door started, I understood.

"Bella! Bella, are you alright!"

"Oh God", I whispered to Edward as he lay half on me half beside me. I opened my mouth to answer her, but I was so out of breath, only a small squeaky whisper came out.

"We're fine", Edward answered.

"I'd like to hear that from Bella, if you don't mind", Renee said worriedly from the other side of the door.

I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself and regain my composure, well as much composure as you could have when you were laying in a tangled sweaty mass with your husband on the bed you just broke in your mother's house!

"You need to answer her or . . .", Edward was cut off by my mother's entrance into our room.

". . . or she'll come in, love", he finished whispering in my ear, tucking his head to my shoulder.

"I'm fine, Mom", I finally managed to say.

I have to admit, her expression was priceless. I don't know if I would go through the embarrassment again if I had a choice, but I will never forget her face. She had just walked in and found us tangled together on a slanted mattress that had once been a level bed.

"I . . . I . . . I just wanted to make sure you were okay, sweetie . . . I was worried . . . I thought, well . . . I'm not sure what I thought . . . I just needed to make sure but, I'll just be going . . . now . . . ", Mom said.

Edward laughed. Just a small laugh at first, but when Phil appeared at the door, Edwards laughter had become infectious and Renee and I were laughing as well.

"You guys are sliding, you know!", Renee offered between laughs.

"Renee, it's not like they can get up with us here," Phil continued to laugh, "come on and shut the door so they can get up before they slide all the way off and onto the floor!"

It was such a stupid position to be in. Edward looked over at me, "Sorry, love. I told you it was getting harder and harder for me to be gentle. You okay, cause your Mom wasn't so sure! Her mind was going a hundred miles an hour thinking I had hurt you and you couldn't even answer her! "

"Yea, I'm sure she will say something later", I told him as I nuzzled in closer.

It was after eight in the morning so I dressed and went downstairs to face Mom, well really I went downstairs to get breakfast, but I knew she would be there waiting for me. Edward stayed behind to repair the bed and set the room right. I'm sure it hadn't helped when they walked in that the desk chair was also knocked over on the floor!

Mom was in the kitchen with breakfast cooking. Phil had the paper and his coffee in hand.

"Do you have some time this morning, Mom . . . I want to show you the things I got for you in Rio", I said as I poured myself a cup. "Edward needs to work for awhile today."

"I'd love that. Let's take them to my room though, yours needs . . . some repair", she chuckled.

"She turned to me more seriously, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Are you sure you're alright?"

I had to end these questions . . . shock her or something.

"Mom, I'm fine. Carlisle says it's hormones. I just can not get enough . . . you know", I tried to tell her quietly. "I seem to need sex . . . now that I'm pregnant. Several times a day just is not enough, but Edward doesn't seem to mind!"

She hushed. Done.

~oooOooo~

I went back upstairs after breakfast to check on Edward. He had repaired the bed and tidied the room, of course, and had gone back to working with the laptop, probably needing to finish what I had disturbed him from doing this morning when I straddled him on the chair!

It was 9:25 and the market was about to open in New York. I had watched Edward trade before, but he had not done more than just what had been necessary with his finances, opting to spend time with me instead and not caring about the money he could have made. He was feeling bad about the time he had spent away from me. We keep getting a broader view of just how many people we hurt and things we disrupted as time goes on. It was Edward that understood the stock market and did the finances for the family, something he had paid no attention to during the time we were separated and he was so depressed. The Cullens were fine on money, of course, having more than enough stable investments to offset the market losses while no one had bothered with the stock accounts. I think Edward said that Alice had made one trade to avoid loss because she saw the company folding, but other than that they had made no buys, and done no trading for profit. Edward felt terrible about his perceived failure to take care of their investments and apparently the next two days held the promise of large profits.

The main company, Cullen Investments, LLC, was owned by all of us, but Edward had opened a separate etrade account for us because I wanted to learn how to buy and sell stocks and he was enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with me. He had surprised me one morning at home by showing me the account that he had opened in both our names and placed a half million in it for me to learn with. He had tripled it by now, of course, just the few times we had traded and I had done a couple of silly things, like buying $50,000 worth of stock in the Ford Motor Company, just to support American made cars for a change. We were both thrilled when the stock I bought for $3.24 went up over seven dollars, doubling the investment, and on my own! I sold immediately. I was so thrilled that I had actually made over $50,000 for something I myself had done, choices I had made without input from Alice! I thought it was exciting and he got a kick out of the squeals I made and the jumping up and down and hugging when I traded successfully and saw the profits. I was brand new to this and the excitement I felt seemed to be contagious, making the entire idea of playing in the market fun for him all over again.

Anyway, Alice had seen a new company just listed on the market taking off today and an opportunity for serious gain. Edward bought 6 million shares at 50 cents a share for the family.

We were laughing and talking about different companies and their quarterly reports when Phil stuck his head in the door. Edward hid the family account quickly, but left ours on the screen along with the stock ticker going.

"That's really interesting looking, Edward, do you understand what all those red and green lights flashing numbers mean?", Phil asked.

"Yes, it's really simple", he said pointing to the screen, "the numbers are the stock share prices and they turn green when the stock is going up and red when it's going down. Simple."

"Well, I'm sure there is more to it that that! It can't be that easy or everyone would be investing, Edward!", Phil said incredulously.

"Well seeing what the stock is doing is easy, picking the right ones to buy and when to sell is the trick", Edward told him.

Phil looked as though he wanted to say something, he looked so timid as he asked, "Any chance you might school me a bit on how to buy and trade? Do you think it's something I could do, you know, to add to our income?"

"If you have extra funds, investing can be a good idea, but it takes awhile to get the hang of it, Phil, and you should never invest any monies that you can't afford to loose. The market is volatile and there are just no guarantees. I study the companies, but in the end it's just my best guess, that's all", Edward told him.

"Would you consider showing me how to set up an account and what to look for in a company, Edward? I would never expect you to do it for me, but if you just showed me how, maybe I could learn a few things about it," Phil said hesitantly.

Edward looked to me, and I nodded my head just slightly, indicating that it was fine with me if he wanted to help Phil get started.

"Alright Phil, look here".

Edward pointed to the screen and proceeded to show Phil our account.

"This is just mine and Bella's, the company finances are more considerable, but Bella wanted to learn how to invest as well. Why don't I help you set up an account and get started, then Bella or I can help out with some potential stock choices in the future, if you want. I have one request, though, if you want me to help you."

"What's that, Edward?", Phil asked.

"Whatever amount you start with today, once I help you with a trade and you make money, take that amount back out and put it back in savings. I assume you are using savings to invest with", Edward covered the fact that he had read it out of Phil's mind that he would be using their savings to do this.

"That's sounds like a smart thing to do, then any funds in stocks would be money I didn't have before", he paused for a minute, "but how can you be sure I won't just loose the whole thing?", Phil asked.

"Because", I said looking at Bella for her approval, "I'll give you the first buy and tell you when to trade it. You'll make enough to take your investment back out and put it back in your account. After that, I can advise you from time to time if you like, but I have never shared this with anyone but my family and Bella. It would need to remain a secret from anyone else, unless you simply tell them that it's all you doing the investing. Do not mention me, or Bella. You agree?"

"Yes,of course, and thanks for being willing to help me. I appreciate it, Edward", he said as I turned the screen to him and began to explain.

Phil had a hand on the desk, leaning in to see the computer. He nearly fell when he saw the bottom line of over two million in the account.

"This morning we are buying into a new company that has great promise. Their financial report is coming out today and there is a news conference set up for them later. I think their stock is going to go up today, so I am recommended Bella buy a half million share at 50 cents a share, so the initial buy will cost $250,000 pluus the cost of the trade."

I typed in all the appropriate information and hit 'buy'. The stock appeared on our portfolio as purchased, minus the cost of the trade. Phil looked on with interest.

"Now we wait. See this abbreviation on the ticker, that's the stock we just purchased."

"But it says 49 cents, Edward, not 50?", Phil noted.

"That's right. Just in the time it took us to buy it, it lost $5,000", Edward calmly stated.

Phil looked crushed, "You just lost $5,000 and you aren't even frowning! How do you do that?"

I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm going to go show Mom what we got for her in Rio and leave you boys alone to play. I'll check back with you, okay sweetheart?", I said as I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. Edward gave me a quick squeeze back and Phil took my seat at the desk. Edward had a student for the afternoon.

**Renee POV**

Could I be any more embarrassed this day. I was so worried about Bella this morning, I just wasn't thinking clearly. I am just so used to her falling and hurting herself, crashing into things and even having to get stitches once because she rolled out of her own bed and hit the corner of the night stand with her head! When I hear the loud crash, I could only picture her hurt, and when Edward answered instead of her, it really scared me. Not that I thought he hurt her, I just didn't know what to think. I was not prepared for what I saw when I opened the door. They had somehow (and I don't even want to _think _about how) broken her bed and were sliding off the mattress onto the floor, desperately trying to keep the covers over their what I can only presume would have been naked forms. Oh well. They laughed it off so I guess it's best forgotten.

I waited in my room as Bella came in with several shopping bags. She opened them on my bed and proceeded to take out some of the loveliest dresses I had ever seen. Vibrant colored sundresses and soft tops. She had outdone herself shopping!

"Bella, how many things did you buy me?", I asked.

"Just a few, Mom. Just part of a suitcase full. I had to stop Alice or we would have had to ship it to you!", she told me.

I sat on the bed and took her hands in mine.

"Bella, about Edward giving me that cell phone, I . . .", I tried to talk to her, but she cut me off.

"Mom, Edward is right. I do want to be able to talk to you more now that I'm expecting. I really want you to keep the phone. It's nothing, really", she said with such determination in her face I had to let it go.

"Okay. Thank you. But about the computer . . . "

"Nope. Sorry, have to leave it here. Phil is in there right now with Edward showing him how to set up a stock account so that he can trade. He'll need the computer program to do that, so you'll have to keep it here for us, no discussion Mom!", she told me.

"Fine, fine, fine.", I said throwing up my hands, you have become a force to be reckoned with. I knew you were never a teenager, sweetie, but I guess I never saw you as this determined!", I told her.

"Have you thought any more about Dartmouth?"

"It all depends on the baby, Mom. Next Fall or maybe start Winter semester, or the next Fall even. Apparently Edward bought a house up there to surprise me with as well so we already have a place to stay if we go. I don't know. Jasper and Alice are talking about going, too, and Rosalie offered to come along just to help with the baby. The house is large enough for us all if they want to come but . . ."

"What's wrong? Is everything, I mean are they moving too fast for you, sweetie?", I asked as i held her hands in mine.

"It's not that. It's just, what if I just want to stay at home and take care of Masen?"

"Masen?", I asked.

"Yes, the baby's name is Masen. Anyway, what if I just want to stay at home and take care of him and Edward. Is that so bad, I mean, am I supposed to feel like an underachiever or a failure if I don't want a career?", my daughter asked.

"Wait, wait a minute Bella. Masen? How do you know that the baby is a boy?", I asked with a smile.

"I just know, Mom. Anyway, with the amount of money available to Edward and I, and his ability to make more so easily, or even if he never made any more, we could do anything we wanted, go anywhere we want. Mom, we can actually just spend all our days together and enjoy each other and wherever we are! I just don't know if I care about school.", she exclaimed.

"Bella! Education is important!", I told her. But then I thought to myself, college to get a degree to get a better job to support your family . . . that's the way it's done. But their family doesn't need to be supported, well, other than the way it already is. She probably wouldn't even get a job in the field she got the degree in, anyway. I sat quietly for a moment, then I had to agree with my daughter. College for her would only be for the sake of wanting to do it if it interested her to learn about something in particular.

"You know what, sweetie. You're right. You do whatever makes you happy. Whatever you and Edward decide, I'm sure you will have an extraordinary life. You have what's important to you already, sitting upstairs on that computer . . . or breaking beds with you like earlier!", I laughed till I couldn't as my daughter turned redder and redder, but continued to laugh with me.

"So when is this baby due, anyway", I asked.

"You know, Mom, I was so excited, I didn't even ask Carlisle that! He did the blood work before we left Highlands and I waited till we were on the island to tell Edward. I had a period right after my birthday, so maybe I got pregnant the end of September, let's see, that would be a May or June baby, right?", she said.

"But I thought you said Spring?"

""Well, the xrays showed that I have to have a cesarean delivery, I can't have it normally because I am apparently too small, Mom. Maybe he is planning on an early delivery so I don't go into labor?"

"Well, that makes sense, I suppose", I said as I hung up the last of the dresses Bella had given me.

"I just hope Carlisle knows shat he is doing", I said as I hugged my daughter.

"So do I, Mom. So do I"


	32. Chapter 32 Surprise

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: **_I owe a special thanks to melanieintn for spending hours helping me to rid this story of spelling and grammatical errors, and taking her time to review after each chapter! Please review if you read, even one word lets me know if you like it or not! I don't want to be boring! I have been told that some readers have lost interest because there has been little angst in the story. Patience. Getting comfortable only ads to the drama later!_

**Chapter 32 Surprises  
**

**BPOV**

Mom and I spent hours talking that evening. I knew I would see her at Christmas, but I also knew that it would possibly be one of the last times I would ever see her, at least if I chose to fake my death when Edward changed me. It was strangely comforting, discussing my husband, the baby, my new family. Renee had always been something of a child that needed to be taken care of and I had acted almost like the parent for years before Phil came along and I moved to Forks to live with Charlie. It seemed different now, like she was more capable.

Discussing some things, like sex for one, weren't nearly as awkward as I had remembered them and the more I talked to her the more I seemed to understand myself. Being with Edward was the right decision, he had always been the right decision for me and I realized that my mother knew this as well as I did. I did know what was right for me like she had always told me I would.

As we sat together in her room, I decided that I needed to take charge a little more, allow myself to be confident in my own decisions. Carlisle had explained to me that changes in vampires were rare, but that Edward had been changed irrevocably by me. Edward would always love me and he would always be overprotective and want to take care of me - it was his nature. I needed to step out of my box and allow myself to be the person that I knew deep down I was, to show some confidence in myself and come a bit more into my own before becoming a vampire made any other changes unlikely.

"Mom, Edward and Phil are in the middle of something on the laptop in my room, can I use your computer for a minute?", I asked her.

"Sure, sweetie", she said as she stepped to the computer at her desk and turned it on.

It took forever for the antiquated machine to boot up, reminding me of it's counterpart in my room at Charlie's. I used to go downstairs and get coffee while I waited for it in the mornings! What I needed to do didn't take advanced programing though, just the Internet. I stepped into my room to get my purse while I waited, I would need that little black credit card!

"Everything okay, love?", Edward asked as his attention left the screen he was watching over Phil's shoulder and he moved to hug me.

"Fine, sweetheart", I said hugging him back and kissing his lips, "I just needed my credit card. Mom and I are doing a bit of on line shopping."

He looked at me like I had spoken French, but he said nothing. He knew I wasn't a shopper and it was moments like this that I was thankful for my mind being closed to him. I would have to keep what I was doing from Renee as well since he could read her mind!

I had overheard Edward and his brothers discussing a concerts they had attended years ago and I knew Edward had not been to one recently. I checked concerts in the Orlando area for the coming weekend and came across a small entry for an impromptu concert that had just been scheduled for this weekend. It was at an apparently little known venue. It seems that the Hard Rock Cafe had built a small concert hall adjacent to the new facility at Univeral Studios Orlando, making it the largest Hard Rock Cafe in the world. Luck was with me and my confidence soared as I saw that Muse was playing there this weekend and tickets had just gone on sale this morning. I could purchase us almost front row for the six of us. I punched in my numbers and hit buy.

I pulled up the Hard Rock Hotel web site and checked the room availability. Rooms started at $249 per night. PER NIGHT! Wow, I wonder if I will ever truly become accustomed to having money. I looked a bit further to see that they had a special 7th floor that had concierge service and suites. Sure enough, there were three suites available for a Wednesday through Sunday stay and one of them had a piano. I booked all three. All three, 5 nights, and when the total came up, I tried not to look at it, though I noticed it was more than 4 figures! Deep breaths. It was okay, no one would care. Edward would probably not even notice, he would just hit pay when the bill came in.

No sooner than I had finished the reservations I felt my phone vibrate in my jeans pocket, seems it had received a confirmation email complete with pick-up instructions. I guess the new phone came in handy. As I read, the phone vibrated again - Alice.

"Bella! That's the greatest idea ever! Thank you, I love that band! And the hotel rooms are the greatest!", she trilled.

Alice . . . of course she would have seen. "What's the Amazon like?", I asked. I couldn't very well ask how the hunt for Anacondas had gone with my Mom in the room with me.

"Perfect, I'll tell you all about it when we arrive! We'll take a cab from the airport and meet you guys at the hotel late Wednesday! Miss you . . . and the room with the piano was the greatest idea ever for Edward, he'll love it!"

"I miss you, too, Alice! See you soon", I said. I knew I would never be able to surprise Alice.

"Oh and Bella, it's going to be sunny tomorrow, the only day till next week so enjoy the sun, remember to tell Edward to plan to stay indoors!"

"Bye, Alice", I said as I clicked off the phone and returned it to my pocket.

"Are they having a good time?", my Mom asked as she came to stand behind me glancing at the computer screen. I quickly deleted the window so that Edward would not find out from her what I had done.

"Yes, they are having a great time and they'll meet us in Orlando on Wednesday. Guess that means we're leaving day after tomorrow", I told her.

"Well what would you like to do tomorrow then, sweetie. Did you say that Edward needed to work?", Mom asked.

I clicked off the computer and stood to walk out of the room with her, "How about we just swim in the pool out back, we cold get lucky and maybe the sun will come out!"

"Phil, how about helping me with dinner", Mom said with a twinkle in her eye as we passed the door to my room. We looked in to see the guys just wrapping up and turning off the laptop. I noticed it was after 4, so the market had just closed for the day. They had been at it for hours.

"Sure, honey. Edward, thank you so much. I can't wait to see how high that stock of yours will go, $2.20 already, damn. You and Bella made over $700,000 in one day! That's just almost unbelievable!", Phil stammered.

"American free enterprise at its best, that's what they say, Phil. Remember though, I've studied the market intently and it took years to get good at it. We haven't made any money at all till the stock is sold, right now, we could still loose it all. We're just going on my best guess and that's all", Edward told him, "I just don't want you to think it's always a sure thing. Some of my trades are better than others."

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

We would be in Orlando in a couple of hours. Bella was asleep. She had a habit of falling asleep when we drove, of course my having kept her up most of the night could have something to do with it. I just couldn't bring myself to separate from her, literally. She usually fell asleep after we made love a few times, but last night she just held me and stroked my hair and kissed me so softly while I continued to gently move in her for hours. Her skin was so warm, the result from a day in the sun with her Mom, no doubt, but the effect it had on me was astounding. I just could not let go of her.

I enjoyed our time with her family, playing putt putt golf, movies and swimming in the ocean waves. I had to keep reminding myself to act like I needed to breath, not to swim too fast, not to show too much strength or answer thoughts rather than spoken questions. As much as I might desire it, I was not human and I was reminded of that fact when the sun came out on Tuesday. I had to insist that I keep an eye on the business for the day to avoid any questions about why I could not come play in the pool with them. Not joining Bella as she relaxed in the sun by the pool was difficult for me, but then again, she was having some mom and daughter time that she would rarely ever have again and I joined them for a swim just as twilight began and the sun had set.

Setting up an etrade account for Phil had not been entirely boring. He caught on quickly and might actually do well on his own, with a little confidence. His account would become usable next week and I would need to give him a buy. He had taken $2,000 out of their savings to meet the minimum deposit requirement and I wanted him to have that back in his account as soon as possible. How large a tip I was to give him would have to be discussed with Bella. It was Bella, after all, that had nodded to me, telling me she wanted me to teach him. I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered the total absence of thought yesterday when he and Renee watched Bella sell the stock she had bought the day before. It had hit $6.25 just as Alice had predicted and that meant that the $250,000 stock purchase had increased in value overnight making us just over 3 million dollars on that one trade.

Million wasn't a number that humans could grasp easily and Renee's knees gave way as she plopped down on the bed in our room when she realized just how much money Bella had made. Good thing none of them had any idea of the actual family gain, Cullen Investments having purchased 12 times the amount of stock and therefore a tremendously higher profit. I picked the companies that I thought were profitable, or would be, and Alice watched specific ones for me waiting for potential. The combination of my having spent ten years reading the minds of investors and brokers on Wall Street and the ability Alice had to predict the future made it possible to find several of these tremendous opportunities for profit each year. We invested in many other stocks though, to keep from arousing suspicion, and occasionally even hung onto one to sustain a loss. All in the interest of seeming normal, human.

I had been caught off guard just after the trade when Bella literally sprung up from her chair at the desk and jumped into my arms with a force that would have knocked a human male down. I caught her easily as she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, kissing me as though we were alone. "If this is the response I get when you profit in the market, love, you can do all the sales from now on", I had told her in between kisses. I took a deep, unnecessary breath as I headed towards Orlando, remembering that kiss . . . the little human girl definitely owned me.

Bella had told me that Alice called and that they would meet us at the hotel. What she would not tell me, however, was what hotel. I was so unused to anyone being able to surprise me, to keep things from me. It was a wholly foreign feeling, and one I wasn't sure I would ever be comfortable with, though Bella loved it. She was obviously quite pleased that she was able to make me crazy like this and apparently she was going to wait till the absolute last minute to let me in on the details.

We arrived in Orlando and I pulled over to get gas at a station that was located kind of in the middle of all the theme parks. Seaworld and Universal Studios were just down the street and Disney and all the associated parks were about twenty minutes away.

"Bella, love. Bella", I softly whispered in her ear after I had filled the car with gas. "Bella, we're here", I said as I kissed down her neck and allowed my hand to grasp her to me.

"We're where, sweetheart?", she asked still groggy from her long nap.

"In Orlando, love. I have no idea where I am supposed to go. You are going to need to tell me the name of the hotel or at least where we are going or I guess we can just sit here at this gas station and wait on the plane to arrive with my family", I tried to taunt her. Sometimes it drove me mad that I couldn't read her mind. I was so used to knowing the thoughts of everyone around me.

'Wait, I'll go to the airport and wait, then at least I'll know I'm in the right place and Alice will find us when she lands", I said with a smirk, knowing it would goad her into telling me.

"Hard Rock Hotel. Take us to the Hard Rock Hotel at the entrance to Universal Studios", she coyly told me.

She had made reservations. I thought the trip had been planned by Alice, but after giving the valet our car and the bellman the suitcase, Bella walked to the front desk and checked into our suite. We followed the bellman into the elevator as he used a special key to access the seventh floor where we would be staying. I eyed Bella as she smiled from ear to ear and squeezed my hand in hers. I tipped the bellman after he put our case in the bedroom, never taking my eyes off the baby grand piano that sat there in the suite she had gotten for us.

"Bella! God, how did you know? How did you know I had been missing my piano these last few weeks? I never said anything about it I . . . "

She cut me off, her lips on mine.

"I love you, Edward. Play. I'll go and unpack us", she told me and left me alone to walk over and sit on the bench.

I played for a long time, Bach, Chopin, some of my favorites, then her lullaby, of course. What she wasn't aware of was that I had added to it, continued the story if you will. I wrote the addition during the course of several nights in our new home in Highlands, nights that I had been able to tear myself way from her while she slept peacefully upstairs in _our_ bed . . . in _our_ home.

She noticed. She noticed a lot more than I ever gave her credit for and I was just beginning to understand what a complicated creature my wife really was. She came out of the bedroom and stood behind me as I played, her arms around my neck and her chin resting on my shoulder. The sun was making an appearance as it started to set and the view through the floor to ceiling windows was amazing. I was playing the piano . . . I was with my wife who had her arms around me . . . and she was pregnant with my child. I wasn't sure it got much better than this, but I had been wrong about a lot of things. As I finished the lullaby, I smelled her salty tears and felt one drop and land on my shoulder. I grasped her hands that were on my chest as she started to unbutton my shirt slowly, taking care with each button.

She kissed my neck as she continued opening my shirt, her hands caressing my chest as her soft lips nibbled my ear, my neck, my collarbone. I reached behind my head with one and to hold to the back of her neck as she continued, sliding the shirt off of me, leaving it still tucked into the top of my pants. I turned to face her, as she sat on my lap, her hands cradling my face to her a she ever so softly kissed my lips. I reached for the hem of her shirt and she lifted he arms, allowing me to pull it off over her head, tossing it somewhere behind me as my hands returned to her back, holding her to me.

I kissed her harder now, but she pulled back slightly, softly stroking my chest with her hands and placing soft, gentle kisses on the corner of my mouth. Oh so softly sucking my top lip into her mouth as she kissed it gently, nuzzling my cheek with hers and hugging her arms around me, tracing soft circles on my back and shoulders. She laid her hands over mine, gently squeezing and encouraging me to caress her. My breathing increased and I started to squeeze with more intensity. She responded by pressing my hands tightly to her and stopping them from moving, kissing me ever so softly on the lips and cheek. Though I had to pay close attention to even notice that she was trying to still my hands, her strength so irrelevant compared to mine, I was so in tune with my wife I noticed everything. I was beginning to get the idea.

She stood and held out her hand to me. I took it and without a word, followed her into the bedroom. Bella stood in front of me and ran her hands up my chest and to my neck, kissing across my chest from side to side. She then, never taking her eyes off mine, loosened my belt, undid my pants and let them drop to the floor. I stepped out of them as I slowly pushed her shorts down for her to step out of as well, leaving us both standing by the bed totally naked. I scooped her up bridal style, kissing her lips softly as I ever so slowly crawled on my knees across the bed, placing her down in the center.

She pulled me to her, her arms around my neck and nuzzled the side of her face against mine, our bodies touching from head to toe and the light sunburn on her skin making her feel impossibly warm. I lay beside her as she continued to kiss me so softly it was like she was running a feather down the side of my face and as her hands traced soft circles over my chest, my side and everything else in between that she could reach, never varying her same soft, slow pace. Her roughest touch was slight to me, but now this tiny little slip of a girl was insisting on a very slow, very gentle, very loving pace. She was bringing me back to us, causing me to loose the frenzy that I had been unable to settle the last few times we had made love . . . taming me, if you will.

The beast that was the far end of human within me had needed to be settled, focused. Though I was a vampire and my strength was formidable, this small fragile human was forcing the human side of me to take back over, at least for now, so that I could maintain my gentle movements around her, with her, at least till the baby could be born. This was her reclaiming me, the human in me. I have no fucking idea how she knew what to do, what I needed, but out of the blue, she always found just the right thing.

She had put me in front of a piano, brought me back to my music, to my center, to her . . . and given me back my control, at least for a time. I ghosted my hands over her as I kissed her lips, allowing all the love that I had ever held for this woman to flow through me. I slowly ran my hands over every inch of her from dragging my fingers through her soft mahogany tresses, down her smooth neck and shoulders and along the curve of her hips and down her toned thighs. I took her calf in my hand and hitched her leg over my hip as I pulled her to me in slow, gentle movements, never varying the pressure on her skin or the speed of my movements, mimicking what she had been doing and continuing to stroke her all over.

It was as though there was no intent, no resolve to make love, our bodies just found each other.

There was no wild thrusting, no harsh movements.

Slow, painstakingly, agonizingly slow . . .

The only difference was that it wasn't agonizing. It was perfect.

The slowness did not frustrate me, it soothed me.

My movements did not wait to gain momentum, but moved with the surety of gravity.

I was not rushing towards a goal, but reveling in the completeness of the moment.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It wasn't loud, there were no growls or snarls coming from me . . . she didn't scream my name. It was more our bodies becoming one, folding in on each other and reforming. It was more amazing than anything had ever been.

My wife had effectively stopped the gradual slipping of my ability to control the beast in me. It was no longer her blood that held a danger for her where I was concerned, but the ability to control my strength around her. I wanted her, needed her so badly, so completely that I had been in serious danger of really loosing control.


	33. Chapter 33  Confidants

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 33 Confidants  
**

**EPOV**

I heard them before they ever got to the door, my sister's mind screaming at me to insure that I heard her.

_Edward, we're here! Answer the door, we don't want to wake Bella up but you know how Emmett is!_

I scooted out from under Bella's arm, putting a pillow where I had been so that she had something soft to cuddle with where my hard body had been and flipped off the electric blanket. She would be too hot under it without me to cool her and I knew she needed her rest.

I closed the bedroom door behind me so that my siblings and I would not disturb her.

_Edward!_

Alice was becoming insistent, having a hard time keeping Emmett from knocking loudly.

"Hey", I said, opening the door and gesturing them to come in.

"The mighty warriors return!", Emmett announced boldly.

"Stow it, Emmett, or I'll describe the look on your face when you tasted that nasty snake", Rosalie snapped.

"Awww Rose! You never let me have any fun!", Emmett declared with a frown.

"Fun is what we are here for!", Alice chimed in.

"Great rooms, Edward!", Rose exclaimed.

"Yea, ours has a giant TV room and one of the largest flat screens you can get, complete with games. You rule on this one, my brother!", Emmett high fived me.

"I have to say, the jacuzzi in our room is big enough to teach people to swim in. Well done, and a nice change from being on the boat! The size of that bed in our cabin, it's a wonder Alice and I didn't make holes in the ships hull just trying to do anything", Jasper shared with a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I can't take any credit for any of it", I told them, "I had no idea what hotel we were staying at, Bella made all the arrangements. I couldn't believe it when we got here and I saw the piano!"

"Bella?", Rose, Jasper and Emmet said at the same time.

"Don't be so surprised", Alice chided, "Give her some credit. Our new little sister has a few moves we haven't seen yet."

"I doubt there are any moves left that Edward hasn't seen, Alice", Emmett laughed as he found a seat on the sofa.

"Emmett!", Rosalie said as she smacked him on the shoulder, "Will you ever learn how to say things a little more delicately!"

"What, Rose?", he replied with a look of mock hurt on his face, "Well they do! Who would have ever thought he could do that with a human, anyway. I sure couldn't do it. I would snap her like a twig . . ."

"EMMETT", Alice and Rose snapped as Rosalie belted him harder this time in the side as she sat down beside him.

"Well, it's getting harder and harder", I offered.

Emmett gave me that smirk and folded his arms. I knew what was coming out of his mouth next, so I beat him to it.

"Harder to control myself, Emmett! Please, just stop", I told him giving him a disgusted look.

"I think you should hunt, Edward", Alice offered, "and I'm going with you."

"I have no blood lust where she is concerned, Alice, you know that. It's just that well, I seem to get carried away when I'm close to her."

"I know, but you need to hunt. Trust me brother. Rose and the guys will stay here while we go, right?", Alice looked at Rose and Emmett on the sofa, then to Jasper who nodded in agreement.

"We'll be back in a few hours, I'll have room service bring food for Bella", Alice said as she shoved me out the door and into the hall.

She was right, of course. I needed to feed. It had been well over a week, almost two since I had hunted and the continual lovemaking seemed to us up any reserves I had. I was starting to understand why Emmett and Jasper had always seemed to be thirsty before I was and needed to feed far more often that I ever needed. Sex must make the difference. Well I mused, if our bodies use the blood we drink to make any fluids we need, venom, etc., then it only figures that I am using way more of that then ever before.

The valet brought the car around just as Alice emerged from the hotel lobby, having ordered room service for Bella to be delivered while we were gone.

"Alice, she's waking up while we're gone?", I questioned nervously.

"Stow it, brother! She needs time with the rest of the family as well. You hog her you know."

I drove as directed by Alice to a rest area down I-4 towards Tampa. We parked and appeared to stroll around the perimeter before we were over the fence and into the woods behind. There as an extremely large forested area there, uninhabited and full of deer.

"Don't you think you're about full?", Alice asked, her hands on her hips as she stood looking down at me finishing my last kill.

"What?", I asked, taking my mouth from the deers neck long enough to answer her.

"Edward, you've already had four! That's the fifth one, do you think you're about full!", she demanded.

I paid no attention to her until I finished draining the kill in my hands. It was larger than the others and it would take another minute or two to finish it off. Stopping to talk to her now meant that my meal would get cold.

I sat back and looked at the carnage around me. Guess I was thirstier than I had thought and Alice had been right to make me hunt, as usual. She came and sat down on a log beside me.

"It's so good to see you hunt again, Edward. The memory of you in the meadow in Forks, sitting there alone for weeks and not feeding still comes to mind sometimes. I missed you so much when you were gone from me like that and I was so worried - terrified that you wouldn't decide to fight for yourself . . . fight for her", Alice said stroking my arm as I came to sit beside her.

"Sorry sis. I'm trying, but it's difficult . . . being with Bella. It seems like I want her more with each passing day, that I just can't get enough time with her, get close enough to her. I almost hurt her the other night Alice, I just don't know how long I can keep this up. It's too dangerous for her to be close to me, especially now that she's pregnant. I will never leave her again, but she insists that we make love often and I just can not say no for the life of me. Then when we do, I have trouble focusing, remembering to be gentle with her."

"Yes, I saw the bed break the other night", she giggled, "You handled it really well."

I put my arm around her and hugged the little pixie to me. She had always been there for me no matter what. I was closer to her than any of my other brothers and sister, though I had been with her the least amount of time. I often wondered why that was, but settled on the fact that we had a shared bond. Our gifts made us different from the others, even though Jasper was gifted as well. We just sort of complimented each other, she could show me things in her mind that were going to happen and I could see them as clearly as she did without having to speak.

She started flipping through visions now, visions of me playing football in the yard in Highlands with the entire family, Bella included. Visions of her family, laughing and talking with her. Christmas. Our houses decorated for the holidays, guest rooms filled with people staying at my house and other visions. Some visions slightly foggy . . . a dark haired man shaking hands with Carlisle, Sue and Charlie at some sort of a ceremony that had Charlie wearing a suit, Bella riding her Harley. The clearest vision of all was one that literally caused me to fall from the log where I was sitting.

Alice took my hand in hers and closed her eyes, the vision continuing. She was seeing a small copper haired boy running and playing in the yard of a house, not unlike the houses Esme always designed for us. My family was there, some of them tossing a ball back and forth over a quarter mile distance, Esme planting something with Emmet's help and Carlisle sitting in lounge chair watching. The boy appeared to be just past the toddler age, able to run and play. I would guess that he was about four years old. He ran towards a blanket on the ground and tackled a man who looked like me, laughing and rolling on the ground with him. Beside them, on the blanket, were two small children crawling and playing. Long coppery curls adorned the head of what looked like a tiny little girl dressed in pink and a mop of dark brown curls covered the head of the little boy beside her.

"Alice . . .", I couldn't speak.

"It's only one possibility Edward, you know that. The future is always changing, but I thought you needed to see the positives. You need to know what's possible!", she said with so much emotion in her face, I knew she'd be crying if vampires were able to do such a thing..

"I just needed you to know that there's hope. That you can do this Edward, for you and for Bella. She will be happy, you don't need to worry about that. You're what she wants."

"Thanks, Alice."

"But I also need to tell you that there is something wrong. I only see Victoria on and off, it's as if a switch flips and my vision goes black", she told me, "But she is planning . . . she just hasn't decided."

"Bella . . . Alice, we have to get back!", I said jumping to my feet.

"Relax, Edward. Thee is no danger right now, but there is something, something I just can't make out clearly. We just need to be aware. I'll keep trying to see, but I wanted you to know the good and the bad."

I hugged her to me. She had brought into focus the picture that Bella had showed me earlier this afternoon. I could control myself. I could remain focused and the outcome . . . our lives could be more than I had ever imagined for myself. I needed that vision to cling to because I knew this pregnancy was going to be a lot more difficult that it seemed now and that life would throw us some curves. It always did. I was never more thankful for my family than in this moment.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I hugged his body tighter to mine, I was having the most wonderful dream. Edward, of course. He was making love to me in the most inventive new way, what with the baby and all, and . . .

_Soft?_

Edward was many things, but soft was not one of them. I reached over and turned on the light in the room only to find that I had indeed been hugging a pillow. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a t shirt and shorts from one of the drawers where I had unpacked them and headed to the bathroom for a human moment and to put some clothes on. I liked naked, but only when Edward was with me.

I opened the door that led to the other part of our suite to find Emmett, Jasper and Rose all sitting on the sofas watching a movie. My first thought was how in the world did Rosalie get Emmet and Jasper to watch _'Letters to Juliet_'. The second was curiosity over what food that wonderful smell was coming from on the room service cart that sat beside the dining table.

"Hey everyone!", I said as I moved to lift the silver cover over the food to see what was for dinner. I never had to wonder if food was meant for me or not, since the rest of the family never ate indoors.

"Bella", Emmett roared as he grabbed me for the customary swing around the room that he always did when he first saw me after I had been away from him for a day or two, "How are you little sister?", he asked, "We heard about the first bed break! Way to go, and you didn't even wait till you were a vampire to do it! You do me proud!"

I must have turned six shades of red as I sucked the apple pie off my finger from where I had stuck it in the slice to taste it. "Edward told you?", I asked in amazement.

"No way, Alice saw it", Jasper chimed in, "and she saw the part about your mom and Phil walking in as well, so don't think we don't know about that."

"You shouldn't worry. Emmett always keeps track of how many beds are broken in the first couple of years. He thinks it's some kind of a contest to beat his record", Rosalie added.

"Yea, but that's vampires, newly mated vampires. We're talking one vamp and one human here. Breaking a bed at all has to be a record of some sort, without breaking her that is!", added Emmett.

"Emmett!", we all said together.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Bella, " Rosalie advised, "I can't wait to tell you how big a wuss he was with the big snakes down on the Amazon!"

Jasper laughed heartily and my curiosity peaked - I could not wait to hear the story.

"Edward went for a hunt with Alice, in case you were wondering", Jasper offered, sensing my mood, "They should be back in a few hours."

I sat the food at the table and pulled out a chair to sit and enjoy my meal. I could understand that Edward had been thirsty, I was starving after all of our horizontal activities lately.

"So I hear you're responsible for the awesome rooms we have, is that right?", Emmett asked.

"You like them then?", I asked, eying him over the glass of coke I was drinking and hoping they had gone over well.

"Love them," Rosalie responded, " Emmett is in heaven over the TV, he wants one that big now."

"Huh. Emmett wants a bigger one . . . figures", I threw the words out there to see what they would say.

"Bella! Nice! You go girl! You're certainly in rare form today aren't you!", Jasper said with amusement in his voice.

"That's right, go ahead little sister. I can take it", Emmett said as he came and sat at the table with me, "Tell me, what else has the human planned to entertain the vampires with?"

I had to laugh at Emmett.. He was such a teddy bear.

"Well, we have tickets to Universal, both parks for tomorrow and Saturday, tickets to Disney on Friday and tickets to see Muse play at the Hard Rock amphitheater Saturday night, front row", I told them, shoveling another bite of roast into my mouth to follow the mashed potatoes and carrots.

"Really?", Rose asked, "I love Muse! I didn't even know there was a venue here . . . and how in the world did you get front row?"

"Just lucky. Timing is everything I guess. I hope that's okay with everyone, Edward doesn't know but Alice was thrilled about it on the phone day before yesterday when I spoke with her", I said expecting the worst.

"No, it's not okay, Bella", Rosalie said as she came to sit at the table with me as well, "It's perfect! This is going to be so much fun! We haven't done anything like this in years and years."

"Emmett, why don't you take Jasper to our room and show him that big ass TV and all the video games. I'm sure you can find one to play, " Rose said as she kicked him under the table.

"Ouch, Rose! Jasper, you up for Call of Duty on a 60 inch?", Emmett asked.

"Absolutely. I don't mind beating you whenever you want it, brother. Especially when it gets me out of watching a chick flick", Jasper retorted as he held the door open for Emmett and gestured, "If you ladies will excuse us. This way to the massacre."

"We'll be straight across the hall if you need us, darlin", Jasper said as he looked at me and exited the room.

The apple pie was delicious as I dug into it, having finished everything else on the tray. It was obvious that Rose wanted to talk, so I sat and waited for her to begin while I ate.

"So, Bella, tell me how you're feeling . . . I mean about being pregnant. Are you throwing up a lot?", she asked.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than my stomach clinched. I finished the bite I was chewing and reached for my coke, it always helped to sooth my stomach.

"Most of the time I'm just fine, Rose. At three months, all I really notice is that I get really tired easily, I'm always hungry and I have to pee all the time it seems. I'm starting to have a little nausea sometimes, but not so much. Hopefully I skipped that part, at least most of it."

"Well, nothing is showing yet, do you feel anything? Does anything feel any different?", she asked somewhat shyly.

It was incredibly unusual for Rosalie to be shy about anything. I had asked her to be there for the baby and apparently she wanted to help me before it was born as well. Maybe she was just curious because she had wanted a child so badly and had not had the opportunity to be pregnant before she was turned. Whatever her reasoning, sharing with her would ultimately bring us closer and she was my sister now.

"I can't notice anything, Rose. I can't feel it move or anything like that." She looked down at her clasped hands on the table seeming nervous, an extremely unusual thing for the Rosalie to do. I needed to let her feel like a confidant, really take her in. I hesitated, then decided to dish, "Edward says that everything inside is 'softer, more padded', but I can't tell."

Her eyes lit up with the realization that I had given her such an intimate detail. She responded in typical Rosalie form, "Well, he should know. Vampires are sensitive to even the smallest changes anyway with the perfect recall thing."

"It's just so unexpected. I never wanted children, I think you and I talked about that several times last year after we first met", I said shyly, "Truth is, I still don't have any desire to have kids. I just want _this _kid, this _whatever it is _that Edward and I made together. Does that make any sense?"

"It's both of you combined, of course it makes sense. It's strange to hear you say you still don't want kids though. How does Edward feel about it?"

"He's scared the baby will hurt me. I'm pretty sure that if it was left up to just him, we wouldn't go through with the pregnancy. He worries so much and you know how overprotective he is."

"God yes, he overreacts to almost everything as well. He has to go full tilt on everything he does, doesn't he," Rosalie chuckled.

"I was so worried about telling him! I thought something was up and got one of those tests from the drug store. When it said positive, I must have sat in the bathroom an hour just looking at it. I couldn't believe it!"

"Carlisle confirmed it before you left Highlands . . . how did you get him to go along with it Bella, and not tell Edward?", Rosalie asked.

"Carlisle was great. He said that since I had come to him as a doctor, not as my father-in-law, he was bound to keep anything medical between us confidential . . . doctor-patient relationship. He explained some of the legends and hinted at the horror stories and once I heard them I knew Edward would freak and have Carlisle taking the baby instantly without giving himself or us any time to consider the options."

"That's true. I can see Edward reacting like that without giving himself time to really think about it", Rosalie agreed.

"So", I continued, "the timing was perfect in that we were leaving for Isle Esme. That's why we didn't stay in Rio with you guys longer, I wanted to get him alone on the island and in some ways I just couldn't wait to tell him, to share it with him. It kind of seems like a miracle. Edward was always worried about not being able to give me a family and I think deep down he always wanted children of his own, he is such a sweetheart."

"You are so gooey where he is concerned, you know that, right?", Rose said with a smirk.

"I know, I know. Anyway, I thought if we were alone on the island he would be forced to take the time to consider the options, to consider having the baby. Carlisle had said there was no immediate danger and after I put him on the phone with Edward, Edward seemed to calm down at least a little. I had to call Carlisle because your brother thought I was delusional, that I had lost it thinking I was pregnant. It was kind of funny, he was trying to get me to willingly get back in the boat and go find a doctor in Rio to have a look at me. If I hadn't gotten Carlisle on the phone I'm pretty sure he would have carried me to the boat kicking and screaming caveman style."

We were both laughing at this point, knowing how very caveman and overprotective he really could be. Rosalie had been with him for over 70 years and even though she had been quite aloof and somewhat of a bitch to him most of that time, I was sure there was a lot of love between them. She really did care for her brother.

"So he agreed to having the baby?"

"Yes, well . . . he agreed to try. If anything goes wrong, even the slightest hint of wrong, I'm sure it will become an issue all over again. We agreed with Carlisle that he would take the baby by cesarean section a few weeks before it's due, just to make sure I don't have the baby wanting to get out on its own."

"I heard. That's just terrifying that they come out that way!"

"It really is, but Rose, even if it did . . . won't venom fix lots of injuries? I mean, they thought Esme was dead from jumping off that cliff and Emmett was ripped up pretty badly by that bear, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's true. I'm not sure that's a good chance to take on purpose though, but it is always there in reserve", she reflected, "It's good that it's at least an option."

"Rose, you saw Edward without me, before he found me again. He probably wouldn't survive if something happened to me now and I won't risk that, at least I won't risk anything happening to him and my surviving to see it. I want this baby, I love it already, but I love Edward more. I'm really conflicted over all of it. We just have to take it one day at a time and see if this is even possible."

"Well, Alice is excited so it stands to reason that she sees a good outcome as a possibility at least. No bets against Alice!", Rosalie laughed.

"So when do we get to shop for the little guy? Have you decided which room is going to be his?", she asked.

"I don't know, all the rooms are on the other end of the house from ours. I suppose I will keep Masen in our room till he grows a little, though with Edward's hearing I'm sure he would be safe in one of the other rooms", I told her.

"Masen?", she said staring at me.

"Yes", I said ducking my head. I wasn't sure we were sharing that information yet, but I might as well continue now.

"We're naming him Masen. It just seems better to give him a name and refer to him as a person . . . I think it will help Edward to see him as a baby, not just a threat. I hope he is a mini Edward."

"Oh God. Just what the world needs, another Edward to have to deal with! If he inherits his father's gift, he will probably be insufferable as well!", Rosalie said as she laughed.

Her laughter was infectious and we were both soon hugging and laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.

It was just at that moment that Alice and Edward walked in. Edward flew immediately to my side and put his arms around me asking me what was wrong and frantically wiping the tears off my cheeks with his thumbs. He turned to Rosalie with a murderous look on his face and asked her what the hell happened, but she didn't answer him. She just burst out laughing and was soon joined by Alice as well as myself. I couldn't help it.

My silly, loving, overprotective vampire had just rode in on his white horse ready to protect me when absolutely nothing was wrong. The fact that we had just been discussing his overreactions made it even more hilarious . . . but not to him.

He knelt by my chair with his arms around me genuinely worried that something had hurt me and whatever it was, whoever it was, he was ready to rip them apart, his sister included. I had to calm him and let him know that I loved him caring for me so much that he would react so strongly to seeing me crying.

"Nothing is wrong, sweetheart", I told him as I stroked his face with one hand and his chest with the other trying to sooth him, "We were laughing so hard that tears just started rolling down my face. Absolutely nothing is wrong, especially now that you're here."

I put my arms around him and kissed his lips, playing with my favorite hair at the nape of his neck and tracing circles on his shoulders to calm him.

"How was your hunt?", I asked as he gazed at me with a puzzled expression.

"Fine, the hunt was fine," he said dismissively, "Bella I don't understand. You're crying. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Sweetheart I have slept, I have eaten a huge dinner and I am absolutely fine. Nothing is wrong. Rosalie was keeping me company while I ate, and your brothers are across the hall probably playing Call of Duty. You should go join them. Seriously, I'll be fine here with Rose and Alice", I said as Alice sat down at the table with me as well.

Edward looked at me suspiciously and hesitated for a moment, probably to read Rose's mind and understand what had just happened. He gave me my favorite crooked grin and kissed me before standing to go and join his brothers.

"Wow", Rosalie said after he had left and shut the door, "Overreact is perhaps not a strong enough word! You really have a way of calming him instantly though, Bella. I've never seen him go from zero to full overblown reaction and back quite that fast before. Trust me, I've seen Edward overreact PLENTY of times in the last century! You two are really good for each other."


	34. Chapter 34  Towels & Rollercoasters

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 34** **Towels & ****Rollercoasters  
**

**BPOV**

"Where do we start", Edward said as he walked out of the bathroom from taking a shower. It was still early morning and the park didn't open till 9am. I opened my eyes to gaze in his direction.

"We start by getting that perfect body of yours back over here into bed", I said as I realized it was only 7am, "We have time to keep up our normal morning routine, you know", I said as I crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up on my knees to reach for him.

"Don't you think we should get going", he said while he continued to towel dry his hair.

"Yes. I'm trying to get us going . . . if you would only come over here!"

"Bell...la", he said as he finally came within reach.

I 'accidentally' caused the towel to drop from his waist as I hugged him to me, his arms encircling me.

"Edwarr...rd", I copied the tone in his voice, "I'm not going anywhere but right here."

I kissed his lips and without letting him move away from me. I had caught him somewhat off guard with my sudden attack and he was so caught up in sensations now, that he was fairly helpless to protest as he ran one hand up and down my back.

"What am I going to do with you! Are all of our roles going to be reversed forever? I thought I was supposed to be the one wanting sex all the time, but you are becoming insatiable, love."

"I just need to feel you next to me, around me, Edward. Please."

I knew he could not resist giving me anything that I begged for, including this. He hitched my leg over his hip. He could smell how aroused I was and I knew it. God I loved this man. I would have loved to think we could make love this softly, this gently but the strained expression on his face that he was trying to hide told me otherwise.

"Sweetheart, you won't hurt me. I got this, okay baby", I whispered into his ear as I trailed soft kisses and nibbles down his jaw. I pushed him to lie on his back as I moved to sit straddling him, never letting his body leave mine. I leaned down and kissed his lips, our tongues exploring each other. He was worried about hurting me, loosing control or holding me too tightly. From my position on top of him it would be easier for him to see that I was the one making the movements and he was only responding, trapped beneath me . . . well, as trapped as a vampire could be. He kept his hands balled into fists at his sides, not trusting himself to touch me at the moment and I pretended that it was alright with me, he needed that right now from me. A loud roar escaped his lips as I screamed his name. He rolled on top of me to hug me to him.

"God I love you so much, Bella. I just can't keep trusting myself with you like this, I can't sweetheart", he would have been crying if that were possible, his head tucked down on my shoulder.

"You listen to me Edward Cullen. You will continue to make love with me every single day of forever, do you understand me! Even after I have this baby and we have to wait medically, we will find a way. I need you and I won't be without you, sweetheart. Please don't ask me to!", I said as I clung to him.

He lifted his head to look at me with those molten amber eyes and I took the opportunity to tell him again, "I love you, Edward. We can find a way, work together to come up with something inventive. Do they make vampire proof handcuffs and beds?"

He grinned from ear to ear. "I don't know if they do or not, baby, but if they do I'll get you one. You can restrain me and have your way with me all you want and I'll love every minute of it", he laughed. "Now are you ready to go?", he asked with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yes, I've had my vitamin 'E' for the day. One injection last night and two this morning should be sufficient to hold me over till tonight!"

Edward furrowed his brow. "I think I feel used!", he said jumping off the bed and flicking me with the towel I had taken from around his waist earlier.

"Ouch! You are paying for that, Cullen!", I said as I chased him toward the bathroom, only to be met with him slamming the door and laughing as he locked it.

"Hey! I'm the one that needs the bathroom . . . human, remember! Hey! Let me in!", I said as I playfully banged on the bathroom door.

"Only if you promise to get ready to go and quit molesting me!", he yelled from behind the door.

He was barely able to utter the words without his voice cracking with the laughter that was overtaking him.

"I have rights you know! You said I do now you have to! Over protective, anal-retentive, worry wart vampire . . . ", I said as I banged on the door one last time, continuing the joke just a little longer. I loved playful Edward and I had rarely ever seen him till after we were married and I had healed from my injuries. Edward opened the door. "Did you just call me anal-retentive?", he questioned, the towel still in his hand as he twisted it and stalked towards me crouching.

Oh God! I backed up, knowing what was coming. He could carve his initials with that towel he was so accurate. He stopped abruptly and hung his head. "No, not again", he groaned, just as I heard the _Knock Knock Knock_ on the bedroom door.

Emmett's loud voice came from just the other side of our bedroom door, "Dude, what the hell? If your are really such a candy ass vampire that I just heard you tell the little human girl to stop molesting you, I am so pulling your vamp card forever!"

Shit.

Why didn't Edward or I remember to lock the hotel room door! I wouldn't expect it to have stopped him or his hearing, but he would at least be two doors away out in the hall rather that annoying us right here at our bedroom door!

Edward dropped the towel from his hands and the threat of snapping me with it and hugged me.

"Welcome to my family, love. See why I built us our own house for awhile!"

~oooOooo~

Good grief vampires were quick and they just kept going liker EverReady bunnies! It wasn't that it was that long a walk from the hotel to the theme park, it was just that they never slowed, never tired at all. They could keep up the same pace indefinately, never needing a break of any kind!

The path was well manicured and absolutely gorgeous with blooming plants and lush palm trees everywhere. When the theme park came into view, we realized that we had to continue walking past the Studio entrance and the Hard Rock Cafe to get to Islands of Adventure, the park we had decided to go to first. Out tickets and fast passes were waiting at the will call, along with my meal deal pass. No one would notice or care if the rest of the group was eating or drinking or not, so I had opted to purchase only one meal plan, just for me.

Alice was squealing with excitement when we entered the park, the map in her hand to tell us where she wanted to go first. I convinced her to just go the entire route around the park and take each ride as it came, and she agreed begrudgingly only under the condition that we take the direction that was the shortest path towards "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" first.

"Fine, Alice. You do realize that means we are going through Dr. Seuss first then, right?", I asked.

"Yes", exclaimed both Jasper and Emmett at the same time.

I turned to look at them, their child like enthusiasm for Dr. Seuss had surprised me and I had to see for myself id they were serious!

"What? We love Who Ville!", Emmett exclaimed and proceeded to prove it as he and Jasper drug the rest of us on a kiddie roller coaster that went along and through the tops of the other rides and through the top of the Who Ville cafeteria, circling it on the inside. Every time the coaster went down the least small hill, they both threw up their arms and screamed like they were on the scariest roller coaster ever. I don't know which was louder, their screams or our laughter at their antics! After we had ridden both of the trains twice they reluctantly agreed to move on through the park as the rest of the rides in Who Ville required that you be under five feet tall and Alice was the only one who could just barely qualify.

We sat through the Sinbad Stunt Show, which I had a feeling would prove to have been a bad idea as the boys laughed and mocked the stunts that were done as the crowd applauded them.

"I can jump twice that high without having to vault off that platform", Jasper said.

"Twice? I've seen you clear it double that my brother and still have Edward beat you!", Emmett added.

"True", Edward joined in, "But these guys are human . . . kind of like you guys skills in comparison to mine."

"Oh, no!", Alice exclaimed as she looked at Rosalie, "Not another contest!"

"You knew it would happen girls. Be prepared to be dazzled", Jasper said as he hugged Alice to him and kissed her neck.

"Alright, what's the bet?", Edward asked his brothers as we walked from the amphitheater towards Hogwarts castle. He had a certain mischievous look on his face and I couldn't wait to see what that was about!

They bickered the entire time that we were in line for the Dragon's Challenge roller coaster. Even though we had passes that got us to the top of the line, there was a wait for this ride. The sign warning pregnant women not to ride this was perfect for my excuse not to get on. I hated roller coasters, but I hated being made fun of even more.

"I'll stay with the human", Alice insisted. You four have fun and meet us at the Hogwarts shops when you're done, we'll be in the Three Broomsticks getting Bella a snack."

Edward paused a moment, but appearing to read something from Alice, he got on the ride with Jasper as we walked towards Hogwarts Village. The village was absolutely amazing. I felt as though I was walking through a different world, one filled with wizards and witches and magic. Of course, I knew enough of fairy tales and mythical creatures to appreciate the potential reality of it all, since I was married to a mythical creature!

"Alice, what's this about a bet. What are the boys going to do?", I asked inquisitively.

"No telling, Bella. They have pulled stunts from stealing the ball that was pitched in a major league game _while it was on its way _from the pitcher to the batter, to streaking across the stage at a concert, to climbing the sides of buildings. First one to the top sort of thing."

"And no one ever sees them?"

"Bella", Alice looked at me exasperatedly, "Of course no one ever sees them. You won't be able to see them even though you know what they are doing. Vampire speed is far too fast to be seen by humans!"

"Do they do these bets often, Alice, I mean is this normal for them?"

"Have you met Emmett? This is everyday for him. He's just a big kid!", Alice said as she led us through the crowded walkways.

We explored Honeydew's and I purchased some candies before going into Zonko's trick shop. They had all the funny things that were shown in the movies and some that weren't, all with disclaimers about how it wouldn't _really _cause oozing pustules all over your body if you ate the contents of the box and the chocolate frogs would not _actually_ jump away from you when you opened the package.

Butter beer at the Three Broomsticks wasn't all it was cracked up to be, way too sweet for me as I ordered a coke to go with it. Rose and the boys walked back in laughing and punching each other. Apparently they had ridden both the dragons and there was something they were not telling.

"Hogwarts Castle it is then, let's go!", Jasper beamed.

"Wait, Bella is still eating guys, give her a minute", Edward said as he moved to sit beside me and give me a quick kiss, taking my hand in his.

We all rode Flight of the Hippogriff before getting in line for the Harry Potter Journey ride that was enclosed in the giant castle they had built there on the lot. The Hippogriff was a family friendly coaster, but it had been quite enough for me. Edward chuckled as my fingers tried to dig holes in his thigh when the ride did spirals but he only smiled and held me closer to him. A mortal man would have been screaming and injured from my fingernails alone!

There was an exceptionally long line for the castle ride, it being the newest at the park and the guys excused themselves to go and look at something while we waited in our place in line. We should never have let them go. All three came back wearing the appropriate colors for Griffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. They caused quite a stir. Did I mention the capes? Well, they only accented the shirts, knickers, tall socks and scarves around their necks. Laughter overtook me when I saw that Edward had gone along with this and had the biggest grin on his face ever brandishing the colors for Griffindor!

"Girls, we'll be right back", they all agreed as they walked away giving us each quick kisses before they left.

Alice smiled as she starred, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"Keep your eyes on the flag at the very top tower", she pointed.

I had to shield my eyes from the glare as I strained to see what she was pointing at. Though it was not sunny, it was difficult to see that far up on the tower with the breeze blowing. There were flags of each of the houses that were displayed at the very tops of the towers and Alice was pointing to the tallest one. I thought I saw what she meant, but when I looked again I must have been mistaken, the flag that I'd thought I'd seen was gone. The line was moving now and it looked as though we would be going into the castle without the guys unless they walked up immediately.

Jasper appeared just in time with the other two in tow looking like the cat that ate the canary. They caused quite a stir as they approached because of the way they were dressed and the large flagpole and flag that Jasper carried. They came to stand by us as we showed our passes and entered the building, Jasper handing a the flag to the attendant as we passed into the door.

"We found this on the ground over there", he gestured, "I, um, I think it goes on your castle."

Rosalie lost it.

We laughed till we couldn't as the other guests in line stared and gestured at us with amused and annoyed expressions on their faces.

"So, Jasper 1, Emmettt 0 and Edward 0?", I asked.

"Not for long", Edward answered in my ear as we passed the Jurassic park ride and headed towards Ripsaw Falls.

I had been talked into riding the logs and getting wet. It was a hot day and truthfully, I could never miss seeing these guys getting into the logs and watching their capes fly in the wind as they sped down the flumes. I just didn't really realize how very high the falls were and how straight down they went. Edward sat behind me and kept me from sliding forward as the ride sped downhill. He was so cute being protective of the baby already. Edward's worried face told me that I looked as white as I felt when we got off the ride and I found a place to sit. He grabbed a coke from a nearby stand and insisted I drink it before he seemed to calm down.

"I'm fine sweetheart, it was just scarier than I thought it was going to be, that's all", I said as I finished the drink.

"Maybe coming to theme parks wasn't such a good idea, Bella, with you pregnant and all", Rosalie allowed.

"No, Rose, I would have been a wussie just like this regardless! Maybe in my next life, I winked, I will like speed better."

"You bet ya you will", Emmett agreed, "We all do. He leaned in and whispered,"It's a vampire thing."

I just laughed, you had to love Emmett. We continued through the park, looking in the shops and riding some of the rides until we came to the carnival games. Unfortunately they had one where you could win a really big stuffed animal of your choice. The boys went nuts, insisting they be allowed to win things for us. It didn't take long before Alice had a giant doberman that her arms would not come close to reaching around, Rosalie had an orange and yellow snake coiled around her entire body, the head held at her shoulder and I was carrying the largest lion yet, larger even than the one we had left at the house in Forks when Edward won it at the arcade in Port Angeles for me.

When we came to the Spider Man ride, Rosalie gave Emmett an inquisitive look, "So, genius, how do we ride rides with these play toys with us?"

"Um, actually Rose, you can just take things you won or purchased in any store and they will ship it to the front gate for you to grab as you leave."

"That information is a life saver, Bella! I'm glad one of us is up on things offered here!", Rose said relieved as she herded us towards the nearest store.

Spider Man was really fun and fascinating to ride. It was a coaster, sort of, but the digital displays and special effects that were around you the entire time were the real show. The seat you were in moving just added to the intensity and appeal of the ride. I wanted to do it again, and after the third time, agreed that it was enough, at least for today!

It had been too long since I had eaten anything and luckily the Marvel Super Hero dining area was nearby so we all ducked in and got a huge round table.

I had to ask, "The flag that you handed the guy when we went into the Potter ride at the castle, "

"Yes?", Jasper's eyes gleamed as he sat perfectly still watching me.

"Was it . . . I mean it was from . . . Jasper, was it the flag from that top tower that Alice had showed me?", I had to know. I couldn't believe they could do something like that and not be seen, but I had to ask.

"Yes", he answered with a straight face, "that's the flag."

"But how . . . I mean . . . I didn't see you. I was staring at that flag, then it was gone . . . just gone. No 'you' there to take it!" I said incredulously.

"Bella, I'm really fast. Our grip allows us to climb up walls quite easily and in this case quite fast," Jasper allowed.

"We were all on that tower. He only beat me to that flag by inches, I had my hand almost on it when he snatched it out of the holder. I would have gotten there first if this big gorilla hadn't grabbed my ankle to slow me down", Edward snipped at Emmett.

"Besides, Bella, we had on our disguises in case anyone noticed anything at all. We would just look like we were supposed to be there!", Jasper added.

I just shook my head at the three of them, vampires were absolutely amazing creatures and I could not wait to become one. It had been an overcast day from the start, but night seemed to fall earlier than normal as we collected our giant stuffed animals and headed for the long walk to the hotel creating quite the spectacle with our huge stuffed animals and the men dressed as though they were ready for a quittage game! We stopped to sit and enjoy the lights around the little lake there in between the Hard Rock and the shops on the hill. Well, some shops and mostly restaurants and dance clubs.

"After you rest for awhile, Bella, lets get all dressed up and come back here to go dancing!", Alice was bounding up and down as she made the suggestion.

"Alice, I can't dance, remember!", I quickly added.

"Yes you can! I've danced with you before and you know it, love. It's all in the leading!", Edward kissed my cheek and hugged me so sweetly that I didn't even have the heart to protest the dancing idea.

When we got to our room, I excused myself to the bathroom as Edward put my new lion in the living room. I came out in just a bra and panties, deciding in my head what I wanted to wear to the clubs tonight and sitting on the side of the bed to remove my socks.

~oooOooo~

I heard voices coming from the other room and light was coming in the window. That was weird. I guessed there was some kind of flood light or something that I hadn't noticed outside the window before. I put on my robe and went out into the rest of the suite to join the others, mainly to see what the girls were going to wear tonight. I was feeling kind of odd, maybe needing something to eat.

"Morning Bella", I heard from several of them, Alice the most pronounced.

Edward was immediately at my side hugging me and offered a gentle kiss.

"Morning . . . Morning?", I said looking like him like he just spoke French as I tried to process the meaning of what he was saying.

"You fell fast asleep last night, love. I tucked you in and you've slept for over 12 hours", Edward explained.

"We missed you at the club last night, but you can close the place down with us tonight!", Rose said, "They are open and dancing till 2am and just walking distance, no car needed!"

"Oh, I'm sorry", I said looking up into Edward's eyes, "I didn't mean to spoil your fun."

"You spoiled nothing, love. They danced the night away and I spent the entire time playing the piano. I enjoyed it immensely and I have no complaints at all, knowing that you got the rest you needed", he said as he kissed me again.

"Could I speak to you for a minute?", I said as I took his hand and led him back into our bedroom, shutting the door and pulling him close to me.

"Edward, this is the first time since we began being intimate that we haven't made love when we went to bed in the evening!", I whined to him, obviously upset.

"I thought you might say something like that, so I didn't come to bed love . . . technically, you just took a nap without me, so our record remains unbroken", he said with a smile, "Get dressed, everyone is excited to get to Disney today and they have all been waiting on you! Breakfast is on its way up love and there is a shuttle that leaves for the Magic Kingdom in 45 minutes!"

I walked into the bathroom for a human moment. I was completely rested, and happy. Edward had managed to let me know that my need for sleep had not kept him from enjoying his evening on the piano, and he had kept our record intact, sort of. Sneaky vampire. He had used my human tiredness against me and managed for us to go a full 24 hours without making love. Well, we would just see about that.


	35. Chapter 35 Magic Kingdom

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 35 Magic Kingdom  
**

**EPOV**

Bella got dressed quickly, not wanting to have the rest of us wait any longer on her I'm sure. She hadn't seemed too upset about my letting her sleep last night and I was thankful for that. I knew if I had come to bed with her it would have been a whole different story.

We made our way to the shuttle and found ourselves walking in through the front gates of Disney. We all looked down Main Street to the tallest feature in the park, Cinderella's castle. There minds instantly spoke volumes and I knew what the contest would be, but we would save it for later in the day. We started walking down the street but Bella lagged behind, then stopped for a moment.

"Edward! This is just so surreal! I've never traveled, never really gone anywhere. We could never afford it", she said as her eyes filled with tears, "I always wanted to come to Disney, even as a little kid I wanted to come and we never could."

She was sobbing now. I held her as she buried her face against my chest and the rest of the family formed kind of a protective circle around us.

"Shhh . . . baby, it's alright . . . ", I tried to comfort her as I rubbed her back and held her close to me.

"I'm sorry I'm being so stupid, Edward. I just love you and I'm still amazed that you love me, that you want me with you and you offer me so much, you bring so much to the table, Edward, to our relationship and I don't bring anything."

"Bella . . . ", Edward started to say something but he was cut off by Rosalie.

"Bella. You fill a spot in his life that no one in 90 years has been able to fill. You complete this family!", Rose told her, "If you're talking about money, then you are putting importance on something that we place very little value on. Edward having a mate is more important to us than anything else."

I felt so stupid for falling apart like this, blubbering in front of everyone in a public place.

"Sweetheart, you give me something that no one else can . . . a reason to exist. Now, above all my wildest dreams, you're also carrying my child. Bella, tell me how you could do more than that, tell me that any amount of money matters compared to that", he said as he put his fingers under my chin and lifted my face so that he could softly kiss my lips, "You're everything to me. You know this."

"Come on now", he said wiping away the tears, "let's see what's so special about this place that you have been wanting to come here for years!"

"Anywhere in particular you want to start?", Alice asked, "Because I love Fantasy Land the best!"

"No way, Adventure Land for sure", Emmett boomed.

"You guys are mad, Tomorrow Land is the way," Rosalie said dismissively.

"Frontier Land, of course", Jasper added.

They all turned to Edward. "Well, which is it big brother", Alice asked?

"Why ask me, Alice, I haven't been here before and you know it!", Edward answered.

"You haven't been here before?", I asked with a surprised look showing on my face.

I couldn't believe after all these years and a lack of money not stopping him, that he would never have been here before.

"He would never come with us, Bella, he was always a brooding kind of stick in the mud before you came along. We have you to thank for giving us a fun big brother to do things with. He was never like this before you, you need to know that. You really just don't realize the difference you have made in all our lives and for the better. So since there is no majority, lets just walk through everything. Heads we go left, tails we go right. Bella, you call it", she said as she flipped a coin into the air.

"Tails, Alice, always tails", I said as the coin came to a stop and sure enough, it was tails.

"Right it is, Tomorrow Land here we come", Rosalie said, obviously happy with the decision.

'You guys head off and get in line for Space Mountain, Bella and I will look around a little and meet you there. You know you want to ride it repeatedly and we can occupy ourselves while you do. Go!", Edward urged them.

He didn't have to say it again as they all hurried off towards the ride.

"Don't you want to ride that roller coaster?", I asked him.

"No, I just want to be with you love and you can't ride it while you're pregnant", he said, "or rather, you shouldn't ride it and I really hope you won't."

"You have no worries then, sweetheart. I don't like roller coasters . . . ever", exclaimed, "not just while I'm pregnant."

He laughed and putt his arm around my shoulder, gesturing to the stores on the left side of Main Street. Luckily there were candy stores here as well and an ice cream shop. It only took Edward one lick of chocolate ice cream for him to decide that it was horrible and that it, too, tasted like dirt. I couldn't help but laugh at the expression he made as he licked it.

I walked around like a five year old at Christmas, seeing the lights for the first time. Everything held a fascination for me, as I had always heard about the wonder that was Disney. Edward was amazing and patient as we looked in each and every store and he seemed interested in everything I spent time examining and showing him. We stopped to eat at the Plaza Restaurant before going on to Tomorrow Land. It was Edward's suggestion that I eat something but in truth, I was hungry again and so thirsty.

"Won't the guys be waiting on us, we have been looking for a long while you know", I asked Edward.

"Not a chance. They are riding Space Mountain and having a great time, believe me", he answered.

We passed Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Stitch's Great Escape before coming to the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority. Finally, something I could ride and from the height above the park, we got a wonderful view of Disney . . . all perfectly painted and landscaped with nothing out of place. It was amazing! Edward spotted his siblings coming out of Space Mountain and they saw us on the train ride as well. They let him know they were heading to the Speedway and we determined to meet them there.

Edward took Alice's place and raced the go carts on the speedway a few times, cutting the others off and driving like a wild man, as usual. They were all having a great time playing together like kids.

We walked through Fantasy land looking at all the kiddie rides, Edward's mind going where mine was I'm sure and thinking about the little one I was carrying.

"I am so bringing the baby here when he's born", Rosalie said, "He will just love this place! I never really got just how fun it would be here with a kid along!"

"I'm sure Masen will just love his Auntie Rose if he gets to come to Disney with you!", I told her.

"That's right, you guys named him already, didn't you. Masen . . . I like it", Jasper said.

We all got in line to ride _It's A Small World_ and the guys stared at the castle.

"Alright, what's the bet?", I asked, "Spill it. It has to have something to do with the castle, it's the tallest thing here!"

"Just trying to decide if we time an up and back or just go for the flag again", Edward said.

"Well, if you wait for tonight, there are fireworks and Tinkerbell _'flies'_ from the top all the way on that wire out front over to Tomorrow Land. I don't know if that can work into your plans or not, but I thought you might want to know", I offered.

The line went inside and we were about to board the small boats to take us on the ride as Emmett exclaimed, "Hey, this is the ride that sings that song in different languages, isn't it?"

"Yea, I think they sing _Small World _all through the ride", Rose said, "Why?"

"Edward, I bet you can't sing the song in all the languages they use, how about it?", Emmett challenged.

"I'll give it my best shot", Edward laughed.

He did it. Perfectly. Every language.

Figures.

I didn't realize he spoke that many languages, though I knew he spoke over half a dozen. He had explained that he just had a lot of time on his hands, nights mostly when the rest of his family was having couple time and he was alone. If that was the requirement for learning them, I guess he would be learning no additional ones! We rode it twice, just to hear him do it again!

The Haunted Mansion was next and I wondered what antics the boys had in mind for this one. I could only imagine what they would be up to in the dark at the speed they could move. I had no idea they were so nuts though until we came to the hallway that had a coffin with a vampire rearing up out of it and making what was supposed to be a scary noise. There was a caped, hooded figure standing behind the opened coffin and a body lying with his mouth open underneath where blood was supposed to be blood dripping to the floor. I was sure the scene was supposed to be scary, but I was laughing hysterically at that version of vampires.

Apparently laughter was not the expected response, as the caped figure stared at me and the body on the floor sat up.

"Bella, what the hell", Emmett said as he got up off the floor of the scene and got back in line with the audience.

"I can't believe you weren't even a little scared", Jasper added as he removed the cape and leaped lightly to the walkway we were on, "It's just no fun if you're not even a little scared!"

"Guys, you're not supposed to scare a pregnant woman anyway, remember?", Edward scolded, "Lucky for you she's not afraid of vampires."

"You mean lucky for you, my brother", Emmett corrected as they all broke out into laughter.

"True, very lucky for me", he said as he kissed me soundly, his arms around my waist pulling me tightly to him.

We took the riverboat ride so that I could sit for awhile and just enjoy the scenery. Disney had a way of landscaping and coordinating colors that was unparalleled. Esme and her love for designing things would approve of all the care taken to coordinate everything here.

I loved this family and being with everyone in such a carefree way was so needed before we had to go back home and face the potential problems associated with this baby and the most potentially hazardous act of all . . . telling my father about the baby. Charlie had just started to get used to the idea of Edward being in the family, much less our having a child at my age. Of course, Edward may still look seventeen, but at 110, he was more than ready to be a father. To all outside appearances, we had everything in our favor, we had no financial worries that usually were the root cause of stress early in a marriage and we had a home and the support of at least most of our family. I guess I was really starting to think about Masen and the possibility of being parents was becoming so very real to me.

I leaned up and kissed Edward's neck, nuzzling into him even closer as we sat by the railing at the front of the ferry.

"What's this all about, love?"

"I just love you so much, sweetheart and I'm so happy you came back", I said with tears in my eyes. I think pregnancy hormones were taking their toll. I was never normally this emotional, especially in public, yet twice today I had found myself in tears. Damn it. I needed to control myself better than that!

"It just took me a little while to realize I couldn't live without you, love. I'm apparently not a very quick learner, but I know it now. I love you, Bella and I will never leave you", he said as he kissed me again.

How is it that he always knew what I needed to hear . . . I sometimes wondered if he was starting to be able to read my mind, but he sword he couldn't. The claimed that he could just read my body better than anyone else and it was a dead giveaway.

Tom Sawyers Island was fun and the vampires took the opportunity to show off some of their fast moves since no one else was around. They would appear and disappear like magic since I could not see them move at vampire speed. They were entertaining all by themselves, no Disney needed!

I had the best time, and they allowed me to judge the contest, with Alice's help of course. I could never see the details to know if they cheated or not. I sat at the fountain in the middle of the Magic Kingdom with Alice just as twilight came. The guys did a quick look around and I said go. They were gone. Absolutely gone. The bet was the same as at the Hogwarts Castle, bring back the flag from the tallest tower. This time they had to hand it to me.

Edward appeared and the flag was in my hand before I realized what was happening. Unexpectedly, two other flags appeared in my other hand. Emmett. Apparently he thought two flags would give him at least a little credit! Rose was laughing as she hugged him to her and called him a big oaf.

"Man, I had to stop for an instant as one of the security guards was in the turret and I didn't want to be seen on the roof!", Jasper exclaimed as he arrived back empty handed.

"Good man, Jasper. Not being seen was far more important", Edward said patting him on the back.

"Well, if you guys are through congratulating each other, I'll just walk these flags back and give them to someone in the castle!", I said laughing.

"Well, we will all come too!", Alice exclaimed.

I handed the flags to the security guard at the front hall of the castle. He looked at me like I had lost it, but I told him that I thought the wind had blown these down as they looked like they belonged on the castle. He walked outside, presumably to investigate as a puzzled look crossed his face.

"Our table is ready!", Edward exclaimed.

"Our table?", I said looking at him like he had lost his mind.

"Yes, we have the '_king's table_' for the evening, love. We can watch the fireworks from there!", he said with a gleam in his eyes.

I took his hand and we all followed the host up a secluded back staircase. It was made of stone and wound round and around, dimly lit with what was supposed to resemble torches. We came out above the second floor dining area on what could be described only as a luxurious third floor balcony overlooking not only the dining area, but with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the entire Magic Kingdom to the West and towards the setting sun. It really was magical. We were seated at a table with formal service already in place and wine glasses were filled with what I presumed to be grape juice. No menus were brought and I thought it odd that they would be lacking and have us wait for such a simple thing as a menu. As I sat wondering about that, a half dozen men dressed in medieval garb brought in trays of food and set them in the middle of the table, including a small pig complete with an apple in its mouth!

"Edward, what have you done?", I asked.

"We are the royal guests of the Prince and Princess for the evening", he laughed, "at least that's the pretense!"

"All this and I'm expected to eat it alone?", I asked.

I helped my plate and stuffed myself, making small talk about the contests the boys had in the past and what was the hardest one, and how hard it had been to get up the castle without being noticed.. Alice had purchased some clothing from some of the shops and Rosalie had found some decorations for her room at home that she liked. All in all, everyone was having a wonderful time. There was no way I could even try the tempting deserts. I hadn't even touched the roasted pig. I excused myself and went to the ladies room. As I came out, there was a family with four children, two of them almost teenagers, one toddler and one in between. The only little boy was the toddler and he caught my eye. He had messy auburn hair and the most piercing green eyes imaginable, next to Edward's. The host was telling them that there was no availability for them to have dinner in the castle and one of the older girls was in tears with her mother trying to comfort her. Apparently it was her birthday.

I asked the host to step over to where I was for a moment and he confirmed that we had the balcony for the remainder of the evening. I asked if it would be possible, since we were leaving early, for the family to take our place, at our expense. I hated the idea of all that food going to waste. He smiled. It had been breaking his heart to see the girl so distressed. I sent him off to ask the family to wait for one moment as I went back up to talk to Edward.

Edward came downstairs with me immediately, handing the host a few hundred dollars to cover the addition of a birthday cake to the menu for the family as they were told they were to receive dinner, complements of the Prince and Princess of the castle. The little girls face lit up like Christmas and the mother gave me a questioning glance as they were led up the winding staircase.

We were all gathered at the castle entrance, deciding what we would do for the evening. I was about to tell them to go dancing without me when Edward started to tell his siblings goodnight.

"We'll call you when we get to Universal in the morning, just have fun and we'll be there eventually", he said to them.

"Edward?", I said as the host returned and asked if we were ready to retire for the evening.

I watched our family exit, exchanging stares and giggles as we followed back up the staircase, passing the third floor and continuing up to the next level. As I started up the next staircase from the balcony, the mother got up from the table and approached me.

"You made this possible, didn't you!", she asked. I told her to just enjoy her evening and that she had a lovely family. "My son has been critically ill for quite some time and this is the first time in years we have been able to do something for the girls. Thank you for making it special for us. You have no idea what this means to us." I starred at the green eyes boy in her arms and asked her name and where she was from. The boy's name was Josh and he held his arms out to me, asking me to take him. I held him and asked if he liked Micky Mouse, to which he shrieked and giggled, so I took that as a yes. "Your son looks like I hope the one I'm carrying will look, he has my husbands crazy hair", I told her and we both laughed as I handed the boy back to his mother.

We continued up the staircase to a room that was straight from a fairytale. The openings were arched and the trim elaborate and painted a golden glittery color. The fireplace had a crackling fire going and the french doors were open to show a bed that was canopied with white gossamer curtains bundled at the posts. It was absolutely what you would imagine a Prince and Princess chambers to be right down to the most minute detail! I ran to the windows to watch as the fireworks display lit up the sky. Edward came to stand behind me with his arms around me.

"You once told me that I belonged in a fairy tale, not the horror story that I thought I was a part of. I wanted you to see that you make it real for me, you are the fairytale for me and you make every day seem magical, Bella. I love you", he said as he kissed my lips. "We have the castle to ourselves tonight!"

Edward picked me up and carried me, following a trail of rose petals to the bathroom where a huge jacuzzi was filled with bubble bath and lit by candles. He slowly pulled my t shirt over my head, undid my bra letting it drop to the floor as his hands ghosted down the sides of my body and lowered my jeans for me to step out of after kicking off my sandals. He held my hand as I stepped into the bath, then unbuttoning his shirt ever so slowly and dropping it as he did the same with his pants and boxers to join me in the tub.,

We sat and talked for hours about the park, my parents, Phil and how much of a tip Edward should give him and what we were going to do to get the third guest room ready and then convert it to a nursery after Christmas. We laughed again about Edward throwing me into the Cold Plunge in Colorado, the rug burns from Isle Esme and the bed breaking at my mom's house. In addition to everything else, Edward truly was my other half and we just relaxed and talked about everything.

We put on the soft robes that were provided for us and stuck a movie on the TV in the bedroom as we lost ourselves in the soft covers on the bed. I lay with my head on Edward's shoulder s we watched several Disney cartoons and then a movie. I was getting sleepy as Edward bent down to kiss me ever so softly.

He took me in his arms and undid my robe, shedding his as well as he kissed down my neck and placed his body in his favorite place hovering over me, his weight held off me on his elbows. I scratched the back of his neck as he held me, his arms gently squeezing me as he just held me tight, our bodies touching from head to toe. My fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck and ran down the muscled planes of his back, holding him to me gently.

"I missed being this close to you for 24 hours, love", he said as he kissed me so softly, his tongue tracing my lips, "I think you're right . . . we should be this close at least a few times a day. I am glad you got your rest, though. Are you tired now?"

"Not too tired to make love to my husband, if that's what you're asking", I told him.

He kissed me with more passion this time, but still as gentle as could be, my fingers tracing the lines of his face as his hips rocked into me seeking the friction we both wanted. We stroked each others faces, staring into each others eyes as we moved together, gently but passionately. We starred into each others eyes as if we could see to our very souls. We stilled and lay with our faces nuzzled into each others shoulders and our arms around the only thing that really mattered to each of us, our mates.

I was toasty warm and felt as though I was on a bed made from clouds when I woke the next morning, the sun coming in through the uncovered windows. I looked over at the face of my husband. He was lying next to me, having bundled me in covers and his arm was over me, sparkling in the morning sun. At this moment, he totally took on the appearance of an angel . . . my angel. I rolled towards him, kissing his face softly.

"Good morning, angel", I said as I marveled at the sparkles.

"Good morning, love", he said kissing my lips.

I brought my right hand up to stroke his face and noticed sparkles coming from it. There on my finger was a beautiful green emerald ring. The stunningly bright stone was surrounded by diamonds that were sparkling like Edward's skin in the sun.

"What's this all about, sweetheart?, I asked, gesturing to the ring as I kissed him again.

"I just wanted you to have something to remember our vision of the son you're carrying, green eyes and all. If he turns out to have your eyes instead, then this ring can remind you of the color eyes I was born with instead. I just wanted to get you something, love", he said softly.

"It's beautiful Edward, thank you", I said, nodding to the sunlight, "Did you know it would be a sunny morning?"

"Alice warned me, clouds should move in by 10 so we have time to . . . whatever you would like to do in this very big, very soft bed, love.", he said suggestively as he pulled the covers from between us and moved close enough that I could feel his hardening length against my skin.

My husband made love to me again and again so sweetly, so softly, with a gentleness I didn't know he was capable of. Regardless of how gentle and slow he was, the passion lost nothing, the ecstasy lost nothing as we came together again and again. As we lay quietly together on our sides, a small nudge came from inside. I felt it clearly and I waited to see if Edward had felt it as well. The look of wonder on his face answered me.

"Bella, did the baby just move?", he asked in amazement.

"I think so . . . I think that was what that was", I told him as he moved to lay his head on my stomach.

I felt it again, gently like the fluttering of a bird against a cloth. It was definitely the baby and it really was moving around, alive and real.

"God Bella, it's real. We really are having a baby, aren't we!", he said in amazement.

**EPOV **

I had never known I could be so happy and so scared. Bella had given me my focus back and I was able to make love to her as I had for months, gently and lovingly without worry of loosing control and hurting her. She seemed to love the surprise of staying overnight in the castle and I was happy I had lucked out and been able to arrange it for her. It took on a totally dream like feeling when, after a wonderful night and morning, the baby . . . our baby chose to kick and move around in her belly so that we could feel him. God I had no idea. It was completely surreal, the sun coming in the window, Bella accepting the ring from me so readily, our lovemaking being so gentle and controlled and then the baby . . . our baby. I could say that a thousand times and it had never been brought to reality for me the way that feeling it moving had done. I was ecstatic, beside myself with joy at how Bella seemed to have been right. I wasn't the monster in the dark, ever uncontrolled. I saw the fairytale that she saw and the possibilities.


	36. Chapter 36  Cinderella

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay in posting, I try to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a sometimes bonus on Saturdays, but I missed yesterdays. This chapter was hard for me to write for some reason, I have several already written with regard to Christmas and New Years, and this one with a couple of others bridge the gap of time between now and when Bella's parents and Jacob arrive for the Holidays. Hope you don't tire of the fluff, drama is coming as surely as the New Year! We still have Black Swan Racing to contend with and where are the Denali cousins anyway?

**Chapter 36 Cinderella**

**EPOV**

God I had no idea. It was completely surreal, the sun coming in the window, Bella accepting the ring from me so readily, our lovemaking being so gentle and controlled and then the baby . . . our baby. I could say that a thousand times and it had never been brought to reality for me the way that feeling it moving had done. I was ecstatic, beside myself with joy at how Bella seemed to have been right. I wasn't the monster in the dark, ever uncontrolled. I saw the fairytale that she saw . . . and the possibilities.

**BPOV**

I felt like a Princess in a fairytale. The one that gets everything she wants including the handsome Prince and the happily ever after . . .

Edward had surprised me by fulfilling a dream from my childhood, every little girl's dream I suppose . . . to spend the night in Cinderella's Castle, perhaps to even be Cinderella and marry the Prince. Edward had no idea, of course. When he was a boy there had been no such thing as Disney World or Cinderella and he had no way of knowing that it had been a childhood fantasy of mine. Given my immersion into the world of mythical creatures, it all seemed to fit and the reality was not far off from the dream.

Our baby moving inside me for us to feel this morning took on a truly surreal feeling, given our surroundings . . . lying in the middle of a bed canopied with gossamer curtains and gold etchings on the trim of everything in the room, a fire crackling in the fireplace and the sun making a momentary appearance, streaming in the window. The sun's rays looked almost painted into the scene before me.

My husband lay beside me, holding me to him as he stroked my face. He had credited me with bringing him back to himself, to a place where he could make love with me and still not hurt me but really it was just him needing to trust himself, to know that he could manage anything he set his mind to. Trusting himself was something that Edward did not do lightly, tending instead to over analyze and think through things rather than trust his feelings . . . my ridiculously overprotective, anal retentive vampire.

Edward loved to give me gifts and I was adapting, learning to accept them gracefully. He had done it again this morning, as if a night in the castle were not enough. I had woken to find a new ring on my finger. It gave him pleasure to give me things, I realized that finally. The diamonds sparkling off my finger this morning somehow seemed fitting, giving our surroundings. He now had diamonds in my ears, around my neck and on both hands. I hoped this meant that he would stop, having covered all his bases, but I had learned never to underestimate his generosity.

I had heard him on the phone last night talking to a Mr. Jenks, a man I thought he had referred to as a lawyer or private investigator or something like that. It was a name that they apparently used for documents and such when they needed them. Edward was giving him the name of the family we had met last night in the restaurant and the little boy. I suppose Edward had read her mind because I don't remember her telling us where they were from and what hospital the little boy had been in, but he told Jenks to pay any outstanding bills the family had, including the hospital bills and the mortgage on their home if they had one and to do it from a benefactor to be referred to only as 'Cinderella'. He would tell me about it in his own time and I wouldn't ask him about it.

I stared into his eyes as he placed kisses softly along my lips and jaw, stroking my hair.

"I love you", he said softly as he continued kissing me, "Are you ready to have a shower and start our day?"

"Can we start with a bath in that small swimming pool I saw in the bathroom?", I asked enthusiastically.

"We absolutely can", he said as he jumped lithely to run the water for us. He blurred slightly as he went, having no need of human pretense while we were alone.

I walked to the bathroom to find everything I needed, down to the hairbrush and toothpaste was waiting on the counter for me along with fresh clothing for both of us. "Edward?", I asked, gesturing towards the counter.

"Alice had them sent over early this morning, love", Edward smiled, "Disney is very accommodating of anything their guests need. I really like the way people are treated here."

"They are amazing. You know the employees aren't allowed to refer to us as customers, we are called _guests_. How cool is that!", I told him.

"Well, they are good at what they do. Alice had only to tell the guard that we were staying in the Castle and he personally saw to the delivery. No tipping allowed.

The bubble bath was amazing and much needed after the amount of lovemaking we had done. My soreness would not effect the baby, but walking was another story. Regardless of how gentle Edward was and how calm and loving we had both been with each other, the sheer size of Edward was a factor. Did I mention how I truly had everything I could imagine wanting?

We dressed and left a bag to be sent to our hotel, not wanting to carry anything in hand while we explored the park. Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper had stayed till the park closed last night and had finished riding and seeing all that they wanted. They were at Universal Studios riding the roller coasters this morning after dancing the night away at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island. I had had my own version of 'Pleasure Island' and did not feel left out in the slightest, having to reassure Edward several times that I was glad they went ahead without us!

We headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and then to the Swiss Family Robinson's Tree House, having a great time alone, holding hands and chatting about everything we saw. Edward Insisted we eat at the character buffet where Winnie the Pooh and his friends would be visiting and since we had skipped breakfast, I gave in and let him help my plate and all but feed me. He was so cute and so sticky gooey over the top in love this morning, after our baby had made itself known to us that I was glad we were alone, his siblings would have made fun of us for the sticky sweet way we were acting. I loved this Edward.

~oooOooo~

"It's almost 4 o'clock, love," Edward said as we got off the shuttle and walked towards Universal Studio's complex, "Do you want to go to the hotel and rest or go to Universal Studios and see what the gang is doing?"

"Edward! Universal, of course! I'm really excited to see it. I've never been in and the concert isn't till 8. We don't have to dress for it or anything, so we can just go have fun and stop there on the way out if that's alright with you. Maybe we can even have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe."

"I'm up for whatever you have planned", he said kissing me passionately there in front of the fountains and the lake, not caring who saw or even stopped and watched. His cell phone rang in his pocket just then, interrupting us.

"If you are through providing a public spectacle, we are at the MIB ride. See you soon!"

We both looked at each other and said at the same time, "Alice", as if it explained everything.

Sure enough we found them at the Men in Black ride about to get on it for another in a row of who knew how many times, though the vampire perfect recall could certainly have told me how many times, had I asked.

We all rode the Jaws Boat Ride and laughed when Emmett jumped as the shark emerged and attacked the boat but all humor left them when we turned the corner and they saw all the flames that were being shot into the air and into the path the boat would take. Though it was an amusement ride and perfectly times so that no harm would come to any of the guests, flames seemed to make all of my family quite tense. The heat from the flame throwing devices was intense around us as we passed, but knowing there was water just beneath the boat had to relieve some of the stress. After all, they could easily escape if something did go wrong with the ride. I suppose it was natural for them to have an aversion to the one thing they were susceptible to, but it was strange for me to witness it showing.

We took photos and posed in different spots in the park and tried to snap silly shots of Emmett making faces on the roller coasters as they passed us on the observation platform.

"You know, it's really okay if you go ride some of these rides with your family", I told Edward as he leaned over the rail to watch the ride go by.

"Bella, I'm with the part of my family that matters most to me, I love watching you discover new things and interact with my brothers and sisters. Trust me. I'm having a great time here and you, by the way, did a great job of planning it for all of us", he said as he playfully bumped me with his hip, still leaning over the railing to watch the ride.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah", he said as his arm went around me and he leaned in for a kiss.

"Geez, can you two even stop long enough to make it back to the room?", Emmett boomed as they approached us from the exit ramp.

"Now, how can I do that when we're headed to dinner and a concert, Emmett?", I said, faking an exasperated look at him.

"Is it that time, already?", Rose asked.

"Yep", I said as we headed toward the Hard Rock Cafe.

"Oh no!", Jasper exclaimed just as we walked past the lake and towards the restaurant, stopping dead in his tracks.

"What?", I asked worried by the tone in his voice.

"Jasper!", Alice exclaimed, "Not funny to worry the pregnant lady!" "Bella", Alice continued, giving Jasper a reprimanding look as he expression turned sheepish, "Jasper just realized that we never got around to riding The Hulk".

"What? What are you talking about, Alice?", I said as I continued to stare at Jasper.

He pointed into the distance to a mass of spiraling bright green railings, obviously a roller coaster and from the look of it, one that did loops and upside down spirals. As we had rounded the corner, it had come into view and he had realized they had yet to ride that one. I looked at the child like longing in Emmett as well as Jasper's eyes and came to the only logical conclusion possible.

"GO! GO! Go then, all of you! I reserved the VIP lounge for us as a surprise", I said as I pointed to the railing of the balcony on the third floor above the restaurant, "I'm going to go in and order my dinner and it's less conspicuous if you aren't there anyway! Go!"

They turned to leave and Edward started off for the restaurant with me. I stopped and turned to him. "Wait you guys, Edward is coming with you!"

He looked at me like I had shot him. I kissed his lips and gave his chest a shove in the direction of his siblings who were watching from a few feet away, snickering at us.

"You too!", I said as I playfully shoved him again, "Go ride one ride with your siblings. I'm fine. I promise I can eat all by myself without help."

"Bella, I . . . ", I cut him off. "Go. Please? I'll sit on the balcony and I know you can see me from the ride. Please go do this and ride it at least once, then they can keep riding it and meet us at the concert at 8 if they want to ride it more times. Go!"

They all turned and it seemed as though they hurried away towards Islands of Adventure and the Hulk! I checked in at the desk of the restaurant and went to spend a few minutes in the gift shop. I found shirts and t shirts that I wanted to get as additional Christmas gifts and even splurged on leather jackets bearing the Hard Rock Cafe emblem. They would all need them to look appropriate riding the motorcycles that Rose and I had ordered for them for Christmas. To keep the surprise, I had everything shipped home to the house in Highlands so that no one would be the wiser, except Alice of course. There was no real way of surprising her, but i was still attempting to come up with a way!

"Cullen, party of 6", I heard them announce. I headed to the desk and informed them that I would be going up alone to have my meal and that the rest of the group would meet me in a few minutes. Muse used the VIP lounge to relax in the few minutes prior to the concert and we would have an opportunity to meet them before we headed to the auditorium to take our seats. I hadn't told anyone about that part of the surprise!

I was given the full tour after I ordered dinner. The VIP room was actually an exact replica of John and Yoko Lennon's apartment at the Dakota in New York City. They were living there when he has murdered in it's entry way on the street below. The entire room was decorated in cream and white, white carpet and sofa and even the love seat where Lennon was said to have written many of his famous songs. Yoko had thought enough of the idea of replicating the living room for people to see that she had donated the actual furniture and copies of the art that hung on the walls. There was even a poster sized, beautifully framed copy of the photo used in their naked album cover, the both of them standing in an all white background as they simply held hands. It made me sad to think that they had been parted in such a violent way with John being murdered in the door of his own home. I was thankful that soon there would be no way that a tragedy of that sort could part me from Edward.

I sat on the very large balcony at one of the tables to have my dinner. The waiter had everything already there for me before I even came outside. I could see over the lake to City Walk and all the shops there and to my right was one of the parks with all its rides, including the Hulk Roller coaster. I knew that if Edward was on the ride, his vision was such that he could see me from there, though I could only make out the cars of the ride and not the individuals from this distance.

A cool breeze blew my hair slightly and was so relaxed. I reflected at the events in my life the last six months. Everything had changed since Edward had found me and my life truly seemed like a fairytale, not the horror story it had been for the six months prior to that.

I felt another bit of breeze and Edward was standing behind me, bending to give me a kiss. I looked at him, then back towards the inside, then back to him with what must have looked like a comical expression on my face because Edward started laughing.

"What?", he said as he took a seat by me.

The waiter came out to check on me and his expression was just as stunned as mine. A key was required to get to the elevator that accessed the VIP lounge and apparently Edward had not come in that way. the waiter left, insisting that he at least be allowed to bring Edward a glass of water and a plate, in case he wanted to share my food with me.

"How did you get up here?", I asked as soon as we were alone.

"I climbed up", he sheepishly admitted, ducking his head slightly.

"You _climbed _up?", I said incredulous.

"Bella, scaling walls is child's play", he held his hand up to stop me from interrupting, answering the obvious question I was about to ask before I could ask it, "I can move faster that human eyes can see, love, even when climbing. No one saw me!"

I just shook my head. The band arrived and Edward was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with them. The rest of our group arrived and were equally as excited to spend time with the band, though it only amounted to half an hour or so. Emmett could hardly keep his jaw from hitting the ground when he discovered that I had arranged this for them as well. Muse was one of their favorite bands and they were able to ask questions about specific songs, which the band seemed to love.

"Eddie, my new little sister rocks! You rule bringing this one into the family", he said as he picked me up and swung me around a time or two, much to Edward's dismay.

"Emmett! Careful with her, and she just ate! If you don't want to be wearing her dinner you shouldn't fling around a pregnant woman full of food!", Alice chided.

The concert was amazing, though Jasper seemed kind of uncomfortable and I guessed that it was being in this close a proximity to this many humans. It was one thing to be in school, separated by desks or to be in an amusement park where there was a breeze and the ability to move away from them. But here in the concert, we were all crowded together and the air was still and stuffy and they were all jumping and screaming. At least we were on the front row and that gave him some small amount of space he would otherwise not have had.

"I think we need to put our new little sister in charge of all family vacations and outings, she rules at this", Emmett exclaimed, "We all have our roles in this family and I think she has found hers, at least one of them!"

They all chimed in and agreed with Emmett, making me feel so welcome and wanted in their family.

"See, the entire family loves you, Bella, not just me", Edward whispered, though he knew as well as I did that everyone heard him.

Everyone disappeared to their own rooms when we arrived back at the hotel, anxious as we were to be alone with their mates.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

We were the last to come downstairs, Jasper having already requested the car be brought around and their luggage packed into the back. Bella and I had _one more timed_ ourselves into almost being late to checkout. I was pretty sure that neither of us cared, though we didn't like to keep people waiting on us.

Alice had foreseen us all riding home together and had the rental company pick up the Mercedes I had been driving and exchange it for a large SUV with dark tinted widows that would comfortably seat all of us. I had just put our luggage in back with the rest when a man who had been seated on the bench by the door approached me. I recognized him, of course, but had no time to stop him from what he intended. I hadn't told Bella about what I had done yet and I was about to be found out.

"Do you remember me?", the man asked.

"Of course, Mr. Banner", I said as I stuck out my hand to shake his.

"Am I correct to assume that your wife is '_Cinderella'_?", he asked.

Bella had joined me and she, too recognized him from the castle in the Magic Kingdom.

"What's this about '_Cinderella_'?", Bella asked, looking at me expectantly.

"She doesn't know, does she?", the man mused. He was far more observant and insightful than most humans I had met and as I listened to his thoughts I realized that he had quite an intelligent and peaceful mind for a human.

"I wouldn't have known either except with everything going on with my son and finances and such our lawyer is handling everything and he called me yesterday. He is a good friend to my family and he was handling everything as a favor to try and help us by relieving some of the stress. He said an anonymous person, referred to only as 'Cinderella', had paid all of my sons hospital bills along with all of my families other bills including the mortgage on our home. Paid in full. He also said there was an account set up to cover any future medical bills that my son might incur. Your wife was the only person that could be 'Cinderella', no one that we know could have done this for us."

Bella looked from me to the man and back to me as she came to stand by me and put her arm around my waist.

"By the time I got back to the castle, you were gone and I finally pleaded enough with the guard that he told me your luggage had been brought here and that the last name was Cullen. The hotel would give me no other information except to tell me that there was no answer in any room registered to the name Cullen, so I have just been waiting here, hoping to see you. I had to thank you, I had to tell you myself what this means to me, to my family . . .", Mr. Banner said with tears in his eyes, "I don't know what possessed you to do such a thing for my son, but I can never repay what this means to us."

"I was told that your son had been refused an operation that he needs because your insurance had met its limit, is that true?", Edward asked him.

"Yes, with a few more procedures, the doctors believe he can make a full recovery from the tumor and have a mostly normal life. Without the surgery his chances of survival would be slim. I borrowed every dime possible and sold almost everything to raise the money, but it was only enough for the first operation. The rest of the family has been under such a strain, my mother-in-law arranged this trip for us, knowing the kids needed some down time from all of the stress."

"Well, whatever the cost, my attorney has informed your hospital that all the expenses are covered, whatever your son needs now or in years to come", Edward told him.

"My husband and I are expecting our first child, a son", Bella explained, "Your son looks like what I imagine my husband to have looked like as a child, what I imagine our baby will look like. I was taken with him when I laid eyes on him that night at the castle, but I had no idea there was any problem. I only thought your daughter would enjoy the castle for her birthday party."

"I made some calls that night, love. When I found out about the boy, I knew you would want to help and after what you said about feeling like Cinderella during our night at the castle, I thought it was the perfect name for the endowment", I told her as I kissed her forehead.

"Anyway," Bella continued, "Good luck to you and your family. I hope our son looks as happy as yours did when I saw him."

"Thank you . . . I just don't know what else to say, you will never know how much what you have done means to me . . . to all of us", he told us with tears in his eyes as he reached to hug me, "Bless you 'Cinderella', you and your entire family."

The man stepped away and we climbed into our car, joining the rest of our family there. They had heard the exchange, of course, and they saw Bella's tears as she slid into the front seat and I shut my door for her, quickly getting in my door to start the car. Bella took my hand and mouthed 'thank you'.

"Is there no limit to your generosity, Edward?", my wife asked.

"The little boy grows up to be quite the inventor, helping people along the way, as does his family", Alice added. "You chose a really deserving family to help. I hope you used family funds and didn't just do this all by yourself, Edward. We like to do good deeds as well you know!", she said with a tone indicating that she knew he hadn't used any funds but his own.

"I'll change that as soon as we're home, Alice. I didn't want to speak for anyone else without asking", I told her.

"You should know us better than that by now, brother", Rosalie added, "That little boy was a doll, who wouldn't want to help him!"

God I loved my family. They never ceased to surprise and impress me, especially my wife. We headed home, about a ten hour drive at the speed limit but we would be there sooner. There were many things to consider at home with Bella's parents and Jacob coming as well as the expected problem with Victoria coming to a head. We would face whatever, knowing that our family would stand together, whatever came!


	37. Chapter 37  Images

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 37 **

**EPOV**

As we left Orlando and found our way to the expressway that would take us home, I listened to the voices of my family. They were discussing rides they had gotten on, garments that they had seen people wearing, the concert and they were even rehashing the bets that we had made, including our retrieval of the flags on top of Hogwarts and Cinderella's Castle.

A small part of my mind concentrated on driving the car as yet another portion relished the feeling of Bella's small warm hand in mine. A large portion, however was rehashing the events of the last year or so. My lie to her, leaving her . . . all the feelings of desolation and utter despair when I returned to look for her and she had left Forks. My joy and hell combined when I had smelled her under the pile of tangled metal that had been her motorcycle and my desperation to save her. The elation I felt when she agreed to marry me and the wholeness I experienced the first time we made love . . . our time alone, naked on Esme's island. I remembered the look on her face when she awoke for the first time in our bedroom in the new house I built for her . . . I remembered everything with perfect recall, perfect clarity as though it were a photograph.

Then there was yesterday morning.

The baby moved so that we could feel him. The baby. MY baby. My son Masen.

It was just short of unbelievable. It was unbearable, absolutely too much happiness for any one person to be able to withstand. I was consumed with love for this small being that I had never spoken to, never laid eyes on, never even smelled. It didn't matter if he was human or vampire, he owned me.

My heartbreak came when I considered that as much as he meant to me, as much as I longed to have a son, that it might not be possible. He might never be born . . . alive that is. I could not risk Bella, I _would_ not risk loosing her for anything or anyone . . . even my son.

"Sweet heart", Bella called to me, shaking me from my musings and back to the present. The signs indicated that we were not yet to Gainesville, Florida, so I couldn't have been lost in my thoughts for too long, less than an hour anyway.

"Yes love", I finally answered, shaking off all the thoughts that were at the forefront of my mind and relegating them to a smaller section of thought, further back from my present focus.

"Sweet heart, it was really kind of you to do that for that little boy and his family. Especially calling it the _Cinderella_ endowment", she told me.

"I rarely find a mind as wholesome as the boys father's was, love. Of all the minds I have to endure hearing, few are worth the listening. If the little boy is anything like his father he will be an amazing man and certainly deserves the chance to grow up."

"Well, I think you are an amazing man and I'm certainly glad you gave _us_ a chance."

She knew. How was it that she always knew when I was thinking back, reflecting on our time together and the decisions that I made that nearly broke us both.

"I love you. I'm glad you allowed me back into your life after I was such an ass to you, lying to you and leaving you like that. I will never stop trying to make that up to you, Bella, not if I live forever. I am still so sorry I did that to you . . . to us, " I told her, squeezing her hand lightly as I continued to hold it and feel her warmth.

"Edward. We agreed. No more about this. It's over, sweet heart. I have you here with me and you promised you would never leave me again. Done", she said with a resolve that even I didn't dispute.

"Yes ma'am", I said. And that was all I dared say.

I heard the dispute escalating from the back of the car and my attention turned to my siblings.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"No. I so did not!"

Emmett was turned almost backwards in the center seat to face Alice and Jasper while Rosalie snickered beside him. Jasper was leaning forward almost nose to nose with Emmett to make a point.

"Emmett, you so almost lost it and threw up that day!", Jasper added to the discussion, "I can feel what you feel, remember?"

"Whatever. That's not what I was feeling. It was just different, that was all. I'm used to warm blood in my mouth and the cold, well it just didn't sit well. It seemed just so wrong!", Emmett answered, seeming to shutter slightly at the memory.

I couldn't resist. I had to interrupt my siblings and get the full story, the pieces I was picking up in their minds were so intriguing, not to mention conflicting and Bella had not heard the story either.

"Okay guys. Bella and I haven't heard this story yet. What happened on the Amazon after you dropped us off at the airport?", I asked, knowing I was opening a can of worms.

"Well", Alice started, eager to share the specifics, "After we dropped you guys off we went on up the coast and went up the mouth of the Amazon. It was amazing."

"Esme went wild over the lush vegetation, I think she has plans for something tropical in our future she liked it so much", Rosalie added, "She just needs to find a way to have all those plants grow in more of a shady area, if that's even possible."

"Anyway", Alice said turning back from giving Rosalie a 'look' for interrupting her, "We went inland for quite aways, almost a day, and then we turned off on one of the smaller, less inhabited tributaries up river. We were well away from anyone, even the native tribes that have villages spotted here and there along the river."

"The jaguars were amazing, Edward. Much better than the mountain lions in the States", Jasper added enthusiastically.

"I had one there while I was in Brazil and it really was tasty, you're right, Jasper", I answered.

"ANYWAY", Alice said, insistent now that we stop interrupting her story with our side discussions, "We all went into the jungle taking to the trees mostly so that we could stay over the wet areas and Emmett finally spotted this snake, had to be about 15 feet long, hanging out in one of the trees."

"It was 20 feet long if it was a foot!", Emmett interrupted, clearly insulted by the image of a smaller snake.

"Whatever", she said dismissively, "It was a really big snake. Emmett jumped to the same limb while we all waited in a neighboring tree. The snake coiled on the limb, still kind of holding itself onto the tree by it's tail. Emmett, well, you know Emmett."

"Hell yea!", Emmett yelled.

"Well, Emmett taunted the snake, trying to get it to strike at him. And it did. We all watched as Emmett became kind of a corn dog, all wrapped up in bands of snake. Soon as it moved to bite him, he reached out and grabbed both sides of its mouth and held them closed, biting into the side of the thing. It uncoiled trying to get away but Emmett held onto it as it squirmed, finally having to rip its head off to stop it from moving", Alice continued.

"Damn thing wouldn't stop squeezing me! I felt like I got caught between Rose's legs and she was angry with me or very very happy with me, if you know what I mean!", Emmett said as Rosalie slapped him so that he would hush.

"ANYWAY! We all moved to another tree cause all we could see was Emmetts back. First thing we noticed when we had a front view was Emmett's face screwed up into the most horrible, wrenching face imaginable and he was frantically spitting, trying to clear the snake taste from his mouth! I would have given anything if one of us had a camera", Alice laughed.

I nearly lost it. I saw the scene in Alice's mind as clear as though I had been there and Emmett in a tree with that snake wrapped partly around him and the most disgusted look on his face possible was one of the funniest things I had seen in an age.

"That thing tasted horrible, like cold liquid soap with salt added! It was disgusting", Emmett said, making a face at the mere memory of the taste.

"That must have been really funny! Alice, I'm so getting you a camera so that things like that can go into a family album", Bella turned to them and said.

Alice continued, "Carlisle heard a tree full of monkeys nearby, just after Emmett dropped the snake and we headed off to hunt them".

"I usually don't notice one way or the other, the differences in animal tastes", Jasper allowed, "but those were tasty, even to me."

"I have to admit, if we're not going to have humans, some of the varieties of monkey are quite a nice substitute", Rosalie added, looking up from her magazine.

The ride home continued, stopping for gas once and letting Bella use the facilities and get a snack. She soon fell asleep as we approached Macon and the conversation turned to different hunts that we had gone on in Africa and in different jungles around the world. We really had seen and eaten some amazing things over the years. My family discussed future hunts they would like to take and places to visit as the afternoon slipped away. At the current rate, we would barely make it home in time for us to go to the hospital and have Carlisle use the ultrasound to look at our baby. Carlisle had wanted to do it on a weekend when the normal staff wasn't there for the routine exams and we could have more privacy. I had no idea how much the machine would be able to pick up and how much the vampire portion would affect the image. I didn't even want to think about the image of the baby itself, if it would be normal with two arms and two legs or if some mutation would have occurred.

We passed Atlanta and headed into the mountains of North Georgia. The cabin was virtually at the corner of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia and we were only an hour or so away at this point. I phoned Carlisle to make sure we were still on for the test this evening and he confirmed that he was there waiting on us. My brothers still argued in the back as Rosalie and Alice looked through magazines they had brought and Bella slept peacefully in the front seat with me, her hand still in mine.

My mind raced, so many things at once. One thing was for sure, my excitement, anxiety, fear, whatever it was grew with each passing mile. Every inch closer we got to the hospital, to seeing our baby, the stress increased. My emotions swelled and if I had a heart, it would have been racing.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

I knew he was anxious, so it didn't surprise me when the caller id on the phone indicated that Edward was calling. I expected them all back today and he had called this morning to make sure that the plan to do the ultrasound on Bella was still a go for this evening. It was all arranged. I had full run of the offices needed with no staff around to interfere . . . or to observe, just in case what we saw was unusual enough to arouse curiosity.

I turned on the machine for it to have plenty of time to warm up as I thought back to that phone call from Bella.

They had just arrived back from their trip out west and Edward was determined to take her to Isle Esme before going to Thanksgiving with her Mom in Florida. He was so overjoyed to have her in his life, elated in a way I had never before seen him. My son was whole finally, all because of this girl, the human that he would change and have join our family forever.

She was a delightful young woman really, full of life and quite intelligent. She completed him. Bella accepted us graciously and without reservation, knowing what we were and she alone had been able to convince Edward of something I had struggled with him about for almost a hundred years . . . the fact that he did have a soul.

The call came to me while Edward had been out hunting, she had not wanted him to hear the conversation, afraid we would all think she was crazy. A home pregnancy test she had taken had told her what she already suspected - that she was pregnant. I didn't know what to make of her tone, it wasn't that she was frightened, it was kind of a mixture of surprise and happiness. She sounded excited about the baby.

Edward had told her that he could not give her a child, he had mourned and lamented it actually. I had told him that vampires could not have children, that because we were frozen as our bodies were when we were changed, that children were not possible.

I should have checked.

I should have done a sperm count on his semen.

I should never have assumed.

Bella knew he would not suspect her of being unfaithful, in fact the topic had never even come up. I had not questioned it either. When she told me I immediately had her drive over under the pretense of bringing me a fresh lab coat saying that a nurse had spilled something on mine. She had all the correct symptoms and the blood test confirmed that she was in fact . . . pregnant. Going from her menstrual cycle, she should only have been about 4 weeks along yet from my measurements and the ultrasound I had done, she was at least 6 weeks pregnant.

She had taken it well, even when I told her some of the legends, the horror stories, the tales of the mother not surviving . . . ever. Since the moment she found out she was carrying his child, her concern had been for Edward. She knew his tendency to take on all responsibility for everything around him, especially things concerning her and she was well acquainted with his tendency to overreact.

"Do you want me to tell him with you, Bella", I had offered, hugging my new daughter to me and trying to comfort her, "You know he will be beside himself with worry."

"No, Carlisle. Don't tell him. Please. You're my doctor, not my father in law right now and I do not want you to tell anyone. Patient doctor privilege", she had insisted, looking up to me from her seat on the exam table.

"You're not going to tell him?", I almost gasped.

"No, no, no. Nothing like that, Carlisle. I just know how he tends to over react and I want to wait to tell him till we're alone. Alone on an island should give me time to reason with him", I mused.

"You plan to tell him then while you are on Isle Esme?", I asked.

"Yes, I want to surprise him. Carlisle, I want him to be happy about this and I want time for it to sink in. If you think there is any possibility that this baby can be born, that we can have a child together, then I want to try. He'll probably call you immediately, but at least he will have some time to think about it", she resolved.

I couldn't argue with her reasoning. She knew him better than anyone and she always seemed to be able to know just what he needed from her at any given time.

She looked at me with those pools of chocolate brown eyes and asked if I thought she could do this, if she and my son could have this child. I had to tell her the truth, that I didn't know. I told her that I thought it was possible, that she was perfectly alright for now and that it would be alright to take a few weeks and decide with Edward what they wanted to do . . . how they wanted to proceed. It was obvious that she wanted this baby, I only hoped that Edward could stick by his new resolve to share everything with her and not demand that I immediately take the child from her. I knew that he would know the dangers and panic.

I explained that the legends of women impregnated by the incubus always ended in the death of the mother, but that the births had occurred alone and in the jungle with no medical supervision. If we took the baby early, before she went into labor I thought she could deliver it safely . . . if the pregnancy got to the point that the infant could survive outside her body.

I wondered now what an ultrasound would show, how far along the child would be, assuming that it was a child they had created. Certainly it was a child, Alice had seen a child and I had learned better than to ever bet against Alice. I continued to wonder and surmise what indeed lay ahead as I prepared the equipment for their arrival.

~oooOooo~

"We're here. Bella, wake up love", I said into her ear as I gently lifted her out of the front seat of the car and hugged her to me.

"Hummm, what . . . where are we?", she mumbled quietly as she struggled to open her eyes and regain consciousness.

"You, my love, have been sleeping while we came up the mountain. Just as well, you might have gotten car sick. My driving might have been just a little faster than you like around the curves", I told her as I hugged her to me and nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck, "We are at the hospital in Highlands, Carlisle wants to do the ultrasound. Is that okay with you for us to go ahead and do it now, I really don't want to wait till next week to find the offices closed so that we can have privacy."

"Sure, of course . . . now is fine, sweet heart. I just have to wake up", she told me.

"We'll see you guys at home", I said as Emmett jumped into the SUV to take it and the others home, "Carlisle will bring us when we're through here."

I shut the car door and turned to walk into the hospital with my wife. I have to admit, I walked into that examination room like I was walking the plank on a pirate ship, terrified that we would see something out of the ordinary. Well, we knew we would see something out of the ordinary, quite out of the ordinary, but I was afraid we would see something horrific, something that said the child wasn't viable or that Bella would be ill advised to try and carry it till it could survive on it's own. I would make the decision if I had to, but I wanted to try, we had agreed.

Carlisle gestured to an exam room and we both entered, shutting the door behind us. She laid on the table and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them and the lacy panties down and her shirt up. It wasn't as though there was a large baby bump there for all to notice, nothing discernible unless you knew her, unless you knew that there should be a hollow between her hip bones . . . a dip there in her stomach which no longer existed. Her abdomen, now that I was looking at her in a clinical setting, did in fact protrude past her hip bones. For Bella, that amounted to a very distinct baby bump.

I placed one hand on where the baby would be and stroked her hair with the other, placing soft kisses from the very corner of her mouth down towards her ear, along her jaw line. She tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck as she loved to do and held my head to her. It was a good thing my father walked in when he did, as the hand on her abdomen was sliding up her stomach with a very soft destination in mind, under that rumpled t shirt she wore.

"Well, you two. Let's see what's going on in there with the baby", Carlisle said.

"Masen", Bella told him.

Carlisle looked up from the dials he was adjusting to stare at Bella. His mind was racing and his normal ability to keep his face clear of emotion faltered.

_Surely they haven't named him._

_It would kill her to lose it, but it would kill him to lose her._

_They shouldn't get so attached so soon._

_We don't even know if what they have created is viable._

_We haven't even decided clinically if they need to terminate the pregnancy._

_Edward would never go along with naming it, he isn't even sure of what it is._

"Carlisle. The baby's name is Masen", I told him as I stared into his shocked face, his normal doctor's facade cracking into a million pieces.

"Bella and I have talked about it and we have agreed, not only on the name, but that we will do everything in our power to have this baby, Dad. Everything short of risking her life above and beyond the normal risks of pregnancy, though we realize this is far from normal", I told him.

He could only stare, then he looked at the dials for a long moment, regaining his composure.

_You have truly come a long way, Edward. _

_I have never been more proud of you than I am at this moment._

_You two have obviously discussed this and are deciding things together._

"Alright then, lets see what we can tell", Carlisle said as he reached for the lubricate. "This is going to be a little cold", he said as he squirted it onto her belly. "Sorry about that", he said as she jumped and goosebumps appeared across her belly.

The screen hummed slightly as an image started to show among the fuzz and dots. Carlisle changed the angle and moved the wand from place to place, trying to get something but so far, all of Bellas organs showed quite distinctly, but the uterus appeared only as a large ball with nothing inside showing any image.

"Well, the bladder and ovaries along with the fallopian tubes are in good order, the intestines are fine, but let me just try for a moment to adjust the settings. Last time it wasn't necessary, the sac wasn't nearly as thick as it is now. I wouldn't normally use the extra intensity, but in this case I think getting an image is that important, is that agreeable?", he asked me.

I didn't want to answer without Bella's opinion and agreement, so I explained to her and asked,

"Bella, normally it isn't done because the lower the less risk to the infant, but the extra intensity may just get through the apparent vampire quality of the sac surrounding our baby. Okay, love?"

"Well, Carlisle is the doctor and you've been through medical school twice. If you say it's alright, then it's okay with me", she said as she squeezed my hand.

Carlisle picked up the wand again and pressed it to her abdomen. It worked. The image was by no means clear, but it was obviously the image of what appeared to all to be a human baby, a fetus at about four months gestation. Bella had only been pregnant two months, but the baby's heart was beating, his arms were moving, legs were visible and it was definitely a boy. It really was a little boy and it somehow looked like a tiny me . . .

The machinery used allowed us to examine everything, right down to the heart valves, looking for any abnormalities, any flaws. There were none. For all appearances, it was a healthy baby boy.

I couldn't believe it. A thousand thoughts passed my mind in the quarter second I had been staring at the image, but they all came back to the fact that this might just be possible. We might be able to have this baby . . . I might be a daddy . . .

"Carlisle, say something. Tell me what we're seeing. I know you two know, but let me in on this, please!", Bella urged us, somewhat upset by our lack of talking and explanation.

_Do you want to tell her?_

I bent to kiss my wife softly on the lips. "It means love, that neither of us can see anything at all to indicate that this is not a healthy baby boy", I told her. "He just seems to be developing a bit faster than a human male, so I don't think he's entirely human."

"Well how could he be with a vampire for a father, Edward. I wouldn't want him to be!", Bella said dismissively.

"Love, you never cease to amaze me. You really do love me regardless of what I am, don't you?", I asked.

"Edward, I love you _because _of everything you are and I certainly want our child to have traits from his dad, vampire and all. How do you think he will feel when he grows up if he was just human?", she chided.

"What he will be like as an adult will be very interesting to see. We have to document all of this, and I'd like to do these ultrasounds every two weeks at least, to make sure we know just how far along you are. We will have to time the cesarean section just right", Carlisle stated, already in planning mode.

"Well for now, let's go home and tell the family that they are probably really going to be Aunts, Uncles and of course, Esme will love to know that she may be a Grandmother!", Carlisle said as he turned all the equipment off, giving Bella a wipe for the goo on her stomach, "Looks like we may have an addition to the family in January or February at this rate!"

"Don't forget, Carlisle", Bella stared at my father as she added, "This makes you a Grandfather."

He look shocked. He knew, of course he knew . . . but he just hadn't allowed the ramifications of this baby to sink in. The word kept playing over and over in his mind . . . _Grandfather_ . . .

I snickered as I helped Bella off the table.

"Never thought you would have grandchildren, did you Dad?", I said with a smirk.

"Edward, in the 94 years that I have known you, you have never ceased to amaze me, and Bella is following along the same exact path, even as a human", Dad said, turning off the lights and heading towards his car.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

We headed towards our house, Carlisle pulling up to the front door for us to get out. He parked rather than just letting us out and it was in that moment that I noticed the lights on and movement in the house.

I saw Edward's eyes unfocused slightly as he obviously read something in Carlisle's mind before we headed up the stairs and into the house.

I had only to open the door to hear 'Surprise' coming from the rest of my family. They were all here, candles lit and balloons everywhere - baby blue balloons and a banner over the fireplace saying 'Congratulations'. My family was letting us know they were behind us, and excited with us at the coming of a baby.

The hugs were plentiful, and the cake was amazing. Edward even had a bite of frosting, well, he licked the frosting from my lips.

"Is this your doings, Esme?", I asked as she hugged me again.

"Yes, take it as a 'grandmother's privilege' to spoil her daughter. I have something to show you as well", she said as she led me to the kitchen counter.

She rolled out a set of drawings, three sets, really, showing different ideas for the design of the baby's room. All were amazing.

"Esme, I can't even think of this till after Christmas! I still have to do the other room upstairs before the middle of the week when Jake gets here and Dad is arriving Tuesday. There is so much to do . . .", I said, but she cut me off.

"Bella, here are some suggestions for the other room," she said rolling out drawings for it as well, "We knew you would need the other guest room what with your Mom and Phil in one, Charlie in the other and Jacob coming. Sue will be here after Christmas as well, right?"

"Yes, she is coming on the 26th for a few days, then she and Charlie are flying home together", I explained, "Mom and Phil are driving and should be here any day, though I don't know how long they are staying. Jake gets in Wednesday."

"Wow, we're being infiltrated by humans! Are we getting presents for them as well?", Jasper asked.

"You don't need to get them anything, Jaz", I said.

"Hell yea we're getting presents", Emmett allowed, "Charlie could always use more fishing gear, and there is winter fishing to deal with now."

"Bella, you didn't really think we would leave your parents off Santa's list, did you? Even your wer... I mean even Jacob is on the list!", Alice added.

"You can't fight it, love", Edward whispered to me, "But we can always go back to naked Isle Esme and avoid them!"

He was laughing, a full bellied laugh that sounded so carefree and so happy. I loved my new family and Edward was beyond anything my mind had ever dreamed up for me. He was amazing.

We flipped off the lights and covered the cake, our family having left only moments before. Edward pulled me to him and kissed me in a manner that made me dizzy, bending to put his arm under my knees and lift me, heading for the stairs.

Did I mention that I loved my new house and our bedroom. Our bedroom. The hear was on, the fire was softly crackling in the fireplace and my husband held me to him, placing me in the center of our bed and crawling up over me.

"I love you, Bella", he said as he allowed some of his weight to gently press me into the soft covers.

"I love you more . . . Daddy . . . "

And it was the last thing I said for many hours that night.


	38. Chapter 38  Tips

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: _ I added to the last chapter, sorry . . . I just wasn't happy with it. You may want to reread the last couple of pages!_**

**Chapter 38 Tips**

**BPOV**

I awoke to stare into the molten gold eyes of my husband. He was trying, I was certain, not to wake me. I had slept in, in fact . . . well. The rays of light coming in the window foretold only what the clock would confirm, I had slept till nearly 9am.

"Good morning love", he whispered softly into my ear with a velvety voice that could only be described as liquid sex.

I struggled to wake fully, his purring attempting to lull me back to sleep but his body's actions igniting a fire in me that I needed to address.

"Feels like a really good morning, sweet heart", I said. My leg hitched over his hip as we lay facing each other.

He gently traced kisses down my chest to take the nipple that was unoccupied by his hand into his mouth. I ran my nails up his back and grasped at the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him tighter to me and effectively forcing more of my breast into his mouth.

I came unglued. It took only moments before my body was being rocked in orgasm, all the while holding me tightly to him and giving me the most delicious kisses imaginable.

"Oh God . . . EDWARD!", I screamed at the top of my lungs, frantically gripping him to me as I writhed in pleasure, my husband nuzzling me softly and continuing to purr loudly.

He put a hand on each of my hips as he rolled me to my back, arching his back and letting out a roar that I'm sure scared anyone within miles of our home. It was completely wild and feral, unhinged. I knew his fingerprints would be on my hips in the form of small purple circles, but I didn't care. Edward like this was magnificent . . . and he was mine.

I held him close, his cheek against my throat and his arms around me as his length hardened within me again. His hips started gently moving, as they had been when I awoke. He propped himself up on his elbows, moving strands of hair from my face as he kissed me.

"A really good morning, love", he said as he continued to kiss the edge of my lips and lick his way down my neck.

"Mmmnnn", was all I could manage as my stomach growled.

"Breakfast time for the human?", he laughed.

"Please", I whispered. He was gone. Human speed was unnecessary in our home and I immediately heard the rustling of pots and pans in the kitchen. The covers had not yet settled to the bed from whee he had laid above me. I could not imagine that I would ever be that fast, even as a vampire.

I took a human moment in the bathroom, taking the time to shower before slipping on some lounge wear and joining Edward in the kitchen. He had already prepared coffee, orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and was just finishing up slicing some fruit in a cup for me.

"Baby, how can I eat all of this?", I asked him.

"Baby. Remember? And if he is anything like me, he will be hungry all the time. I remember vaguely that my mother was always astounded by the amount of food I consumed", he told me as he came to sit behind me at the counter, positioning his body around the stool where I was sitting so that he could press his chest to my back and have his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and I felt his cool breath against my neck.

"You're awfully sweet this morning, Edward", I told him as I reached up to cup his face with my hand and kiss him.

"I love you", he said and I could feel his smile, "Both of you". One of his hands had slipped inside the waistband of my sleep pants and he was tracing circles on my belly where he knew the baby to be.

"How's your breakfast, love?"

"Amazing, as always. Do we have any plans for today, other than getting the guest rooms ready?", I asked.

"Well, we need to call Charlie and tell him there will be a rental car waiting for him when he arrives. I didn't really want you to have to drive down and then back up the mountain, Alice saw you getting carsick."

It was times like this that I appreciated Alice's gift. I hated the feeling of nausea and throwing up was way down on my list of top ten fun things to do.

"I wanted to talk to you about your Mom and Phil. I have a trade to make in the market this morning, and I wondered if you thought I should include Phil in this one. It stands to increase by several hundred percent by later today or in the morning. Should I call it to him?"

"Sure, sweetie. He agreed to take the initial investment out and replenish their savings, right?"

"Yes he did and I thought I would ask him to put twice his investment back in savings, though you know we would never loose money for him!", Edward told me.

"I know you wouldn't, but who is to stop him from investing on his own. You can't keep giving him tips, just on the rare occasion."

"As you wish. Let me go call and make our trades as well, unless you want to make the buys", Edward offered.

"I do", I giggled and ran ahead of him towards our office.

"Yes, that's right. Purchase as much as your funds that are available in the account will allow. Yes, just offer $1.50 per share and wait for it to buy. Yes, Bella is purchasing it for us as soon as I'm off the phone. Yes. This one will need to be sold probably early this afternoon. That soon. No, I'll call you or Bella will call. Okay, keep your phone on. No, it's good that you were going to be home today anyway. Fine. Talk to you then, bye.", I said as I clicked my phone off and leaned over the computer Bella was typing into.

"How many shares, Edward?", I asked.

"Buy as many as you want. This one we will sell this afternoon so the funds will be cleared again by later in the week for another trade opportunity that's coming up. I need to trade for the family account as well but it will purchase several million shares. I want to make sure there are adequate funds in Mr. Banner's endowment account. Alice tells me there is another surgery coming up soon and the hospital wants to be paid in advance since there is no insurance.", he told me.

"Just in time", he said.

I heard the door as he said it. We closed the laptops just as Esme and Alice walked into the office, their arms full of catalogs and fabrics.

"Well, if you don't mind love, I'm going to go get my breakfast while you sort all this out with Mom", he gestured to all the papers now overflowing on our desks.

"Okay, but put a shirt on, you want to be attacking the wildlife, not them attacking you!", I yelled after him as he flew up the stairs. Calling after him loudly was not needed, of course, as he could have heard it every bit as clearly had I whispered.

"Good morning, Bella!", Esme cheerfully said.

"Nice to see you in one piece this morning, sister. After that roar we heard a little while ago, I was afraid he was having you for breakfast!", Alice smirked.

"He was", I muttered, forgetting that she could hear things that I only intended to say to myself.

Both she and Esme smiled and I laughed that they had heard me, my blush giving away my embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed", Esme pleaded, "I am thrilled for you and my son. I have waited an awfully long time for him to have a mate and to hear those noises coming from his room. Please don't let it bother you that we hear. He has listened and heard all of us for decades!"

"Thank you, Esme. You're right, of course. It just still takes some getting used to", I told her as she smiled and hugged me.

We looked at catalogs and on line and finally chose furniture from a manufacturer in town that could be delivered in the morning. The walls did not need painting, as the house was all but brand new and linens and window treatments were a snap with Esme and Alice around. We ordered Christmas decorations as well to be delivered in the morning, though I insisted that Edward and I would go and pick out our own tree. Family tradition and all. They finally gave in, unable to budge me on that point. We headed into town to buy wreaths and Christmas lights for the houses and I needed groceries for the house, though Esme had stocked my kitchen to prepare for my return.

When we returned with our purchases, Edward walked in with Jasper and Emmett, announcing that they had finished the lights on the house and yard that Esme had wanted and wanting to know what I wanted done with our house and yard. I showed Edward what lights I had bought, along with the box they had brought down the hill with them and he started on the house while the rest of us started lining the trees along the driveway. We could not, of course, ignore the gazebo by the lake and some of the trees down there as well.

Vampire speed came in incredibly handy for projects like this and the trees and lake took on a fairytale like appearance as the twinkling lights could even be seen in the filtered sunlight of a cloudy afternoon. I couldn't wait to see it at night! Edward had even outlined the roof of our house in soft, pale blue. I stood with my hands on my hips just watching as he effortlessly scrambled like spiderman up the walls and roof of our house. I just shook my head and went to sit on the porch grabbing a blanket off the back of one of the rocking chairs there, as it seemed to be getting colder as the day progressed.

Dinner was cooking in the kitchen, I had made Charlie's favorite pot roast for tomorrow night and I had steaks marinading for grilling with him when he got here tonight. The rest of the family was not joining us, obviously to avoid eating!

"Woops", I heard Edward's voice as his face appeared, hanging upside down from the roof and peering at me as I sat on the porch. He looked comical, just his head visible, upside down and his hair hanging wildly toward the ground. His antics didn't phase me.

"Are you finished yer?", I asked as I looked up at him.

He jumped easily to the porch and moved to sit beside me.

"I am", he smirked, "Unless there is anything else you want done with the lights outside, one of us needs to call Phil and tell him to sell. Alice just reminded me before she flitted home, that the highest value would be at about three in the afternoon, and it's almost that now."

"Okay. What does he stand to make, Edward?", I asked.

"Looks like a little more than a thousand percent for today, love. They should come out with somewhere between 22 and 24 thousand", he told me.

"My mom will be on the moon when she finds that out, you know that, right?", I said.

"Well, remember that Phil agrees to put the two thousand back in savings and I'm going to talk him into putting double that back just to be sure", Edward insisted.

We went in the house and Edward and I traded the family as well as our stocks and received our profits as we waited for Phil to make his trade. I could hear my Mom screeching in the background when she saw the profit and I was thrilled for them. Phil brought up the transfer back to savings and Edward walked him through the process. They now had about twenty thousand in the account to invest with and their savings had been replenished. Good.

I went in to make the final preparations for my Dad's arrival. I had flowers on the table as well as in the living room and his bathroom and fresh towels and soaps and shampoo. I tossed the salad and checked on the steaks, asking Edward to fire up the grill so that it would be ready when he arrived. I was so excited to see him, it had been almost three months since I had left him in Forks, and so much had happened since then! I even had a photo album I had done with pictures from our cross country trip home after our visit with him.

Edward heard him first, of course, his eyes leaving the book he had been reading as he sat in front of the garland draped fireplace.

We stood on the porch and waited as he pulled into the yard.

"Dad!", I yelled as I ran to hug him.

Charlie reached out an arm, clearly not used to this kind of a display from me, and seeming somewhat taken back by my enthusiasm.

"Hey kiddo", he said as he hugged me with one arm, the other still holding onto the car door.

"Edward", he said as he reached out to shake hands.

"Good to see you, Chief", Edward said to him as he stepped forward to greet him.

"Good to be here", he answered, then looking at me said. "You look good, Bells. I guess all that traveling agrees with you or was it the tropical air?"

"I think it's all of it, Dad. I loved the drive back, I took pictures to show you and I have the album waiting in the living room", I told him as we walked into the house with Edward following.

"Something smells good", he said.

"That's pot roast for tomorrow. Edward has the grill ready in back for us to have steaks tonight!"

"I'll just go put the steaks on", Edward said as he excused himself and went out back.

"Come look at the photos, Dad. I'm just so glad to see you!"

We went to sit on the sofa and look through the album, Charlie sitting beside me and placing his hat on the coffee table.

"Bells, what's the 'Congratulations' banner over the fireplace for?", he asked as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and put them on his face.

"Well, I wanted to wait and tell you with Edward, but I guess I can just tell you. Dad, we're having a baby!"

He didn't move. It kind of reminded me of how he looked in the hospital when Edward told him that he was taking me home with him. The only thing that changed in the next few moments was the color of his face and knuckles . . . one turning red and the other white. He didn;t say a word, but got up and went to his car, turning it around and heading back out our driveway towards the road.

Edward walked in to find me with the front door wide open, leaning against the frame. He smelled the tears. His arms were around me in moments.

"What's wrong, love", he asked.

"I told him we were having a baby . . . and he left. He didn't say anything, he just turned red, his hands clenched into fists and he took off the glasses he had put on to look at our photos and left", I sobbed.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. He's probably just shocked. Give him some time, that's all. He's only just driven up to Carlisle's", he told me.

"How do you know that?", I asked as I clung to him, tears streaming down my face and ruining his nice crisp button down shirt.

"I can hear the car, love. Vampire, remember?", he smirked as he tapped his ear. "Do you want me to cook your steak, or turn off the grill for now?", he asked.

"No, I want my dinner. We sort of skipped lunch and I'm starving!", I said as he wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs.

"That's my girl", he whispered into my ear as he hugged me, "You and me, that's what matters. You and me."

We walked back to the kitchen and I put away the plate for my Dad and the one for Edward. No need for him to punish himself and eat if he didn't need to make a show of it. I took a single steak from the container in the fridge and put it on a plate for Edward to take to the grill.

"Edward", I called to him after he went out the back door.

"Yes", I heard him answer.

"Could you cook mine rare tonight, please?', I asked.

I had my dinner at the coffee table as Edward and I laughed and talked about the photos I had out, my Dad temporarily forgotten. I had no intention of letting anything spoil our first Christmas together, our new home, or the fact that I as carrying Edward's son.

Edward seemed to be doing everything in his power to keep me from letting my father upset me, including holding his own temper. I knew him too well, though. I knew how furious he was, how he cold literally tear the man limb from limb for making me cry . . . and how he would restrain himself for my benefit. How had I ever been so lucky to have found this man and had him love me.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

I came home from the hospital to find Charlie sitting in my kitchen talking to Esme. I knew he was expected, of course, but I thought they were having family time at Edward's house and the rest of us were going to be able to happily escape the facade of having dinner with them.

"Charlie, hello", I said as I entered the room and gave Petal a kiss hello.

"Carlisle, could I speak to you for a minute", Charlie said as he glanced at the rest of my family in the kitchen, "In private."

Petal squeezed my hand as if to tell me to take it easy on him.

He had no idea, of course, that there was no such thing as privacy in my house. I humored him, gesturing to my office and shutting the door. I showed him to the chair at the desk as i took a seat behind my desk. "Charlie, what can I do for you?", I asked.

"You can tell me what the hell is going on, why that boy of yours has my daughter pregnant already when she is just recovering from that horrible accident!", he bellowed at me, his fists clenching and his blood pressure shooting up way above what wold be considered safe and normal for a human.

"Have you discussed this with Bella and Edward?", I asked him calmly, entwining my fingers together on the desk and trying to appear casual..

"No, I haven't discussed anything. I saw the baby blue banner congratulating them over the fireplace and Bella told me she was pregnant. I left. Damn it, Carlisle, I left before I could say a single word. She had been through so much, I just had to leave. I couldn't congratulate her and I couldn't hurt her by telling her what I was thinking, not like last time I was here. I promised myself I would not have anything like that happen again, so I just left till I cooled down and figured this out", Charlie told me as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, it's probably best that you left then, Charlie. Bella is extremely happy about this baby and Edward would have been enraged if you had said anything to hurt her feelings", I told him.

"What the hell are they thinking! They are only 19 for Christ's sake! Why would they risk this, tie themselves down when they can't possibly even be sure of each other yet. They have been back together what, six months?", he said jumping out of his chair and pacing back and forth.

"Charlie, he will never leave her. Edward will do anything to see that Bella is happy, haven't you seen that time and time again?"

"Yes, yes, I see that. But how do you know he will stay with her? He was head over heels the last time when he left, he could do it again. You weren't there, Carlisle. You didn't see what she went through. And now, with a baby, God it would be even worse. Why would they purposefully do this, why were they this careless, Carlisle?"

"Charlie, I'm going to tell you something about Edward that is, perhaps, not my place to tell. As his father, seeing that he is married to your daughter, I will share this one thing with you", I told him as I gestured for him to take his seat.

"Her being pregnant is my fault, Charlie."

"Your fault?", he said as he rose to his feet and glared at me, "What the hell does that mean, Carlisle?"

I looked at him for a long minute, just realizing what thoughts were passing through his mind.

"Charlie Swan! Don't be ridiculous. I don't mean that I had anything to do with her getting pregnant, just that it was on my advise that they didn't take any precautions against pregnancy", I said as I sat back down at my desk.

"What? Why would you have them act so irresponsibly?", he asked with a murderous glare on his face.

"I didn't. Charlie, I don't know if you are award of this, but Edward was a virgin as well as Bella when they married."

Charlie looked stunned. "You have got to be kidding me, are you sure?", he asked.

"Yes, completely sure. He had never been with anyone, so . . . knowing that there was no risk of any type of sexually transmitted diseases, I told them that condoms were unnecessary."

"But Carlisle, what about her getting pregnant? Some form of birth control, you're a doctor for God's sake!"

"Yes, I am a doctor, Charlie. Tests we had run on Edward years ago due to an . . . illness, had shown that he would never be able to have children, Charlie. He had struggled with knowing that he could not give her a family and in fact, it was part of the reason he left her to begin with last year. She knew this, of course, and she told him repeatedly that she didn't care, that she didn't want children . . . she only wanted him."

"Bella knew . . . and they were that serious before he left?", Charlie said, amazed.

"Yes."

I sat with my hands folded on my desk, letting him process the information.

"This baby is truly a miracle, Charlie."

"So, all this was a surprise to them as well . . . they never expected to be parents?", Charlie asked.

"No. We never did", Edward answered from the doorway, "But we have a little boy on the way and we could not be happier about it."

Edward shoved off the doorway that he had been leaning against and walked over to Charlie.

"Charlie, Bella is looking forward to spending time with you and you're right that the timing isn't perfect and that it would have been better to have waited for her body to have more time to recover, for us to be older . . . but the baby is here now. Now that you have some facts, you can understand why we are thrilled about this", Edward said to him in an even tone.

"Yes, I can understand", Charlie told him, "Edward, I left your house because I didn't want to say anything to Bella to upset her, I needed time to think. I want no occurrence like the last time I was here and I don't want to do anything to hurt her feelings or rain on her parade. She is obviously thrilled to be having this baby. I should have known you were responsible enough to have waited, if you had known."

"Congratulations, son", Charlie said as he held his hand out to Edward, "Is Bella at your house?"

"Yes, we finished dinner and she thinks I am outside cleaning the grill. I had a feeling you might be here and I wanted a word with you in private. I don't want her upset under any circumstances. She was crying when you left, but I had her smiling through dinner, looking at the albums she had out to show you. Her health is delicate . . . and upsetting her further is something I am not willing to risk. We would love to have you for the holidays, Bella really was looking forward to seeing you, but she is my wife and carrying our child. I WILL NOT have her upset", Edward said absolutely authoritatively.

"I appreciate that, Edward. If it's alright, I'd like to stay and spend Christmas with both of you. I had no idea of the circumstances and I'm sure glad I kept my mouth shut anyway", Charlie added.

"Well, I'm going home. It can only take just so long to clean a grill, after all", Edward said as he turned to leave. "Goodnight Dad . . . and I'm not mad that you told him", he said over his shoulder, though it was much too quietly for Charlie to hear.


	39. Chapter 39  Arrivals

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 39 Arrivals**

**Esme POV**

"Well the entire thing is just ridiculous. Why can't the man just be happy for his daughter? For all he knows she has married a rich, handsome young man that adores her. Why does he have to be so difficult?", I said to Carlisle as I tidied up the kitchen from having made Charlie dinner.

"Petal, he's only going on his experience", Carlisle said as he came to stand behind me at the sink and put his arms around me, "Remember, his wife left him when they were very young, just after she had Bella. He undoubtedly sees a baby at a young age as being a marriage breaker."

"Surely he sees the difference. Anyone could look at Edward and see how he feels about Bella, he wears his love on his sleeve, even still. Wouldn't a human notice that, honey?"

"You would think so. But maybe he felt that way about Renee. Maybe he recognizes the look on Edward's face from the look he had for her when they were first married. She left him anyway so it's no wonder he thinks that love may not be enough", Carlisle explained.

"The man just doesn't understand what Edward went through without her. He didn't see my son in that field with leaves all in his hair, sitting there for days on end not moving, not feeding."

"Now Petal, we didn't see what she went through. Apparently they tried to medicate her it got so bad and . . ."

"What!", I interrupted.

"The doctors prescribed sedation for her. She wouldn't eat, she couldn't sleep . . . she had nightmares and woke screaming every night. Petal, she ended up jumping off the cliffs out at La Push", Carlisle said quietly, "Though she said it was for 'fun', I highly doubt that was the real reason."

"Carlisle, we never should have agreed to leave with him. I know you wanted to support his decision and we left out of respect for that, but he was wrong. It was so wrong of us to leave her, she is our daughter and she was even back then", I said as I almost sobbed against my husband's chest.

It was times like this that I missed the ability to tear, to just be able to cry it out when I had the need. Charlie had come to the door this evening looking for Carlisle and I had offered him coffee. We were all happy to see him, knowing that he was expected and that Bella was looking forward to his visit. I thought he was just stopping by on his way to their house or perhaps thinking Bella might be here, until I heard the anger in his voice and realized how tense and upset he was. I insisted on making him dinner since Carlisle wasn't due home for another half hour or so and Charlie finally accepted.

Carlisle taking him into the study to talk did not stop us from hearing every word, of course, though it made Charlie feel like they had some privacy. I heard Edward enter the front door and wondered how well that was going to go over, but his behavior was absolutely stellar. He waited at the door, listening to what Charlie had to say until there was an opening, then calmly used that opening to explain that though Charlie was welcome, upsetting Bella was off the table completely. Edward was extremely firm, overly so for a normal 19 year old talking to a grown man that was his father in law, but Edward was hardly a normal young man.

After Edward left, I walked into the study and stood beside Carlisle, taking his hand when he reached for mine.

"Charlie, you are welcome to stay here tonight if you want to wait till morning to go back to their house", I offered.

"Well that's real nice of you, Esme, but I think I better go apologise to my daughter. Your Edward's right though, she doesn't need to be getting upset", Charlie admitted sheepishly.

"In any case, the offer stands. We do have an extra guest room now that Edward and Bella have their own house", I said to him as he turned and headed toward the front door.

"I think I better just get there with my hat in my hand, so to speak", he continued.

Charlie paused at the door, seemingly unsure of something, then choosing to share the thought.

"You did real good with that boy of yours, Esme. He is really a fine young man, really fine. I guess I never said that about him before, but it's true."

"We appreciate your seeing that, Charlie. We are very proud of the way he has handled himself since he found Bella again and she is a lovely girl. We are thrilled to have her as part of our family", Carlisle replied as we stood in the doorway with his arm around my shoulder.

"Well, goodnight then", Charlie said as he left and got in his car.

"That could have gone worse", Carlisle said, relieved.

"Yes, it certainly could have. Thank you for settling him down before Edward got here", I said as I kissed him, "I could probably come up with a way of showing you how happy I am that you handled that so well."

"Ouuuu . . . yuck, take that upstairs. Mom, acting like that is just, wrong!", chided Emmett from the living room.

"Hush son, I listen to your lovemaking ALL the time, leave me be!", I laughed at his teasing, but headed upstairs with my arm around my husband all the same.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

That was the last dish, everything in the dishwasher and all the food tucked into the fridge. I wondered what was taking Edward so long to clean the grill, he was usually done before I could even walk out there but tonight he had been gone for half an hour or so. Huh.

"Edward", I called from the kitchen.

"Yes, love", he said as he came through the patio door.

"Just wondered where you were. You never take that long."

"I was just thinking, love. The grill is cleaned and everything put away. Are you ready for bed?", he asked as his arms went around me and soft kisses peppered my face and neck.

"Ummmm, I could be ready for that anytime if it involves you", I told him as I found his lips with mine.

We kissed for quite a long time, just standing in the kitchen with our arms around each other. I could kiss Edward for years and never tire of the taste of him, the scent of ocean and air and lust coming from his skin and filling my senses as my body started to long for something else to be filled as I wrapped myself around him.

"Unhumm"

I looked toward where the sound had come from in the living room to see my father standing there, his suitcase in hand. He had walked in on a quite passionate kiss and he was appropriately embarrassed.

I didn't release my hold on Edward and he kept his arms around me, his twinkling eyes giving away the fact that he knew my father was standing there way before we stopped kissing. Of course he knew, smug vampire. It was amazing how truly unobservant I was when otherwise occupied, I mused.

"Dad", I said.

"Um, Bells I ah . . . well, I'm sorry I ran out like that. I didn't mean to spoil dinner", he said, "And you know how I love a good steak."

He was trying to be funny. My Dad was actually trying to lighten the moment. I had never seen this with him and I didn't understand.

"They were really good, Charlie", Edward added mischievously.

"Well, thing is Bells, I just needed a minute. I'm a little young to be a grandfather and anyway . . . well, I just needed a minute. Sorry if I upset you leaving like that. Can I still stay for the holidays?", he asked.

I ran to him and threw my arms around him, tears running down my face, "Of course you can. I'm so glad to see you, Dad!"

I saw a glance pass between he and Edward and I had to try and remember to ask Edward about it later, but all that mattered right now was that my Dad had decided to come back and I got to spend some time with him.

Edward lifted my Dad's suitcase in one hand to take it to the guest room.

Rather than following right away, Dad took my arms from his neck and held them out to the sides of my body in an exaggerated manner while he looked me over, starring at my stomach.

"You look really good, Bells. So how pregnant are you, cause it doesn't really show yet", he asked.

"About four months, Dad. We should have a baby by spring and we are so excited about him!", I bubbled.

"Him?", Charlie said looking at me inquisitively.

"Yes, Masen. His name is Masen, and Carlisle confirmed that it is a boy!", I told my day.

Edward asked Charlie if he needed anything before going to bed, then walked around the downstairs turning out the lights before following us up the stairs. I took my Dad to the same cream and blue room that he had used the last time and hugged him good night.

Edward was waiting for me when I got to our room, lying on our bed with his hands behind his head with a pair of flannel sleep pants on . . . and nothing else. I would just never get used to the sight of Edward undressed. He was just . . . perfect. His abs, his shoulders . . . his everything.

"Are you coming to bed, love?", he asked, rolling to his side and patting the spot next to him.

I decided to make it fun. I slowly unbuttoned my jeans and shimmied them down my legs. I took the sweater off and proceeded to unbutton my shirt as I walked toward him across the bed on my knees. It was working, his unnecessary breaths were increasing and his eyes were wide in anticipation. I dropped the shirt, revealing that I had on no bra just as I got to him and his hand wrapped around my backside. The wince that his expression morphed into, however, I was not expecting.

"Bella . . .", he barely whispered as his fingers traced the bruises he had left from this morning. They were small and insignificant, just fingerprints, really, but to him they were a reminder that he hadn't been careful enough. . . that he had held me too tight. It reminded him that he was dangerous to me.

I continued toward him, rolling him to his back and straddling him over his soft pants. He lay beneath me, his hands on my hips tracing the patterns of small purple dots that his hands had left, fitting his fingers to them. His skin was cooler than normal, having been exposed to the cold outside while he was on the back patio and it felt like a balm to the bruises, though I hadn't paid any attention to them before. I ran my hands back and forth across the planes of his chest, just staring into his eyes, willing him to understand that I needed him in this moment. His expression softened as I bent to kiss his soft lips and down his jaw to his throat. He held me to him, understanding creeping into his features.

"I need you sweet heart", I told him as my hand slipped beneath the waistband of his sleep pants.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I watched as my wife diligently put away all of our clothing from the island trip as well as our time in Florida. I just lay here, covers around my waist, propped up on my elbow in our bed staring at her. I never tired of looking at the amazing creature I was married to.

Breakfast this morning had gone well, she was up before the sun to make coffee and breakfast for her father. I had listened intently but I had not joined them. My absence allowed me to keep from having to eat human food as well as to hold my tongue around him and I was certain from his thoughts that he was relieved as well. Though I had kept things civil last night and Charlie had congratulated me on our child, I was still angry that he had left and made her cry in the first place. His ruse about having a hard time accepting being a grandfather had helped, although I knew that Bella saw right through him. At least he had made the effort.

She had come to bed needy last night, wanting to feel the bond that we shared at its most intense. She knew I loved her, that I lived her . . . but she needed me close. We made love every night, of course, as we had since we had first moved to our house, but when I saw the bruises I had left on her hips, I wanted nothing more than to hold her and abstain from having sex until she was more durable, after she had our child, but she needed to feel me close to her and I could deny her nothing. I knew I could make love to my wife without hurting her if it was her need, and it was my need as well. I just had to pay more attention, to stay more focused on her and what her body was telling me. I could read her like a book and she was right . . . they were only fingertip bruises and of no consequence. Her skin did bruise easily and she was often bumping into things and causing bruises far worse than I had made on her skin. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, crossing back and forth from the opened suitcases to the closet and drawers in our room.

We had spent the morning in bed after Charlie left early with Emmett and Jasper to go fishing for the day and I was sure she lost track of how many times we made love.

"Would you like me to make lunch for you, love?", I asked.

She looked at me with those chocolate eyes burning bright and flirted, "Are you offering yourself as an appetizer, or the main course?"

"Bella! You want more of this?", I said as I made the obvious gesture of lowering my hand under the covers.

"Morning all!", my sister Alice called out as she entered our bedroom unannounced.

"Hi Alice!", Bella cheerfully said, "Did you come to see if I was putting away my wardrobe properly?"

"Well, you could always use help with that, but no. I came to bring lunch that Esme made for you and to tell you that the furniture should be here shortly and Rose and Esme are coming over", she said as she flitted into the room, turning her attention to me, "I thought lover boy there might want to get dressed."

"If you would leave the room for a minute, Alice, I might", I told her, trying to sound exasperated but in reality I was amused by her this morning.

"Really Edward, it's as if you think you have something that Jasper doesn't and remember", she said tapping her temple, "I see everything anyway."

_Yes, that's right brother, I just said that to bug you!_

_Get your horny butt out of that bed and help with the furniture._

_Phil and Renee will arrive this afternoon, but Jacob is almost here._

I read her mind and was thankful that she at least kept the ruder thoughts to herself.

_Oh, and well done with Charlie last night. I saw that going several ways!_

I threw off my covers, causing her to finally turn and shut the bedroom door with her, thankfully, on the other side of it.

"You two are too cute", Bella said as I wrapped my arms around her.

"What, you mean the annoying little pixie?", I asked.

"Sweetheart", she said as she pulled me closer to her, "You had better cover up unless you want me to have an appetizer before lunch while your Mom and sisters are in the house."

I could not help the moan that escaped my lips as my head reflexively moved backwards and my eyes attempted to close. It was the wrong move on my part, or the right one . . . depending on how you looked at it. Faster than I thought it possible for her to move, she dropped to her knees and took me into her mouth.

"No . . . Bella . . . so good . . . we can't . . . don't stop . . . oh shit, Bella . . "

She did whatever it was with her tongue and I was lost, her hand gripping the base of my length as her other hand softly stroked my inner thigh. She knew _exactly_ how to make me come on a dime. I barely had time to remember to make fists rather than grab the dresser next to me that I was now leaning against. Having company in the house, she released me from her mouth and covered my lips with hers, her hand continuing to stroke me and her mouth dulling if not absorbing my moans. I hugged her to me, leaning against the dresser for support, my legs trembling with my release.

"Bella. How the hell do you do that to me", I whispered into her hair as I regained control of my voice.

"It's just what happens when my Adonis of a husband puts his delicious body too close to me when I'm hungry", she said as she kissed my lips softly.

I showered and found Bella just finishing lunch with the rest of the ladies in my family in the kitchen just as Jacob arrived. I heard the bike for several miles, winding up the driveway to our houses but I had no idea it was him.

"Jacob!", Bella yelled as she all but flew out the door to hug him. He grabbed her, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around as he hugged her and said hello.

"Jacob", I said as I extended my hand to him, "Glad you could make it."

"Jake, aren't you freezing to death riding that in this weather?", Bella asked as she eyed the Harley he rode in on.

"No way, Chika, I don't get cold", he said as he took off his glove and touched his hand to her cheek.

"Wow, toasty warm! Nice. I would freeze to death trying to ride in the winter", Bella added.

"Good looking bike you have there. You're welcome to park in in the garage with Bella's while you're here, Jacob. It's just around back and the door is open", I told him.

He unstrapped his luggage bag from the rear seat and headed to the porch to say hello to Rosalie, Alice and Esme.

"Jacob, nice to see you again", Esme greeted him warmly, as did Alice.

Rose bumped fists with him and wanted to know how the racing was going and what he had been up to. They chatted about engines and some new design that they were both interested in as they walked into the house.

"Nice house guys, this is all for you and Edward?", Jacob asked her.

"Yes, Edward built it for us", Bella told him, bragging on me to him.

"Hey, you mean Edward, Emmett, Jasper and an entire crew working for a month built it for you, don't you?", Emmett asked as he walked in and reached his hand out to shake hands with Jacob.

"Hey Emmett, Jasper", Jacob greeted them.

"Charlie, how are you?", he asked as soon as he saw the Chief walk in and put down his fishing gear.

The door bell rang about that time, it was the furniture delivery Bella had been expecting.

"That's for you, Jake", Bella said laughingly as she went to answer the door.

"What? What are you talking about?", Jacob said with a truly puzzled expression on his face.

Bella answered the door and we all headed out to move the things she and my Mom had ordered into the house as Esme never trusted movers not to damage things when they brought them in. It was only a bed, dresser, night stand and a wardrobe and we had it set up as directed in the room in minutes, the girls bringing in the rest of the order amounting to linens and pillows and comforters, as they had hung the drapes already the day before.

"So, all this is for me?', Jacob asked, "Looks like I'm moving in. I knew you missed our apartment and living with me, Chica".

I stiffened. Jake said it playfully, as a joke, but his mind told me his true feelings for my wife and I hugged her to me reflexively doing my very best to stifle the growl that was building in my chest. He was her very best friend and I owed him for saving her life, pulling her out of the surf at La Push, in addition to taking care of her all the other months. I had to keep remembering that. It was Jacob that convinced Charlie to let me in to her when she woke up in the hospital and it was Jacob that had come to the hotel across the street to get me for her when she asked him to. He cared for her, loved her even . . . and she loved him.

Bella had redone this third guestroom in greens and browns. She had no idea just how appropriate the woodsy colors were for Jacob. Of course, he didn't know either, or didn't believe. The legends of his tribe were just that, legends to him. I had met his grandfather, Ephraim Black back 70 something years ago when Carlisle first ironed out the treaty between them and us. Jacob had not phased yet, but we all thought it was just a matter of time being that it was in his blood line and he was to be the next Chief of his tribe. Bella knew the legends as well as the rest of us, but she had not realized yet that Jacob would probably be able to shift his shape into that of a wolf. I don't think it had dawned on her yet. Of course he could ride the bike in the winter, werewolves didn't get cold. Carlisle had thought the werewolves had disappeared, extinct if you will, till he had found out that Sam Uley had phased and he had met with them when we first went back to Forks to look for Bella.

"Anybody home?", I heard Phil call from the front door as Renee bounded up the stairs, having spotted Bella.

"Mom!", Bella squealed as she hugged her at the top of the stairs.

"Renee", Charlie said as she nodded to him.

"Let me look at you", Renee said to Bella, staring at her stomach as though she would be able to see the baby, "You are absolutely glowing. Edward, you're doing something right with my girl, she looks completely happy."

"Thank you, Renee, I try to keep her out of trouble", I said as I nodded to Phil who was still downstairs holding his suitcase.

"Phil, be a dear and bring those on up, will you?', Renee asked, "Are we in the same room as last time, Bella?"

"Yes, Mom, just down the hall, same as last time. Charlie has the blue room and Jacob will be in the one we just furnished."

"Won't you be needing that room for the nursery?", her mother asked her.

"Nursery?", Jacob looked dazed, "Nursery, Bella?" "Is there something you haven't told me?", he asked looking expectant.

"Yep, Dad just found out last night when he got here. I had to tell Edward first and I wanted to do that on the island in Brazil while we were vacationing. Since we just got back, I'm just now telling everyone else", Bella explained, ducking into our room to retrieve my button that she had given me.

She pinned it onto the pocket of my shirt and patted it, kissing me softly as everyone stared at my "I'm going to be a Daddy", button. "This is how I told him", she said pointing to the button she had pinned on me.

If I could have blushed, now would have been the time. Somehow in that moment, with the eyes of her parents staring at me, it was less about having a baby and more about the act that got us the baby. I wasn't used to things this personal being on display for all to see.

I couldn't help but draw her into a two armed hug and I never wanted to let her go. The minds around me were flying through so many thoughts, but by far the loudest was coming from Jacob. It was a combination of happiness for Bella and jealously over it being my baby and not his that she was carrying.

If I thought about it, rather than just being outraged at his thoughts, it was completely understandable that he felt that way. How could I possible fault him for being in love with her. After all, he had been there to pick up the pieces when I had left her broken.

Everyone laughed at my button, congratulated us both again and headed downstairs at Bella's urging, letting them know that she had to get dinner on the table for us all.

Everyone settled into the living room to chat as Bella and her Mom prepared a salad to go with the pot roast Bella had cooked yesterday and in no time there was a buffet spread on our kitchen counter for all to help themselves. My wife was full of inventive ways to disguise the fact that her new family did not eat, at least not in the house. Plates were filled in a casual manner and folks wandered with plates in their hands while talking and no one noticed who ate and who didn't. Ingenious. Of course, Jacob ate enough for most of us combined and the food all but disappeared.

I stepped out onto the porch to join my Dad. Carlisle was leaning on the front railing looking out at the twinkling lights on the gazebo and their reflection on the lake.

"Amazing, isn't it son", he said as I approached to stand beside him, his eyes twinkling.

_Seven vampires, three humans, a werewolf and a pregnant human married to a vampire . . . all under the same roof enjoying each other's company. Supposedly having dinner together!  
_

I couldn't help but snicker at the thoughts going through his head. He was right, who would have ever thought this possible.


	40. Chapter 40  Trees

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 40 Trees**

**Victoria POV**

"Yes, he turned off a few miles ago. Their house. Good. At the hospital then? Well, I suppose he works there like he did at the hospital in Forks. I smell it too, their scent is all over town. Yes. No, I'm going to watch a little longer then we'll go and find someone for dinner. No, I'm in town. I can see the valley from here, about 4 miles to their house. Clear view. Yes. Meet me at the damn on Mirror Lake and we'll see if anyone is out camping in this weather. Okay, I love you too. Bye Riley."

So, Highlands, North Carolina, I thought as I got comfortable in the top of the old oak by the cliff. Well, it's almost across the continent completely from from Forks and every bit as rural. Good choice, I suppose, though it's too far South for me, too much of a chance of sunshine to be out in the open all the time.

**Alice POV**

"It's just perfect", Bella told Esme and I, "I love the garland over the fireplace and everything you've done to make our house bright and totally decorated to the max for Christmas!"

"Well, it would look much better if there was a TREE to put presents under!", I chided Bella.

Honestly, she had kept only that one task for herself and Edward to do and there was still no tree! I understood the sentiment of course, picking their first Christmas tree out together and decorating it but please, the overall look of the room was just so wrong without the tree done yet!

"What's that about a tree?", Edward said as he walked into the room.

"Alice was just fussing because I insisted that you and I pick out our own tree, that's all", Bella answered.

"Well, no time like the present", he said as he walked over and put his arms in what seemed to be their permanent home around Bella. "I'll borrow the jeep from Emmett so that we can throw the tree on top to get it home," Edward suggested.

Bella gave him a look, it was just the cutest thing. My brother was so clueless sometimes.

"Unless you want me to carry it back from town".

"What?", he said, realization of the teasing he was about to receive from his wife for how enamored he was with his cars dawning on him. "You wouldn't REALLY expect me to tie a tree to the top of the Volvo would you, much less the R8?", Edward feigned horror replying to her unspoken words. "You're right though, love. I should buy us a truck for when just such things as this come up!"

My brother couldn't read her mind, but he knew her well enough to have the sense to duck out the front door as she started after him, obviously intending to pour the water in the glass she was holding all over him.

She turned to face the smiles and laughter from all those in the room and milling around the kitchen, still nibbling on leftovers from breakfast and having more coffee. Her father was outright laughing from the display he had just witnessed.

"Honestly, him and his cars. Two of us yet we have three cars. Next thing you know, he'll be wanting to add on to the garage!", Bella declared as she closed the front door after him.

"Great idea", I heard him say as he took off up the hill to borrow the jeep, though I doubt Bella could have heard him.

I decided that Jacob, Charlie, Renee and Phil could use a tour of Highlands as well as a last minute shopping opportunity while Bella and Edward went for their tree, so I urged them all to get their coats and let's get moving! Next thing you know, they would all be wanting lunch. Damn. That just dawned on me. Maybe Esme would come along and we would just treat them to lunch in town., Honestly, our way of just feeding once a week was far more convenient

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"What about this one, love?", I said as I pointed out a nice Douglas Fir about 8 feet tall.

"That one's pretty, but let's look around some", she said taking my hand and all but pulling me along to the next row of trees.

"This one is pretty", she said, smiling and looking to me for an opinion.

"It's bare in the back. Where are we putting the tree, anyway? If it's against a wall, it won't matter that one side is bare", I suggested.

"Edward, it has to be perfect no matter where we put it!", Bella exclaimed, smiling and almost running down the next and the next row of trees.

She was so adorable. I loved her more with each new experience we shared together and picking out a Christmas tree was no exception. We both disliked the long needled evergreens, preferring either the Douglas or Frasier Fir or even Spruce. All the trees seemed either tall and thin or short and full. Bella wanted tall _and_ full, and that was the source of the delay in picking one. We walked around in the cold for an hour or so, looking at the different trees and sneaking kisses among them. I could stay out in the weather indefinitely as it had no effect on me, the same was not true, however, for Bella and I soon noticed her cheeks were quite red and she was shivering.

"Baby, we need to just pick one", I said nuzzling her face with mine, knowing I was going to have my work cut out for me getting her to choose. "It's all in the decorating, anyway and we need to have some time left to go and buy lights and ornaments", I added as a way of getting her to think of all the other things we needed to do as well as pick a tree.

"Well, she said as we stood at the front of the lot, "Let's just get that one then, if that's okay with you."

Done. It was the very first tree I had suggested when we arrived an hour and a half ago. I Thought it, but I was uncertain if she realized it or not and I was not about to jeopardize our chances of leaving soon by telling her that.

I put the tree on the roof, not needing any assistance from the guys at the lot, and tied it down for the drive back down the mountain. Bella got in the jeep and I made sure the heat was on high to try and warm her, she was still shaking and holding her close to me would do nothing but make her colder.

The Christmas Store was just down the street, off Main Street in downtown Highlands. It was a store totally dedicated to everything needed to decorate for Christmas and was stocked year round with twinkling lights, trains moving along tracks set up around the ceiling of the store, and several dozen trees decorated with ornaments that were for purchase. From all appearances looking in the windows, Santa's elves had outdone themselves cramming all things Christmas into the shop and decorating it to perfection. It dripped yuletide cheer, garland, lights and red. Lots of red, from the velvet and satin ribbons and bows threaded through the greenery, to the shining balls on the trees and the color of the peppermint twists that hung everywhere.

I grabbed a basket and we chose white lights for our tree, both liking the look of the ornaments to have the color on the tree, not the lights. Ten strands should do it and a tree stand, now the ornaments. Bella had extremely eclectic tastes going from those ornaments that had biblical significance to cartoon characters, shiny and modern looking stainless steel to the old antique glass ornaments with pictures hand painted on them. The tree would be amazing and I realized at that moment that I would buy a special ornament for each year we were together, something that represented the year for us or some place we had traveled. This year I spotted an amazingly intricate carving of a palm tree on a beach and I thought it perfect, as I would never forget her telling me we were having a child and we had been on a palm tree laden island at the time.

"Edward, I know you don't like me to say anything, but some of these ornaments are really expensive in this little shop. It's a specialty store, after all, and they can be quite pricey", Bella whispered.

"True, love. But this is a resort town and there isn't any other store for miles around where we can buy ornaments. I like these anyway, don't you?", I asked her.

She gave me the cutest, shyest smile. I knew what that meant. She loved them but she was unaccustomed to spending what these would cost.

"Bella, do you remember the stock sale yesterday and the one last week?", I whispered into her ear. "You can spend as much as you want, it doesn't matter. You can have anything you want, love", I quietly reassured her.

She frowned and still looked like she couldn't make up her mind.

"You remember the stock in Ford that you sold, think of it as using that. You can invest and make more anytime you choose, love. Buy what you want, please? This is for us, for our home and our very first Christmas. I want you to have anything and everything you want", I said, kissing her lips.

"Edward, I have everything I want", she said giving me a squeeze, "I have you."

"That you do, love. Forever", I whispered into her lips as I kissed her again.

The smile that covered her face was the best present I could have gotten this year, second to her having our child. We decided that the tree needed at least a couple hundred ornaments to look full and I grabbed another basket to fill as we continued to shop.

"Bella!", her Mom's voice rang out across the store.

"Mom, you guys are in town to shop?", she asked as Renee and Phil walked over to us.

"Yes, we all came in to do some last minute shopping. I see you two are getting things to trim your tree, they have some gorgeous things here", Renee told her.

"They do", she replied as we all walked around the displays, Bella and I placing various ornaments into our basket.

"So where are the rest of the group, Mom", Bella asked.

"Esme and Alice are in that store with all the antiques and furnishings from asia, apparently ordering fabric of some sort and we left Jacob and your father in the Highland Hiker", Renee answered. "Highland Hiker?", Bella looked at her confused, "When did Dad ever like hiking?"

Renee looked at her daughter as though the answer were obvious and replied, "They sell fishing supplies as well."

"Oh", Bella said as she drew the word out and laughed.

Her mom picked out a couple of things, one that she wanted to buy for Bella, and we headed to check out of the store. The sales people had wrapped and bagged our other ornaments and there were several large handled bags waiting behind the counter as they added the contents of our current basket to them. Renee's eyes widened when she saw all the bags the sales associate scooted towards me.

_Don't say anything, don't say anything._

_Bella just spent more on ornaments than we make in a month._

_God, he doesn't even care if she spends money!_

_That boy is so good to her, their baby will never want for anything._

I couldn't help but chuckle at the thoughts going through Renee's headed and I leaned to nuzzled my face into the top of Bella's head to hide my amusement as we waited for the receipt. Bella didn't even flinch as she signed the receipt for her credit card.

"How about some hot chocolate?", I asked as we exited the store. "There is a little place on the corner, just there", I said as I gestured across the street, "I'll meet you there as soon as I put these packages in the car."

Bella and her Mom and Phil headed off to the coffee shop. I had a quick stop to make at the jewelers and I thought I might just have the time to get away with going there unnoticed if I did it quickly, well, human speed that is.

"Um, this is good", Bella commented to her Mom.

"You look really good, baby", Renee told Bella as they sipped their drinks.

I was listening, of course, before I ever entered the store. Renee was truly happy for her daughter and seemed to like me as well, though there was something about me that was unsettling to her. She hadn't figured out quite what that was, and I hoped to keep her from dwelling on it too much during our visit. Renee worried that we were biting off too much, but she accepted our decisions and treated Bella as more of an adult than her father ever had. It was funny to me that even in her mind she thought of Bella as her middle aged daughter, and I guess in some ways she was.

"Ready to go", I asked as I came to their table.

"Don't you want some hot chocolate, Edward? It's cold outside!", Renee asked.

"I'm good, and I can steal some sips of Bella's, anyway", I told her as I smiled slyly at my wife.

Bella and I left, excusing ourselves to get home and get the lights on our tree so that we could all place ornaments on it after dinner. She wanted decorating the tree to be something of a family affair and I had no objection. I would get it set up and the lights on it, help Bella with dinner, then we could all decorate this evening. I could even make a fire to have an even cozier evening for her. Anything she wanted. Anything.

As we passed the Christmas Store, we both stopped, seeming to realize at the same time that we had forgotten something. "We need hooks for the ornaments", I said. "And we need an angel for the top, or a star!", Bella added. Back into the store we went.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

I was sitting in their recliner watching a game when Edward came through the door with a hell of a big tree, not even asking for help with it.

"Whoa there, son. Let me get a hand on it", I said, jumping up from the chair and rushing to the door.

"Thanks, Charlie", he said as we sat the tree in the window by the fireplace. The furniture had been moved to create an empty spot and I guessed this is what it had been for.

The boy secured the tree in the stand and when we both agreed it was straight he started putting lights on it. Bella had come in with several bags and I went to the car and helped her bring the rest into the house.

"You guys buy out the store?", Dad asked as he surveyed all the bags of things we had just brought in.

"Not quite the entire store, Dad. How did you get home ahead of us? We just left Phil and Renee in town?", Bella asked.

"Esme drove Jake and me back, then went to get the others. Jake wanted to take a ride and look around, and there was a game on", I told her as I sat back to watch the game, content to observe.

It didn't take the kid long to put all the lights on the tree and he did a good job. The tree looked real nice there in the window and I guessed that all those bags were things to put on the tree.

The game ended and I noticed I was the only one that had been watching. Edward was in the kitchen helping Bella get dinner ready. Huh. Guess I liked that he helped her all the time, didn't seem to mind it either. He was smiling and laughing with her while he cut up vegetables for her. Well, that was a good thing. St lest he knew to keep sharp knives away from her whenever possible, she always had been a little accident prone, cutting herself and falling down a lot.

I had to chuckle to myself thinking of her growing up, always a skinned knee and a bruised shin. I don;t have a single memory of her without some kind of scrape or injury. Wonder if their kid will be like that, or if he will be like Edward, move self assured and without being clumsy.

Their kid. Hum. That one was hard to swallow. I was worried about him getting that close to her to begin with, now look. He got her pregnant. Guess they didn't intent it, though. Carlisle had told them he couldn't have kids and she married him anyway. It wasn't like they planned to have a baby this young, or even like they were careless. A doctor told them they didn't need to use protection since he couldn't father a child . . . that's a pretty sure thing, pretty well count on it if your doctor says so.

That was a conversation I would have like to have heard, her telling him she was pregnant. Boy had to have flipped out, figured she ran around on him or something since he _knew_ he couldn't have fathered it. He didn't seem like he would have thought that about her, though. Still. Had to be one hell of a conversation between them.

It wasn't long before the rest of the crew arrived back home carrying small packages of their own and Jake came roaring back down the drive on that damned bike of his. Dinner was good, as always when Bella cooked and the Cullen's had disappeared to their house for the evening. It was just Bella's family here, and Jake.

"Time to decorate the tree!", Bella said almost bouncing up and down with excitement.

It was kind of fun, all of us unwrapping ornaments that they had purchased and finding the perfect place on the tree for each and every one of them. When I looked at the number of bags, I wasn't sure the tree would hold all that, but when the last piece was hung, there was still plenty of room for more.

"Just the right amount, love", Edward had told Bella, "Room for us to add a new one each year we're together from now on."

Bella turned to him and told him she loved him right there in front of all of us and kissed the boy. She really did love that boy, that was obvious. What Carlisle had told me about him leaving partly because he wanted her to have a family, have a happy life and he thought he couldn't give her that, give her children that is . . . well maybe he did have his reasons for leaving. Maybe he was trying to look after her best interests, wanting her to be happy. She sure as hell had been anything but happy though, after he left.

Alice had told me something about how bad off he had been without her, when she had first come to my house back before we found Bella she had told me he nearly hadn't survived the separation. I didn't listen at the time, didn't care. All I saw was my daughter, broken after that boy left her. I never thought about what it took for him to love her like that and leave her anyway thinking she would be better off without him. Damn. I never saw it that way, but the look on his face . . . every time he even glances at her it's obvious for all to see. The boy really does love her, I'll give him that.

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

I stared into their front window. I could see it from my perch, though they would not be able to spot me at this distance. I saw them all, laughing and smiling, decorating that tree.

How long had it been since I had a home, since I stayed in the same place for very long at all. Hotels for a few days at a time, when one of dinners had credit cards on them that I used to pay for it with. Houses of my victims where I stayed to clean up, maybe take some clothes to change into.

I remembered having a home as a child, at least I thought I remembered it. It was a warm feeling, kind of fuzzy though. Human memories were vague at best.

James and I never settled down, always traveling like nomads, moving from meal to meal and staying in the forests and outskirts of towns. These vampires didn't live like that, though. They owned homes and nice cars and had possessions. Possessions. It seemed like a foreign word. It wasn;t possible to have possessions when you had no way of earning money, and no place to keep them. How did these Cullens do it, have money to buy these things. They didn't steal, and they didn't kill humans to get it.

He had his arms around her. His mate. I could see them clearly in the window, standing there kissing. My anger boiled. I missed kissing. I had Riley, of course . . . but that wasn't James. James knew how to kiss, how to treat a woman. He had been my mate for decades and I was lost without him.

Edward had to pay, I had to make him feel this hurt, this loss. Somehow, I just wanted to figure them out first, see what made them tick. I was every bit as intelligent as they were and if they could find a way to live like this, to actually have a settled life, I could do it as well.

The thought if having a house, cars, clothing . . . I just had to figure out how they did it, learn their secrets. I could do that. I could watch and learn, then kill her. If I had to go through my existence without my mate, I would at least have a way of changing my life for the better . . . then I would end her, and ruin his life forever . . .

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV**

She was standing on the deck, looking out over the valley. I wouldn't normally have said anything, but she had been standing there ever since they got back from town last night and it was nearly sunrise. She was perfectly still as only a vampire could be.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck.

"Would you like to spend some time with me, Darlin'?", I whispered into her ear as I kissed down her neck towards her throat.

She rubbed my hands that were clasped in front of her before turning around to face me.

"I would love to spend some time with you. Did you finish your book?", she asked as she laid her head against my chest.

"I did, and another as well. I didn't want to disturb you, you looked deep in thought", I told her, kissing her lips softly.

"I can't see, Jasper. Everything is somewhat foggy since Jacob arrived. It has to be him, the wolves fog up my vision and he's a member of that tribe. That has to be why I could never see where Bella was while we were looking for her, she was with him and I can't see him!"

"That would make sense, Darlin'. It would explain a lot. Especially how hard it was to find Bella and how you haven't been able to keep a clear view of Victoria. Victoria has been shadowing Jacob to find out where Bella was, and you couldn't see because she was close to him", I told her.

"We will all need to be on guard, Jasper, maybe even have someone watching their house all the time. She could be here. I might not see her!", Alice cautioned.

"Calm down, Darlin'. Let's go let Edward know what we think so that he'll be on guard as well. He hasn't had any more of those instances of 'sleeping' has he?", I asked her.

"Not lately, but they are a regular thing for him when he's with her. I'm sure once her hears my latest thoughts about Victoria, he won't be sleeping at all. It's almost morning and I can go with you when you get Charlie to go fishing and I'll tell Edward then."

"Maybe we should cancel the fishing today", I offered.

"No, you and Emmett go with Charlie so that there are two of you to protect him. Esme, Rose and I need to talk to Bella about the baby room anyway. There will be four of us with her, so she'll be fine!", Alice said, "We'll just stick to the day we had planned, but keep our ears open, okay baby?"

"Anything you say, Darlin'. Now, could you say just a little less for the next few minutes?", I asked as I picked her up and headed to our bed.


	41. Chapter 41  Showing

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 41 Showing  
**

**EPOV**

"But sweetheart, I don't want to get up", she told me again as she nuzzled her face into my neck and hid us underneath the covers.

I held her close, tracing patterns on her backside as I kissed her again this morning, our bodies entwined.

"I want to stay right here and try that thing that . . ."

She was cut off in mid thought by the trilling voice of my sister.

"Good morning", she said as she walked into our bedroom, shut the door and came to sit on the bed beside Bella.

"Alice", I started to read her the riot act for interrupting but stopped, her thoughts flooding my mind.

"Yes, of course, Alice, tell both of us. As much as my instincts tell me to, I promised her I would keep nothing from her.

"Well, when we ran into town this morning to get something, an ingredient from the grocers for Esme, anyway . . . when Jasper and I went into town there was the distinct smell of another vampire. Not someone I have ever smelled before. I wanted you to know first thing so that we could all keep an extra eye out, what with Bella and the other humans here with us", she said as the memory of the smell passed through her mind.

I quickly sat up in bed sending Bella scrambling to recover herself as I had taken the covers with me when I moved, "Alice! That's the same smell that was in the car that crashed into the pizza place in Forks where Bella and I were having dinner, when Jessica Stanley was killed."

"Have you seen anything from Victoria?", Bella asked, sitting up to retrieve and hold a sheet over her bare chest.

"No, just that she had planned to follow Jacob when he left to come here. I haven't seen that she is here and she hasn't made any decisions to do anything yet. I would have _seen_ that!", Alice insisted as she became more and more flustered.

"I hear both our Moms making breakfast downstairs, Bella, let's get dressed and go talk to Carlisle about this with Alice. We have to find out what's going on before they try something. The accident in Forks and now the same smell here, it's too much to be a coincidence", I said quietly.

I lifted Bella and jumped lightly from the balcony in our room and ran with Bella on my back up the trail to find Carlisle. He and Jasper were waiting in the study, Jasper already having told him about the vampire in town.

"They are the same, Carlisle. The same vampire that Alice smelled this morning in town was the one whose smell was in the car at the accident in Forks. It's no coincidence", I told him, "The same smell on different sides of the continent has to have something to do with following where we are, someone that is curious about us."

"Or has a vendetta", Jasper added.

"No, you're right. Could Victoria be behind this? Alice, you haven't seen anything of her?", Carlisle asked.

"Glimpses of her watching Jacob, just watching. No decisions, no plans have been made", Alice thought for a long minute, trying to see.

"If Victoria killed Billy and that was revenge for the wolves killing Laurent, then it is reasonable to assume she has someone working with her to come after Bella. She is obviously set on revenge and somehow she has an idea of how your sight works, Alice. Didn't Laurent say something about going to find the coven like us in Alaska after we told him about them, remember, when he was at the house in Forks after the baseball game?", I asked.

"He did say that", Carlisle mused, "I'll call Karmen and Elesar and see if he ever made it there."

"If he did, that could be the connection", Jasper added, "The Denali clan would not think Alice's gift a secret and he could learn about her from them."

"It just feels right, like we have come to the right conclusion . . . it feels like Victoria is behind all of this", Bella added.

"She wants me to feel the loss of a mate, like she does since I killed James", I said.

"It could be more than that, Edward. Your brothers and Alice helped rip him apart and burn him. She could be after more than just Bella", Carlisle reflected.

"So what's the plan?", Jasper asked.

Emmett burst into the room, having just gotten home.

"I ran a perimeter around the town, down by mirror lake. There was a killing there last night. A winter camper in his tent out away from the campground. They ruled it an animal attack but the area reeks of vampire", Emmett informed us, "and there are two vampires in town, not just one."

"Victoria", I exclaimed reading his thoughts and the new scent he had encountered, "I'd know that scent anywhere."

"Well, its not within 3 miles of the house here, I checked all the way around. Town, now town is a different story. Trails all over the place, but not converging anywhere so I wasn't able to track where they are staying. Definitely nomads, though", Emmett added.

"We'll, everyone is safe here for now and there are seven of us. We just have to make sure either Alice or Edward is with Bella at all times, preferably two of us. The rest of us will stay close to the guests. I have the week off, so I can be here all of the time to help as well", Carlisle told us.

"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank all of you for protecting my family", Bella said.

"What are we protecting now?", Rosalie asked as she walked into the study.

"Bella", Emmett told her, slipping his arm around her shoulder, "Seems Victoria and a friend are in town."

"Oh hell no!", Rosalie exclaimed.

"Rose. I'm so sorr . . .", Bella tried to say but I cut her off. "Bella, it's not what you think. Rose isn't upset about the effort it will take to protect you."

"What? . . . No. It's not like that anymore, Bella. You're my sister now and you're carrying my nephew. This Victoria bitch is history, that's what I meant by 'oh hell no'!"

Bella stepped away from me and Emmett and threw her arms around Rosalie, who returned the hug willingly.

"Bella, nobody fucks with my chances of having a nephew! And um . . . well, I've kind of grown accustomed to you as well", Rosalie added, almost embarassed about caring for a human as she spoke to Bella.

"And you, you finally _look_ pregnant!", Rosalie added, staring at Bella's belly.

"Bella!" I exclaimed as I looked down and put my hand on her belly.

We had been in such a rush to leave the house and talk with Carlisle, I hadn't really paid attention. Bella had grabbed a pair of sweats, a t shirt and hoodie, throwing them on in a hurry before we left over the balcony. All of a sudden, since last night, she really did _look _pregnant.

"Well, it seems the baby is going into its fifth month", Carlisle said, "The baby becomes too large to hide behind the pubic bone any longer and all of a sudden the uterus takes a position higher in the abdomen, poking out over the bone rather than behind it. It often happens overnight while you sleep, then when you stand, the baby is all of a sudden obvious in the abdomen. Is he moving a lot yet?"

"Now that you mention it, he is going a little nuts this morning", Bella said as she took Rosalie's hand and placed it beside mine on her belly.

Sure enough, Masen kicked us . . . repeatedly. I dropped to my knees and put my ear against her, listening to the noise the movement from the amniotic fluid made and to the baby's heartbeat.

"Carlisle, I can hear the baby," I said, somewhat dazed.

"Edward, I can hear the heartbeat from here, I'm sure we all can", Carlisle said.

"No . . . I can hear his thoughts, Carlisle", I said, "He's . . . happy. He doesn't have specific thoughts, just feelings . . . and he is totally happy."

"Well, this will help. You can perhaps tell him to keep calm in there. Now that he is moving around, his strength may become an issue. He is probably much stronger than Bella and the fewer cracked ribs we have in this pregnancy, the better". Carlisle said, as if to allude to what was coming.

"All right then, let's stick to the plan. Rose, I believe you have a delivery coming this afternoon that you would like us all to be 'not here' for, correct?"

"Yes, well, Bella and I do, bur she should probably go with the rest of you, since none of you can't see the delivery except Jake. He agreed to help me this afternoon", Rose stated, kind of amused.

Rosalie was doing a fair job of blocking me, I knew there was a storage building involved, but I had not quite gotten the full story on what else was coming. The rest of us were going into town to do all the last minute shopping and such, though I thought Bella and I were actually through with all of our shopping.

We left my parents house, hand in hand, with Rose and Alice coming along. Rose, along with Esme, had some plans for the nursery to go over with Bella.

"Bella, Edward!", Renee greeted us as we walked in the front door. Looking over at Esme, Renee said to us, "We didn't see you leave the house this morning." "We thought you two were still in bed", she said not so discretely winking at Bella. I could feel Charlie roll his eyes without ever having looked over at him sitting in the recliner, watching the morning news.

"I couldn't sleep so we decided to go for a walk and see if Rose was up yet so that she could show me the plans she and Esme have for the nursery", Bella explained.

"Well! We'll be needing that nursery soon from the looks of it! I would swear you gained a baby overnight sweetie", Renee told Bella as she stared at her stomach with her mouth agape.

Charlie and Jacob's thoughts were not as pleasant. They were both putting their best foot forward and watching every word they said, but it apparently took great effort for both of them, especially Charlie. Though he knew the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, he just could not get used to the idea of his little girl being with a man, much less being impregnated. His thoughts ran almost as old fashioned as my own. I had to chuckle to myself and wonder if I would be any different if it were my daughter, married and pregnant at 19 years old. I would never find out. This little boy would undoubtedly be an only child. As much as I wanted this child, we would not slip up again and risk her health. No, he would be an only child for sure, regardless of the vision Alice had shown me of two other small ones, twins playing on a blanket with me.

Jacob was quiet. Too quiet. He said nothing to diminish Bella's happiness, but his thoughts gave him away. He was out of his mind jealous and doing everything he could to let it go. He knew how she felt about me from the beginning. There was no deception. She had insisted all along that they could only ever be friends, but he had hoped. I couldn't fault him for that. I knew that if she had decided to be with him, I would be doing the same thing he was. I would remain her friend, waiting in the wings, biding my time till a mistake was made, a circumstance that would find her running back for comfort.

I was pulled back to the present by Renee asking if I wanted breakfast.

"No thank you, I grabbed something at my Mom's while Bella was getting Rose", I told her.

"I however, am starving, Mom. How about feeding your only daughter and your only grandson!", Bella feigned being hurt, trudging off towards Esme in the kitchen and the smell of coffee and bacon, her hand holding her belly.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I ate everything in sight. It was a good thing that Jake, Phil and my Dad had all finished their breakfast because I ate everything that was left.

Esme just smiled at me as she finished putting the last of the dishes away.

"I remember being hungry like that when I was pregnant", Esme said, "then no food looks good because there is no room in there to put it, and even when you do, the heartburn would take over."

"That sounds terrible", Rose exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen with the baby room plans in her hand, "Is it always like that?"

"Everyone is different, but either the nausea or the heartburn will come into play at some point. It's more than worth it though, just as soon as you see that baby for the first time, dear", Esme comforted.

"Now, lets look over these plans", she said as she cleared the last bits of breakfast from the counter.

I looked over all the plans they had, and there were lots of choices. Things from character theme rooms to baby blues to primary colors and they covered anything from cowboys to spacemen.

"Okay, first", I said putting some of the plans off to the side, "we discard anything that requires us to build on to the house."

"But . . .", Rose interjected.

"No", I added, "There is no way we need to add onto a 4 bedroom house just for the 3rd person that will live here, and he's only a baby!"

"Yes, but babies need lots of things and lots of room, Bella", Rose pleaded her case.

"No. Just no, Rose", I firmly insisted.

"Now, that leaves these. If I take out all the theme characters, that leaves this one in blue and cream, and this one in blue and green", I told them.

Rose looked horrified that I had dismissed the other choices so quickly, but Esme only smiled. I called Edward over for an opinion, causing Rose to exaggeratedly roll her eyes and wonder what had gotten into me, asking a man about room design.

"Yes, love?", Edward answered sweetly as he walked up behind me and looked at the plans over my shoulder.

"Which one do you like, sweetheart?", I asked.

"Well, I like them both, but I really like the blue and green theme you came up with earlier this week in the last guest room that got furnished, that's the room the baby is getting, right?", he asked.

"Yes, that's the room you wanted as well, isn't it?", I asked.

"Yes, it's the largest and the closest to our room, though that won't really matter. I will probably be able to hear his heart beating if you took him up the hill to visit Esme!", he said laughingly, "But I really like the blue and green. Who's design is this one?"

"Mine", Rose said with a smile.

"I love them both, they're just beautiful, the furniture, the colors, everything about the rooms you have designed. Esme, did I hear you say you were doing a babies room at your house?", I asked my new mother in law.

"Yes, dear, I want to", she smiled with a kind of 'kid caught with their fingers in the cookie jar' expression.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you love", Edward said with a smile.

"How about we make the baby room here blue and green and turn Edward's old room at your house, Esme, into a baby room in blue and cream!", I suggested to them both.

"Remember, though, the room here first! Rose, this one is your design, right? As soon as our guests are gone first thing next year, lets get going on this", I said to them all.

"Does that mean I can go ahead and order the furniture?", Rose asked.

"Yes, let's order the furniture for both, but only if you let me pay for it", I added.

Edward snickered. I knew he would like me to start feeling alright with having money at my disposal, and I was starting this Christmas.

"Absolutely not", both women said at the same time.

"Mom, Rose . . . let us do at least that part, let Bella pay for the furnishings that are ordered for our son. You both know you are going to go nuts with the extras anyway, and do all the work involved besides", Edward suggested.

"Fine", Rosalie almost spat. Good thing I knew she was only kidding.

"Well'', have you decided on things", Renee said as she came into the kitchen and stared over us at the plans on the counter.

"Yes, we are going with blues, no characters, no theme furniture. Just dark wood here with greens and blues and light wood at Esme's with blue and cream", I told her.

"You are such a lucky girl, Bella, to be able to do all this at once. Your father and I had to buy a piece at a time when we could afford it after you came", Renee added.

I excused myself to go to the rest room, it seemed I was in the rest room a lot lately, and it was a good thing I had on these pants because I wasn't sure my normal jeans were going to fit anymore.

"Alice", I called to her as I passed through the living room. She flitted over to me, excited because she already knew what I wanted her to do.

"Will you help me choose some maternity clothes on line, you always get the sizes right. I don't think I will be able to keep wearing the clothes I have", I added, "Isn't there a maternity shop in town? Maybe while the others finish Christmas shopping we could look at some things for me.. I am going to need something to wear right away unless you want to see me in sweats all the time!"

We all piled into a couple of cars, Jacob and Rosalie staying behind to wait on the secret 'delivery' this afternoon.

"Jacob, Thank you for helping with this", I said to him as I found a moment alone to talk to him before we left.

"No problem, Chica. You came to the right place to get someone to set up for this particular thing. Rosalie and I will have fun with this, much more fun than _shopping", _Jake insisted with a smile that would light up the sky.

I hugged him tightly, his arms going immediately around my waist as mine encircled his neck. He lifted me and hugged.

"Woops, I said holding my belly. This thing is going to get in the way a lot, I'm afraid", I said referring to my expanding girth.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

"Back it up . . . a little more, more . . . good. Stop there", I yelled to the truck driver.

"Perfect, Jacob. Just where I wanted it", Rosalie said.

"It'll work right there, that's for sure. Once these guys set it up, we can put the interior together. The bikes are coming in this afternoon, right?", I asked as I watched the ground anchors being pounded in.

"Shit!", Rosalie swore, "I hear the truck coming now."

"You _hear _the truck coming?", I asked, astounded. I listened closely to the noises around me and found that I could also hear the noises of a heavy truck coming up the driveway.

"Rosalie, you and Bella really bought everyone a Harley for Christmas?", I asked.

"Yep", she responded, "Each one fits the person who will ride it. Needless to say, Emmett got the Fat Boy!"

We both almost fell over laughing. It was the perfect name for a bike for him, he was such a hulk.

"You really think Edward isn't going to have a cow about her riding while she is pregnant?", I asked.

"Well, Alice is pretty good at predicting things, and she says Edward will be fine with it as long as she lets him ride with her", Rosalie added with a smile, "Yes, _on the back of her bike_, or vice versa. Apparently he will in fact have a cow at the idea of her on a separate bike while she is pregnant."

"I guess I can understand that. He seems pretty possessive of her", I said.

"That's an understatement, but she is just as possessive of him. Watch them, you'll see how she insists he be right there with her almost all the time. It's not just him. If they could, I think they would have clothing that was joined so that they were continually touching!", Rose told me.

"Yea, I'm sure Alice will get right on that", I said, my disgust showing in spite of all my efforts to conceal it.

"Why do you torture yourself, I mean staying around her now that they are married and all?", Rosalie asked me.

I thought about it for a minute, did I want to get really personal and tell her the truth, or just sluff her off some dumb answer to change the subject. I decided to go for it.

"We're friends. Besides, he might screw up one day and I want to be there to pick up the pieces", I said.

She turned to me, a fire in her eyes.

"Jacob, they're having a baby. The child deserves two parents, not to be torn with a divorced set of parents and people pulling him back and forth. We will all do everything we can to support them, keep them together. If you are just hanging around waiting for a breaku . . ."

"No, no, no. It's not like that. I don't mean it like that. I would never do anything but try and be her friend when she needs me, Rosalie. Please, I have more scruples than to try and come between a married couple, don't take me for a fool", I said with something of a snarl.

"Alright then. I do really appreciate your help with these bikes. We will be building a proper garage after the holidays, this shed is only temporary. I have plans I'd like you to see and go over. Maybe you might give me some pointers on the set up for bike maintenance, I'm used to cars."

I had seen her garage, of course, and it was amazing. First notch equipment and everything in its place. The floor was probably cleaner than the tabletop at the house I grew up in she kept it so spotless. She was good, too. I had to hand it to her, she was good with a wrench.

The bikes were offloaded in separate crates and left with us that way, it would be our job to uncrate and pull off all the plastic. We had our work cut out for us with seven of them!

**Victoria POV**

"Just look at them", I exclaimed as we sat side by side on the city bench. Main Street, Highlands, North Carolina. It was a tiny, insignificant town with only a couple of thousand full time residents, but not during tourist season. Summers and Christmas the place expanded to having thousands of vacationers, people with resort and second homes that they only came to once or twice a year. It was crowded now, Christmas decorations lining every store window as well as the streets themselves.

"Why are we playing around lime this, Victoria? Let's end her and be done. There are other things I want to concentrate on with you, baby", Riley said as he violently nipped at my ear.

"No, I told you. I haven't decided yet. I told you how it works", I said to him to stop his ranting.

I liked the idea of having a home, cars, clothing . . . all the things I had missed for decades. My possessions. I was now determined to figure out a way to have all of it, all of the things the Cullen's enjoyed. They owed me that, they owed me being comfortable and well taken care of after what they did to James.

I had seen them leaving their house from the perch in my tree, a few miles away and I had decided to follow them and see what they were up to. One of them would have caught my scent or Riley's here in town anyway and from our actions feeding the other night, they would know that there were other vampires in town. They might even . . . no, who was I kidding. They _would_ recognize my scent. I had nothing to loose from showing that much of my hand, and I wanted to observe them.

They parked and went into a maternity shop. What the hell was Edward Cullen doing going into a maternity shop? It wasn't as if he could have a fucking baby. Baby. Wait . . . the girl, she looked . . . she looked _pregnant_! Can't be, I told myself. Fucking a vampire leads to death, not pregnancy . . . surely they were not that close, she hadn't been changed yet. I snuck to the rear of the shop. Though the rear fire door was closed, I could hear their voices inside and find out if this could be happening . . . surely not.

"My wife needs some jeans and shirts, we are expecting in a few months and normal clothes are not fitting any longer", I heard him say.

He must have done something to piss her off, put a hand on her belly or something because the next thing I hears was, "Stop it. Edward, you're impossible!"

It was true then. How fortunate for me. He would be even more distraught at the loss of them both!


	42. Chapter 42 Town

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:**_ Please forgive the lack of updates the last 10 days! I really like updating twice a week with a possible bonus chapter on Saturdays, but real life got in the way when 23 people, children and relatives , decided to stay with me the week between Christmas and new Years! It was awesome, but there was no room for me on the computer! I had planned to have Christmas eve and Christmas day with the Cullen's correspond with the real day on the calendar, and New Years as well, but it just didn't happen. Here goes anyway and Happy New Year to all! Please review this chapter so that I know I haven't lost you!~_

_**Chapter 42 Town**_

**EPOV**

My girl looked beautiful in maternity clothing. Absolutely beautiful. Our child had grown to a point that he was making his presence known for all to see. I loved it . . . and it scared the hell out of me.

I could hear Masen's heart beat from some distance away from her now, loud and clear. My focus in life right now was both those heartbeats, intermingled with each other. I thought about my communication with our son the other night, his mind was quite easy for me to read . . . nondescript thoughts, feelings really. I could hardly wait to be able to communicate more fully with him and Carlisle was ecstatic that perhaps we could get him to understand not to kick so hard that ribs broke and Bella had to suffer any more than necessary. I knew that Carlisle also hoped to be able to communicate with the baby to let us know when he was ready to be born, to let us get him out rather than ripping his was out himself, with his own teeth. He loved Bella, that was a clear feeling coming from him and I was hopeful that he would be willing to try and not do anything that might hurt her. Masen responded to my voice, caring for it as well as though he knew me, knew who I was to him.

Bella. I sat and stared at my wife.

She tried on several pairs of jeans as well as some dress slacks, some with dressy tops and some with stretchy cotton pullovers. I preferred the clothing that was fairly tight around her, showing off her increasing girth and letting me see clearly the outline of our baby, but she seemed to prefer the tops that hid her growing abdomen. Camouflaged it.

"Edward, I can't wear things like this. My belly is already huge and it's just starting to grow", she said as she tried on a shirt I picked out for her, stretch cotton, clingy . . . and pink. Bella never wore pink, but it looked beautiful on her and reminded me of how delicate she was, how careful I needed to be with her. I think I will be buying her lots of pink in the coming weeks.

"You look beautiful, love. You always do", I told her as she walked over to where I was sitting and I grabbed her hips and placed a kiss on her belly. "I love you and this belly of yours. Remember, I'm the one that's responsible for the increased girth", I told her, "I put that in there, you know."

God I wish I hadn't said that. I wish I hadn't thought it. It terrified me that I was responsible for this potential harm to Bella. I smiled regardless and looked up at her soft chocolate eyes as she stared me down.

"I'll remember that when I am so big I can't even get out of a chair by myself and I probably won't be thanking you at the time", she said as she kissed my forehead and pushed herself away from me.

"Sweetheart, I'll love you no matter how large you get, even if I have to carry you everywhere and put on your shoes and socks for you because you can't see your feet."

"Edward!", she gasped, "I better not get so big I have to wear a moo moo and be carried around like a sack of potatoes!"

The sales attendant walked toward us with more selections for Bella to try on. "Would you like to look at some nightgowns?", she asked us.

Bella looked at me with her head cocked to one side and I looked at the ground and smiled before entwining my fingers, my elbows resting on the armrests of the chair I sat in and looked up at the woman. "My wife doesn't wear nightgowns", I told her.

"Oh, well we have some really soft pajamas on display over here, shall I get you a pair to try on?", she continued seemingly unfazed. Apparently she just didn't understand what I was telling her. I continued, anxious to see the blush that I knew would creep into my wife's face when I made myself clear.

"We have no need of pajamas, either", I told her. She looked at me with an absolutely blank stare and from her thoughts, I knew that she really didn't comprehend what I was telling her. To be fair, she was an older lady, in her 50's perhaps and probably very unaccustomed to the idea of sleeping naked.

"We don't wear clothing of any kind to bed, so my wife has no need for gowns, pajamas or anything of that nature. Thank you, though", I said as I put on my best crooked grin and delighted in watching my wife turn several shades of red in only a few seconds.

We left the store, several bags in hand and lots of protests from my wife about how she really didn't need all those sweaters, six pairs of jeans and a dozen shirts. I smiled and laughed. She would just have to get used to me buying her things and I was sure Alice had five times this many things already ordered, if not delivered already.

My arm tightened around her as Victoria's scent hit me. She had been here, in this shopping area . . . and recently. Bella noticed my tension as I hurried to the benches where the rest of the family had gathered in the plaza.

"Carlisle, Victoria's scent is here", I said as Bella tensed and looked up at me. They had just caught the scent as well and were on their way to find us so that we were all together.

"Both scents are here, Edward. They have both been in town and they are the same scents that were out near the lake where the camper disappeared a few days ago", Emmett added.

"Clearly, we need to have a plan. We need to end her", Jasper said matter of factly, "Especially with all these extra humans around. It's just too dangerous to let her live."

"Well, there are only two of them and she hasn't made any decisions yet except that she is going to wait, though she is watching us", Alice said, "I have no idea what it is she is waiting for but she is determined to wait."

"If everyone is through, let's find Bella's parents and see if they are ready to go back to the house. We need not do anything about it today except keep alert", Carlisle insisted, tightening his arm around Esme.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I still have some wrapping to do and I am no where near as fast as you guys!", Bella added. She was handling this far better than I thought she would. Jasper's mind confirmed what I already suspected, she was barely nervous about Victoria's scent being here. She was comfortable being with all of us, she knew we would protect her.

We found Renee, Phil and Charlie in the coffee shop on the corner having a sandwich. They seemed embarrassed that they had not waited for us, but Esme reassured them that it was perfectly fine and that she had a snack herself, what with all the shopping and excitement. We ordered coffee and took seats at the available table next to theirs to wait for them.

"So, what's this I hear about you going to Dartmouth?", Charlie asked with a huge smile on his face. He had obviously been discussing Bella with Renee and I realized that we had not yet told him about being accepted there.

"Turns out that Edward sent in my application in the spring of my Junior year in High School, Dad, without telling me", Bella said as she gave me a sideways glance and smiled.

"She was applying to lots of schools and didn't think she could get into Dartmouth and I bet her that she could", I explained looking sort of sheepish, "I sent in the application that she had filled out. The acceptance came to my house last winter along with my acceptance, just after I got back into town and I had my attorney apply for a year deferment in the hopes that I could find Bella and that she might still want to go."

"You are so good to me, sweetheart", Bella said as she leaned over and kissed my lips softly.

Charlie blushed at my open and very public display of affection for my husband. "Well that's just something that is", Charlie said, sort of stammering. "Do you plan to go?", he asked Bella.

"It all depends on the baby, Dad. I'm thrilled that I got in, but I may just want to be a stay at home Mom for awhile. Edward bought us a house near the campus, just in case we wanted to go and Rosalie and Emmett agreed to move there with us to help take care of the baby, but I just want to wait till I meet Masen, then decide", Bella told them.

"You okay with that, Edward? You okay with delaying your college education?", Charlie asked, surprised that I would agree.

"Anything she wants is fine with me, Charlie. As long as I have Bella with me, I'm happy doing whatever she wants", I told him. His mind was reeling. He kept going from elated and proud that she had been accepted to mad that she was now pregnant and the baby would delay her schooling. He was astounded that I was so willing to do whatever she wanted. I held my temper, my face giving me away I was sure. I could literally kill him for any negative thoughts about our baby.

"Well", Renee said, "It's not as though you need the education to get a better job, it would only be for your pleasure anyway. I doubt either of you would ever actually get a job in the field you study, would you?"

"Not unless we just wanted to, Renee. I have thought about going to medical school to follow in Carlisle's footsteps, but there is no hurry if I decide to do that. I like the idea of us both staying home with Masen, till he goes to school anyway", I told them.

"You never know, Masen might have brothers and sisters for you to think about as well", Renee chuckled.

Fear gripped me and I know that Bella felt me tense, even though she was only holding hands with me. The idea of risking her life again was not something I was willing to even consider.

"Mom!", Bella interrupted, "Please! Let me have this baby before you go planning for us to have a house full!"

I smiled at my wife. She knew. She always knew what I was feeling lately, even when we had not discussed it.

"Well, if everyone is finished, let's get home and start enjoying the tree and lights and celebration before we have dinner. There is Christmas caroling in town and a church service that Bella and I I intend on going to, if anyone is interested in going with us", I told my family.

"I'm sure Rosalie and Jacob have hidden Rose and my surprise away by now. Let's go", Bella said. I had to admit, she and Rose had kept the big secret even from me. I had no idea what they had done. The only hint I had was that Bella had made seven extremely large red bows and had them hanging on one of the posts of our bed.

The surprise that Bella and I had picked out for Phil and Renee was tucked into our garage at home and Charlie's was being delivered to his house in Forks. We would be giving him a photo of his present. Bella said not to worry about Jacob, that she had a gift for him, though I did not know what it was. Large boxes had arrived from the Hard Rock Cafe several days ago and I suspected they were part of the secret. Presents around my house had always been kind of different. Some gifts were inexpensive plaques with funny sayings on them, like I had gotten for my Dad and other gifts, like we had gotten for Phil and Renee were quite costly. The price really was unimportant. When you had limitless funds, the thought was everything.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Maternity clothes. Who would ever have thought. This time last year I was struggling just to get out of bed in the mornings and breath, putting one foot in front of the other. I did anything and everything I could think of to see Edward, anything dangerous that is. I was desperate . . . and so alone.

Edward's face this morning in the maternity store was a sight to behold. His expression overjoyed, his eyes filled with both love and wonder. He portrayed the man who quite literally, had everything he ever wanted. He looked so happy and I'm sure my expression matched his. I have never been so happy in all my life. I love that man beyond all reason. I always have, of course, but it continues to get even stronger with each new shared experience between us, each time he includes me in a decision, each time we make love.

I loved that he had been able to communicate with the baby, that he might be able to make Masen understand that he needed to let us take him out rather than doing it himself. It meant that us being able to actually bring him into the world alive was looking more and more possible. The fact that Edward could communicate with him also gave us hope that the child was intelligent, that he could learn, that what we had created was indeed a viable entity on his own.

He seemed surprised that finding Victoria's scent so close by didn't upset me badly. How could it, I knew what my vampire family was capable of. I knew they would protect me and each other.

I was surprised to see the anger in my Dad's eyes over Dartmouth. Though Edward was the one who made the whole thing possible by applying for me in the first place, my Dad was angry that I was now pregnant and thinking of not going. It showed through, no matter how hard he tried to hide it and Edward's anger at my Dad's response showed as well. Ihey both contained it, much to my surprise. Dad was really trying to accept my life and Edward was trying to be patient with Dad's thoughts, as long as he didn't verbalize them to me and upset me. I could see through them both, but I loved them for making the effort for me.

We headed home, finished with shopping and needing to attend to last minute details before dinner. I had prepared casseroles and such earlier in the week so that I had only to heat everything up for the evenings buffet. We were opening stockings at my house in the morning, then going to Esme and Carlisle's for dinner and gifts with them. Rose would bring the bikes out and park them in front of the house tomorrow so that we could walk outside and see them after dinner. Edward's would be parked outside my front door before morning, thanks to Rose. His was absolutely gorgeous, sparkling green with gold striping and it was the same model and style as my bike, just with a seat for two rather than the solo seat that my bike had. I had high performance parts added and screaming eagle chrome replacing the plain chrome that was factory standard. I hope he liked it. The two up seat was so that we could ride now, knowing that Edward would insist on us being on the same bike if I was determined to ride while pregnant and before I was changed. I also had a surprise for his stocking, something I thought would be meaningful to him since he seemed to love for me to claim him as 'mine'.

Everyone went their separate ways when we arrived back at the houses. Apparently we all had last minute wrapping or had discovered a treasure or two in town that now had to be wrapped just especially right for a family member.

Alice wore the biggest smile ever. I wondered what fun all of this was to her, really, already knowing what each and every one of us had bought and would get as presents. I would have to find a way to surprise her one day soon . . . surely it was possible!

I received a text from Rose as we were on the way home. All was ready and Jacob had gone down to my house to take a nap, apparently not feeling that well.

I walked into the living room and found Jake asleep on the sofa, his brow covered in sweat. I gently stroked his hair away from his forehead and placed my palm thee to see if he had a fever. He was burning up! Without waking him, I called Carlisle to come over and see about him.

"I'm fine Doc, just fine. I don't know what all the fuss is about. You know Bella, she gets worried over nothing", Jacob was telling carlisle as Carlisle was listening to his chest with an unnecessary stethoscope.

"Your temperature is 104 Jacob, that is far from normal. Let me run some tests, we need to know what we are dealing with", Carlisle told him, "Remember, there is a pregnant woman here who needs not to get sick!"

"Sure sure", Jake said, giving in and allowing Carlisle to draw some blood.

"I am going to go run these samples to the lab and get them going on it. It may take a day or two, being that it is Christmas", Carlisle told us. "I can find nothing wrong, other than your heart rate is increased and you have quite a good fever. Nothing else, no symptoms of any kind. Is anything at all uncomfortable, Jacob?", he asked.

"Just tired and really achy, Doc. I'm sure it's nothing. I think I'll just go upstairs and nap till dinner, okay?", Jacob said as he stiffly got up and headed upstairs to his room.

I saw a look exchanged between Edward and Carlisle and I would have to remember to ask Edward what that was all about when we were alone.

Rose came down to get the bows for the bikes, as I was not allowed to walk up the hill alone with Victoria around and I knew better than to even suggest it. Edward took a very large roll of ribbon out to the garage to put a bow on top of Mom's present and I went to our closet where I had a few odds and ends stashed to put the final touches on my wrapping as the casseroles heated for dinner.

Charlie was on the phone to Sue out on the front porch and Mom and Phil had closed the door to their room, apparently doing last minute Secret Santa things. It really felt like Christmas around the house an everyone was excited. Edward was acting like a little kid in a candy shop and the grin had not left his face in days, well, only for a second this afternoon when he smelled Victoria and again when he had talked to Charlie about Dartmouth. That didn't phase me. I was thrilled with his childish antics, kissing me and hugging me at every turn and his eyes sparkling with mischief. I had rolled across the bed twice to get away from his reach as he playfully chased me. He had let me, of course, moving at a slow human speed. I had no hope of escape if he really wanted to grab for me and we both knew it. He was just so cute playing like I got away from him and faining a disappointed look!

I had my blue nightgown hanging on the back of the bathroom door, waiting for tonight. I had kind of a 'pre' Christmas present in mind for him and I wanted to wear the gown at least one more time while it kind of fit!

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"Sweetheart, I've decided what I want for Christmas", I said as he kissed me again as we lay on the forest floor.

"Anything . . . anything you want . . . "

"Riley, I want a house, a car and all the comforts that the Cullen's have. I want to try it", I told him.

"Why the hell would you want that, baby? Whatever we need, we take. Don't you like being able to go where we want and do as we will?", Riley asked, continuing to play with my curls.

"I do, I do like that", I told him as I rolled onto him, "That's why I want to try having a house and possessions for a change. We can always walk away if we don't like it, I just want to try it. I'm tired of breaking into new places each night and taking clothing that doesn't fit just right, I want a change . . . please baby", I said as I kissed him.

"Anything for you. Anything . . . even though I don't understand why you would want this. We have the perfect life, once we end her we can go and do as we please", he whispered quietly into my ear.

"Lets find a house a few miles out of town, a nice secluded house. One we never, ever run to so that there are no trails to it that have our scent. We'll get a car and look for one, somewhere within a couple of hours of here . . . somewhere we can be alone and not worry about the owners coming back till next spring. Can you help me with that, baby?", I asked as I started to stroke him. It never failed. Men. Stroke him and he would do anything I wanted, willingly.

"Car coming up and then we look for a house. If you want to make sure the Cullen's can't trace our scent to this new house of ours, we better use a car anywhere within say, 20 miles of the house. The little town of Cashiers is only a couple of mountains away to the East and there are large resort homes there that are only used in the summer. I haven't been over there yet, but I heard the real estate agent talking about it to some customers this morning while you were watching them in the clothing store. You haven't gone over that way, have you?", Riley asked.

"No, no I haven't, baby. Perfect. Let's go house shopping!", I said. He had no idea what I really had in mind. Unfortunately, he was insistent now that we finished what we started. Sex again with the boy, I would be glad when I no longer needed to keep him willing to help me.


	43. Chapter 43 Christmas Eve

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 43 Christmas Eve**

**Esme POV**

Christmas in Highlands. It really did feel like Christmas this year with my entire family together. We had not even known where Edward was last year at this time, his room filled with the odd scattered box and Alice unable to see him. We had a tree and we decorated last year, of course, secretly hoping my son would miraculously show up to be with us. I knew better, I knew that it was not that he didn't want to, that he didn't love us. He couldn't come, he just could not bear to be around anything that reminded him of Bella.

If we had only known, only suspected how hard it would be on either of them, Carlisle and I would never have allowed it. We would never have left Forks in the first place, regardless of Edward's wishes. But then, who is to say that things would have turned out so happily, that if they had not felt the indescribable loss of each other perhaps they would not cherish their time together as fully as they did. Edward might not have been able to be with her the way he is, the way they make love all the time. She might not be carrying my grandson right now. We would never know if the restraint he now has would have been there without his suffering the excruciating loss of her for the better part of a year.

I stared out the back window towards the valley and the National Park there as I prepared some of the ingredients for tomorrows dinner. Bella would be up here later to help, as I had no idea how to prepare and stuff a turkey and she was going to drop by to show me.

Bella.

My newest daughter and the completion of our family. I remember the objection we had at first, really, our son falling in love with a human. Carlisle and I had no idea how it would ever end well, but I kept urging Carlisle to trust Edward. Edward had never been interested in anyone in the over 90 years that I had known him. He was a truly brilliant young man and I had every confidence that if he saw something in this little human girl, that she must really be something special. He was right.

She was just what Edward needed . . . she truly completed him in every way. She knew how to comfort him when he needed it yet she could put him in his place on a dime. I had seen him literally ready to kill, ready and able to rip someone apart with his bare hands only to have her stroke his face and speak softly to him, calming him. She had irrevocably changed him, of that there was no doubt. The up tight, prudish attitude had been replaced with a soft, loving demeanor, capable of showing affection even publicly. He loved her beyond all reason, as she did him and they had no reservations about showing it.

His room here was now filled with the furnishings they used while she recuperated from her accident and we had just ordered new baby furniture to turn it into a nursery. A nursery for a baby, here, in our home. Just imagine!

I heard him come up the drive and enter the house, so it was no surprise when my husband greeted me.

"Petal, it's so good to be here with everyone, isn't it?", Carlisle said as he stood behind me and softly whispered in my ear, his arms around my waist as I stood at the sink.

"I was just thinking that, dear", I told him as I turned and kissed his lips, playing with his soft hair.

"I'm just so happy that he has her Carlisle, that we have Edward back", I said.

"I know. Edward has always had a large place in my heart as my first and it does me good to see him so happy", Carlisle agreed.

"Is it really possible that they might be able to have this baby, Carlisle? Does Masen stand a chance of being born, of surviving?", I asked him quietly.

"He has a chance, Petal. He has an even better chance since Edward can read his thoughts. The baby is obviously intelligent, so we don't have to worry that they created a monster of some sort that is incapable of learning. We just have to hope . . . and pray. Bella is the top priority. Though they want the baby, they have both said that she is the priority. I'm not sure what it would do to them though if I had to take the baby, if he doesn't make it. You know better than any of us how that would be, I'm sure", he said to me.

"I know. I just hope it doesn't come to that. They have both been through enough", I said.

It seemed as though all I had to do was think about them today and people would appear. I listened as Edward and Bella took those last steps toward my front door as I continued to pay attention to my husband.

"Anyone home?", Bella called as she came through the front door with Edward close behind.

"Your father and I are in the kitchen", I answered, smirking to Carlisle and giving him a last kiss before the kids entered the room.

"Wow, Mom, we didn't mean to interrupt", Emmett said as he followed them in from the den.

"Emmett, really! You and Rose don't kiss all the time in front of me and think nothing of it", I scoffed, holding Carlisle tight to me.

"Yes but Mom, you're the Mom. Mom's do not do that sort of thing", Emmett insisted.

"Hold it, Emmett. I'm about to be a Mom. You don't really think I'm going to give up having Edward every chance I get, do you?", Bella asked.

"That's just gross. Not after you are a parent Bella, really. You guys better get all of that in now so you can give it up after the kid comes out", Emmett went on, "Besides, after he comes out won't that kind of stretch things anyway so that you won't want to?"

"EMMETT!", Carlisle, Bella, Edward and I all said at the same time. Rose even yelled his name from the other room!

"Inappropriate, son!", I told him, "And anyway, Carlisle is going to take the baby so that it will never come out the traditional way, regardless . . . not that that would make your statement true if it did! I had a baby the traditional way, you don't see Carlisle shying away from me do you?"

Edward was laughing, he just could not seem to help it. Bella was so red and had such a look that could kill on her face that it was not long till we were all in stitches. Emmett was just so totally ridiculous sometimes.

"What?", Emmett asked, a hurt, misunderstood look on his face.

"Come on out of here you big oaf," Rose said as she grabbed him by the ear and started to literally drag him back into the living room. "Edward, come beat this jackass at video games while Bella shows Mom how to do the turkey!", she added.

"Boys, sometimes they just have no manners at all", I said to Bella.

"I'm going upstairs to change, Petal", Carlisle said as he kissed me on the cheek as well and headed out of the room. "Edward", he said over his shoulder as he reached the stairs, please find me before you leave tonight, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Edward shrugged his shoulders, kissed Bella on the cheek and headed off to play video games with Emmett.

"Well Bella, now that the disruptions have left, how do I deal with this turkey?", I asked, handing her an apron as we both continued to laugh at our family.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I knew what Carlisle wanted, of course. He had just returned from the hospital taking the sample of Jake's blood. I suspected, as he did, that Jake was not sick. Jacob was about to phase into a wolf for the first time. I had no idea how to handle it, the boy thought all the legends of his tribe were the ramblings of old men. I suspected that part of his dislike for me stemmed from the fact that we were natural enemies, he just didn't know it. I would have to find time in private to talk to him about it in the next few days. I had met his grandfather and Ephraim Black was a reasonable man, I was sure I could reason with Jacob. Especially since we had struck up somewhat of a friendship, in spite of our rivalry over Bella. This is one time I was glad Sue Clearwater would be here in a couple of days as she was one of the tribal Elders and would have answers for both of us.

It took only minutes to soundly whip Emmett at Call of Duty and just a few moments longer to run upstairs and share my concerns about Jacob with Carlisle and agree that I should talk to him. I just had to make sure that any alone time between he and Bella happened soon, as I could not allow her near him without me present if he phased. It was just too dangerous.

We headed back to the house to spend some time with Bella's parents and Jacob. They would be through with their wrapping and Jacob with his nap and ready for some dinner that Bella had warming in the oven. She was amazing at cooking and always had things prepared in advance, or was able to throw things together at a moments notice.

Dinner was uneventful, conversation about how beautiful it was here, what a good cook Bella was, how well Dale's team continued to do in the racing world and how excited everyone was for it to be Christmas Eve. Bella hadn't touched much of her dinner and as I took plates into the kitchen was glad to see her eating from a plate beside the sink, picking at it as she did the dishes. I put my arms around her as she stood there by the sink and kissed her neck. She didn't turn to kiss my lips like she usually did and it was then that I noticed. Bella was eating raw steak. Drippy raw steak that she had cut into smallish bites on the plate beside the sink.

"Are you alright, love?", I asked her as I turned her to face me.

"Fine sweetheart, why?", she asked.

"Because, you always seem anxious to kiss me, always till now, love. What's wrong?", I asked again as I quickly touched my lips to hers before she could turn away.

She said nothing.

"Bella, the taste of raw meat doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, it's way more pleasant than any of the other foods you eat, love", I told her.

"Edward", she said shyly, refusing to meet my eyes, "It's just so odd that I want it raw, that it tastes good to me. I have always liked meat well done because I hate the taste and sight of blood. I've never liked that before."

"Bella, you've never been pregnant with the child of a vampire before," I whispered into her ear, "You are bound to have cravings and if the boy is anything like his father, he wants blood, love."

She looked at me as though I had slapped her.

"I never considered that, Edward. He would, wouldn't he. He would want his natural diet, he would not know any different. It would just be instinct for him, wouldn't it?", she asked.

"I don't know, love. It sounds feasible. We don't know how much he takes after me and how much of him is human. Don't worry about the meat, eat as much as you want. Just please never refuse to kiss me, I can't bear to think you don't want me, Bella."

"Edward! you know very well that wasn't anything to do with it, I was just embarrassed, that's all. Sometimes I forget the vampire side of you or of course I would have known that you wouldn't be grossed out. I'm sorry, baby. I always want to kiss you, you know that", she told me as her lips consumed mine and her tongue traced my lips, wanting my tongue to come out and play.

"With my parents here, I was just thinking human, that's all", she added when she released me so that she could breath.

"Hey guys, even in the kitchen?", Renee commented as she brought more plates in to be washed, helping us to clear off the table.

"Mom, ready to go caroling?", Bella asked her.

"Yes. Everyone, get your coats and hats and gloves and lets get to town! We don't want to be late!", Renee announced.

Phil grabbed his coat and Mom's as Charlie grumbled that he couldn't sing anyway. I grabbed Bella's and my coat and walked with her out the door to where my family was waiting in the driveway. They already had the cars warmed up for the humans and were bundled up in their unnecessary coats and hats to keep up the human facade. I chuckled as Jacob refused to get a coat, announcing that he was just naturally hot. Little did he know, of course he didn't need a jacket . . . he was a part of our mythical world, he just wasn't aware of it yet.

We all accompanied Carlisle and Esme to the 7 pm church service on the green in town. For the first time ever, after years of traveling the world, learning ancient languages and pouring over ancient manuscripts to discern meanings first hand, I accepted the fact that I had a soul. I stood behind her with my arms around her waist and thanked God for my Bella and all that she had shown me about myself and life. I had been around for 110 years, but a 19 year old human had schooled me when it came to seeing myself more clearly. She was my soul mate and I had seen the beauty of her soul. If she was my other half, then I did indeed have a soul, vampire or not, and a chance at heaven . . . if I ever died.

We all took candles and followed the masses as they split up and headed down the rows of houses near town to sing Christmas songs. The lights were twinkling, everything was decorated to the hilt and there was a crispness in the air . . . the smell of snow. I was betting we would have a white Christmas and I could not be happier. Right here in my arms was everything I would ever need, or want. Bella reached an arm around Jacob as we sang and I could not bring myself to be mad about it. He had saved her, taken care of her when I had failed to be there for her. I owed him everything and I realized that it also meant I would help him through what was about to happen to him, through bringing him into our world, letting him know what I was and what he was becoming. I owed him that.

~oooOooo~

"Oh God . . . Edward . . . don't ever stop, please baby . . . never stop . . .", Bella said almost incoherently.

It was her own fault, really. She knew if she wore that blue backless nightgown that I wouldn't be able to control myself. I only thought she was soft before, her body feeling so fragile to me, but now . . . now she was the softest cloud, the smoothest velvet . . . it was amazing. She was so beautiful.

I had to be sure and hold myself off her now, refusing to squish Masen or cause him discomfort in any way. I realized that one kick from him in protest could probably break a rib, as she already had a couple of bruises he had given her that showed on her belly. I laid by her side and nuzzled her neck as I stroked her breasts. I knew she wanted me, she wanted to feel my body pressing her into the mattress, but I would find a different way to satisfy her.

I settled between her legs, keeping my torso off her. She was just so beautiful, lying there with both me and my child inside her. I was overcome with emotion. I grabbed her knee and rolled us onto our sides so that I could kiss her while we made love. Her hands tangled in my hair as she tried to consume me, touching every possible inch of me to her.

"I love you, Bella", I told her as I kissed down her neck towards her shoulder, "I love you more than anything else in the world, sweetheart."

"I know you do, baby. I love you just as much, I just can't get enough of you Edward, I can't touch enough of you, can't hold enough of you to me. Please, please hold me close to you, baby", she insisted as she clung to me. I pulled her tight against me, pulling her leg tight around my hip.

Masen was awake and I questioned the five month pregnant status as he kicked at me, pressed up against his Mom. I knew Carlisle was making his best guess, based on size, but I somehow knew that Masen was developed far beyond what we thought, I would need to keep a close watch on him. We had to get him out before he decided to do it himself! I didn't want Bella's entry into my world to be because we had to use venom to save her life.

My mind settled back on his Mom. She was coming unglued again from our actions, our hips rocking into each other and my hands tracing pattens on her back. She screamed out before I could cover her mouth with mine and I knew the family heard. It wasn't late at night and they may have even still been up. It couldn't be helped. It was my house and my wife. I didn't want her embarrassed or her parents uncomfortable, but this was exactly where she belonged, in my bed. She was _mine._

The last of the flames were dying out in the fireplace as I reached for the controls of the heating blanket. We were trying to be discrete and having our room at 85 degrees would have caused questions. It was easier just to turn on the electric blanket to warm my body up against hers and keep her teeth from chattering. She was fast asleep, spent after several hours of lovemaking with me.

I was content to lie beside her and have my hand on our child, feeling him moving and listening to his thoughts. He was developing quickly mentally. He knew who I was and when I was listening to his thoughts. It was as if he sensed my presence in his mind. I told him I was Daddy and that he needed to be careful not to hurt his Mom, that he was stronger than she was and he had to be gentle with her. I told him to tell me when he needed to come out, when the desire to escape overcame him and to let me get him out, not to try and do it himself as he would hurt his Mom. I planned on telling him this every night till he was born, every night until I was sure he understood me.

I heard a noise downstairs. A human was moving around in the living room. One of my siblings was outside my house, standing guard just in case. They would alternate, taking turns each night until we had taken care of Victoria and her friend. They would not leave Bella unguarded and they could never be sure if I had fallen asleep at night or not. We took no chances.

I went downstairs to check on whoever was up only to find Charlie adding things to my stocking as well as Bella's.

"Charlie. I heard something and just came down to check", I said as I entered the room.

"Yes, well, I heard something myself a little while ago, but I was smart enough not to check on it this time", he said with a snicker.

If I could have blushed, I would have. Instead, I guess I just grinned at him and ducked my eyes from his stare.

"Don't worry about it, son. This is your house and she's your wife. I have been giving it a lot of thought today. I know she's my daughter and it's hard for me to let go, but you have been nothing but good to her since you found her last summer and I believe you two have a real chance at being happy together, happily ever after that is. I suppose if I thought about it, I would be more worried if I didn't hear those noises coming from your room. You are after all a 19 year old male and my daughter loves you beyond all reason", Charlie told me.

I had to sit down. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from him verbally and his thoughts backed up his words.

"Thank you, Charlie. I love her more than anything else in the world and I promise I will never leave her and she will never want for anything. Ever. I have more money right now that we could spend in our lifetime and I can earn more if we want to. She can, literally, do anything she wants Charlie and I will support her in doing it. College, career, or stay at home parent. Anything that makes her happy, Charlie", I told him as I stared him in the face.

"I believe you, son . . . I believe you. You look at her like I used to look at Renee . . . and I never got over her", he added softly.

"Well, big day tomorrow. Better get some shut eye. I just need to drop a few _Santa_ things off down here while no one was around", he said as he stood to go to bed. He turned before he reached the stairs and said, "Goodnight, Edward . . . and Merry Christmas, son."

Wow. He had come over to the dark side. Charlie liked me. Charlie actually liked me. He heard his daughter scream out as I made love to her and told me that it was a good thing that those noises came from our room, that he should probably be worried about it if he didn't hear it. I hoped I was awake and not dreaming.

My father stepped in the front door and sat beside me on the sofa.

"That was amazing, son. You actually won him over. I knew that you and Bella were kind of loud tonight, but he heard and was okay with it. That's huge. Congratulations son, you amaze me once again", Carlisle said as he stood to go back outside and keep watch.

"Are we due for another ultrasound soon, Dad?", I asked.

"I suppose we could. No one will be there tomorrow or Sunday, why don't we try for Sunday afternoon, that way there will be a week in between images", he said, "Why? Is something wrong, Edward?"

"No, no. Not _wrong_, I just think Masen is far more developed than we think. I almost sense that I can converse with him, that he understands me. I talk to him every night while Bella sleeps and I think he is beginning to understand me."

"Phenomenal. That is just absolutely fascinating, son. Let's get another image then. It won't hurt anything and perhaps a due date in March may be too far off. Perhaps your son is more anxious than that to get out here with us!", Carlisle allowed.

"Just so we get him out before he tries to do it himself, Dad. She already has a couple of bruises on her belly from his kicks and last night Bella was eating raw steak. The boy is definitely more than human", I told my Dad.

"Yes, that much is obvious", Carlisle agreed.

"What the hell does that mean?", Jacob said as he flipped on the light and entered the room with us.

"Jacob. I didn't hear you there", I told him.

"No kidding. Now, what the hell do you mean that the kid is more than human?", he asked again.

"Jacob, I suppose this is as good a time as any to have a talk with you", Carlisle said looking at me out of the corner of his eye. His mind was flying. He was going to explain the legends to Jacob, tell him that his tribe's old stories were in fact true. I hoped he knew what he was doing.

"Jacob, I was going to wait till Tuesday when Sue Clearwater was here to have this discussion with you, but it seems the time is now", Carlisle said as Jacob moved to sit in the recliner in front of us.

"Hear me out, Jacob. The legends your tribe speaks of, being descended from wolves . . . they are absolutely true", Carlisle told him. "I know they are true because Edward and I were there. We made the treaty with your grandfather, Ephraim Black some 70 years ago, Jacob. Your tribe is descended from wolves and we are the cold ones that your legends speak of, my family and I", Carlisle told him.

"That's not possible, Carlisle. I'm friends with Edward. I actually like him and that couldn't happen if we were natural enemies", Jacob said quietly, scoffing at the very idea.

"Jacob, you haven't phased yet into your wolf form. The process is just starting for you, that's what the increased temperature is all about and your irritability. Once you have phased a time or two your normal temperature will be 109 all the time. Haven't you noticed you don't get cold? Tonight, everyone had a coat but you, don't you think that strange?", I asked him.

"Edward, if all this is true, then that makes you a vampire", Jacob mused.

"Yes, Jacob", I said as I stared directly into his eyes, "I am a vampire".

He looked wildly around the room, his eyes as large as saucers.

"But you are married to a human . . . Bella is human! The legends say that isn't possible, that you would kill her if you even tried to be with her. What about that?", Jacob asked, his mind desperately trying to prove my words wrong.

"That is the reason I left her in the first place, Jacob. I wanted her to have a safe, human life and my world offered too many dangers for her. I left to keep her safe and it almost killed us both. You saw her after I left", I said, looking him straight in the eye.

"Yea, I saw her. But, how do you . . . you . . . I mean, she's pregnant for God's sake! If the legends are true, you should have had her for lunch or snapped her like a twig, not gotten her pregnant and taken care of her!", he almost growled as he said it, accused me really.

"Well, anyway, that's what I meant when I said the boy is more than human. We are not sure how much more, but he is definitely almost stronger than his mother even now", I said.

"This is just too much to take in. I want to talk to Sue about this. Is this why Sam has been so insistent that he needed to talk to me?", Jacob asked.

"Yes, I suppose so", I answered him, "But Jacob. I want you to understand, I consider you a friend. I refuse to consider you an enemy, you mean too much to Bella."

"Oh my God. . . Bella. Does she know, Edward? Does she know about all of this?", he asked, horrified that she might be in over her head and not even know it.

"She heard the legends from you, Jacob. She knows about me, but we have never discussed the wolves. I wasn't sure you would ever phase, after you left La Push, so we have never discussed it. Since she knows that our part of the legend is true, she must realize that the rest is true as well", I told him.

"Are you telling me she knowingly married a vampire, Edward?", Jacob asked, his mind reeling.

"Yes, Jake, I did.", Bella answered as she rounded the corner into the living room with us.


	44. Chapter 44 First Christmas

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 44 First Christmas  
**

"_Are you telling me she knowingly married a vampire, Edward?", Jacob asked._

"_Yes, Jake, I did", Bella answered as she rounded the corner into the living room with us._

**EPOV**

My wife entered the room and came to sit beside me on the sofa, taking one of my hands in her hand and placing her other hand on the inside of my thigh.

"Jake, I figured out what Edward was after you and I walked on the beach at La Push and you told me the story that the Quilettes were descended from wolves and the Cullen's were a rival clan, _cold ones._ I noticed that Edward's skin was cold to the touch and hard, that he didn't eat and he was incredibly fast and strong."

"What the hell, Bella! How could you do something like that?", Jacob said as he jumped to his feet and paced back and forth.

My body tensed. I had no idea what would make him phase and neither did he as it would be his first time. I knew he needed to calm down. In the fraction of a second that it took for these thoughts to race through my mind, Bella spoke.

"Jake", she said, standing and reaching to grasp his forearm, "I knew there was a possibility that you were a werewolf and I left town with you! I knew that at least part of the legends were true because of Edward, why wouldn't I think the legends would be true for you as well?", she reasoned with him.

He calmed somewhat at her touch and her soothing voice so I remained seated for now, making sure I could grab her and move her away from him at the least indication that something was about to occur. Carlisle's thoughts mirrored mine and he sat anxiously remembering our meeting with Ephraim Black so many years ago, and with Sam Uley more recently. He was sitting, tense as I was willing to following my lead.

"But Bella, vampires _kill_ and _drink blood_ for God's sake! He could kill you!", Jake said and looked at me with a murderous glare. His thoughts ran wild, fleeting so quickly they were hard to discern. He was having trouble believing the legends at all, much less that she would be with me if she knew the truth.

"The Cullen family does not kill humans, Jacob, we never have. We live on the blood of animals", Carlisle calmly told him.

"That's right, Jake. It's no different than you eating steak or venison or lamb. Same thing. You kill to eat as well. How many hamburgers and hot dogs, Jake? How often do you have bacon? They were alive once, did you ever think about what you were eating?", Bella explained to him defiantly.

Carlisle and I both looked at her and at each other in amazement. I guess we had never really thought about it like that, but she was right. We just consumed different parts of the animal! Once again, my wife deserved more credit than I had ever given her. Her mind filed things in such a logical manner, much as I thought mine did, but her conclusions and justifications were so very different. She had actually considered all this before, I never had.

"But Bella, his strength . . . if the legends are correct, being with you isn't even possible", Jake spoke quietly, willing her to understand what he was saying.

Bella looked down at her belly and rubbed it with her hand, garnering Jacob's attention to the fact that she was pregnant by me, proving that it was indeed possible.

"Not all parts of legends are true, Jacob. Have you howled at the full moon lately? Ripped anyone apart and had them for lunch?", Bella asked. "No, I thought not. Well Edward has never hurt me. Yes he had incredible strength, but he is always careful and loving with me, Jake. You see that yourself! It takes effort on his part, but it's a choice, Jake. We all have choices to make about what's important to us. You and Edward are important to me, werewolf, vampire, whatever mythical creature you want to add. We are friends, you and Edward are friends and Edward is my husband, Jake . . . my mate, and vampires mate for life", she insisted.

"I had no idea. No idea at all. I never believed my Dad, never once considered that the legends were true . . . even any part of them. This is going to take awhile to sink in. Sue is coming in a few days, right?", he asked.

"Yes, she will be here on Tuesday", I answered him as Bella sat back down beside me.

Jacob returned to his seat, his head in his hands.

"This is like not knowing who you really are and waking up one day to see someone in the mirror that you don't even know", he said softly.

Bella crossed the small space to kneel in front of him and take his hands.

"I love you, Jake. Let us help. I know Edward is supposed to be the enemy, but he's your friend, Jake. Stay here with us till you're comfortable with all this. Sue will help I'm sure, being a tribal Elder, she must know how to handle all this. Call Sam. Whatever it takes", Bella told him.

"Does your family know, Chica?", Jacob asked,seeming more calm now.

"No, no one outside can know, Jake. The mythical world has to remain secret. I only know because I put two and two together, spending so much time around Edward. If you are not a part of this world, you can't know about it. That's probably why you were never told. They probably had to wait to see if you had the gene that let you phase into wolf form", she explained.

"How do you know that will happen to me? Maybe I just have a fever, you know!", Jake questioned, looking toward Carlisle and thinking about the tests he was supposed to be running.

"Jacob, when I took a blood sample from you yesterday I wasn't testing for germs, I did a chromosomal count. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, Jake. Vampires have 25. You have 24 . . . obviously more than just human, that's why we are willing to tell you all this", Carlisle explained.

"Huh. Wish I knew what that meant, doc. You're gonna have to dumb it down a little. I should have listened in biology, but I take your word for it", Jacob said.

"Well, there is plenty of time for questions and answers, Jacob, and Carlisle and I will help however we can. Tonight, however, it's Christmas and my pregnant wife needs her rest. Let's just enjoy each others company today and the holiday. I'm sure Sue will have some answers for you. Is that okay with everyone?", I asked as I looked at each of them.

Bella hugged me to her as I stood and she put an arm around Jake.

"My two favorite guys in the world. I love that you two are friends, no matter what!", Bella said as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Damn it, Chica. Stop with the waterworks. Okay okay. I'll handle it, we will all stay friends no matter what, I promise. Just turn off the damned tears, you know I can't deal with those!", Jake fussed at her.

I put my hand out to Jacob and he took it, Bella placing her hand on top and we all shook.

"Friends", I said, "regardless."

~oooOooo~

Bella put her arm around me as Carlisle left, closing the front door after him and Jacob headed up the stairs in front of us. We walked to our room, shut the door and climbed into bed from the side nearest the door, never bothering with a light, dropping her robe and my pajama pants as we walked, never loosing contact with each other or speaking a word.

We faced each other, covered in blankets and Bella hitched her leg over my hip as I entered her. It was one fluid movement, as though you were making up a bed or putting on a pair of favorite jeans. This understates it, of course . . . she was everything to me, but the familiarity and knowledge of what we would both want right now was there, all the same. We needed no words between us. I wrapped my arms around her and she tucked her head into my neck with one hand entwined in the hair at the nape of my nec. She played with the curls there for only a moment before falling fast asleep.

I had no idea it could ever be like this with a woman. I had never read the mind of anyone who was thinking about experiencing anything similar. We were more connected than any one I had ever encountered. She was in fact, my other half. It was as though, being with her allowed me to have everything I ever wanted, that she somehow willed me to have whatever it was and it was there. Sleeping, for example. I told her it was the one thing I missed about being human and now it seemed I could almost sleep at will. Amazing. I wondered if this was a gift she had, something latent in her even though she was human, something that would show up when she became an immortal. She was gifted, that much was for certain.

Morning light came through the windows. I had not slept, preferring to spend the hours talking to my son and listening to his mind. He grew daily in intelligence and he was able to copy sounds in his mind that he had heard from us. Some of them were kind of disconcerting, moaning for example, but the vocabulary he was developing was impressive.

I was still, having laid with her, unmoving the entire night save for moving one of my hands to her belly. I was completely engrossed in all things to do with Masen. Her hand was still entwined in hair at the back of my neck and the base of my erection. That had not changed either and I loved it. I think we both just liked the feeling of being physically connected, of feeling like a part of each other.

I moved my hand from her belly to her cheek, gently stroking her jaw line, willing her to wake up. She nuzzled into me further, rocking her hips against me before she even opened her eyes.

"Ummmm, I love waking up with you this close to me", she all but whispered to me as she continued to gently rock her hips back and forth.

"Not as much as I love being this close to you, my wife", I answered, kissing her hair and tightening my arms around her, my hips responding to hers.

We lay there, moving together for a long moment before either of us spoke again.

"Merry Christmas", we almost said in unison, then laughed and hugged each other tighter.

"Our first Christmas together, sweetheart", she said as she traced kisses up my neck, finding my lips.

"The first Christmas in an eternity of Christmases, love", I reminded her.

"I just didn't know it was possible to be this happy, Edward."

I felt as though I would burst, I wanted nothing more than for her to be happy and content in her life with me and I would do all I could to see that she always felt that way.

"There is only one thing that I am truly upset about", she added.

Oh God. I had no idea what it would be, but whatever it was I would find a way to fix it. I wanted everything perfect for her and I was still not above having some insecurities rise to the top of my emotions if I allowed it. I knew she would never leave me, I had accepted it . . . most of the time.

I stared at her, my mouth agape and I'm sure fear shot across my face before I could control my expression.

"What, love? What has you upset this morning?", I asked, stunned that anything could be wrong.

"Well", she said with a coy smile and a pout that started to alleviate my fears, "I want to kiss you while we make love." She brought both of her hands, entwined with mine, to her belly and rubbed it with the backs of my hands, "and I can't each your lips with this belly in the way!"

The pout on her face was adorable.

"Well, we might just have to start spending twice as long each day making love . . . half of the time kissing and the other half with me sheathed inside you, love", I told her, stifling the laugh that was trying to come out as I spoke, she just looked so damned cute sitting naked atop me, complaining that she wanted to be able to kiss me as well.

God I loved this woman.

"See, love. I can still kiss you while we make love. Your belly isn't big enough that we can't do it this way for awhile yet", I said with my lips against hers.

She threw her arms around my neck, her hands entwining in their favorite position at the nape of my neck.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I just wanted all of you, for as long as we can manage it", she said softly.

We held each other, rocking back in forth for the longest moment.

"Bella", I addressed her with her name for a change instead of an endearment, "would it be alright if we exchanged one gift now, while we're alone this morning?"

"I'm so glad you suggested that, baby", she said as she leaned to her night side table and took a small box from the top drawer, remaining astride me and keeping me inside her as she did it.

I looked at the delicately wrapped box in her hand and scooted us closer to my night side table, where I reached for a similarly small box, slightly larger than the ring sized box she held. Mine wrapped in blue with a white bow - standard from Tiffany's.

"You first", she said as she handed me the small box.

Her excitement grew as I removed the bow and started to lift the lid of the box. She was biting her lip in anticipation, making me wonder what in the world she had gotten me that would make her so anxious. It was a ring. An absolutely beautiful thick men's signet ring. Instead of an initial on the face of it, there was the delicate engraving of a swan . . . a swan with deep red garnets for eyes, so deep a color and so small they they gave the impression of being brown - the color of my wife's eyes. I looked up at her.

"I never got to pick out your wedding ring when we were married, you selected both of ours since I was in the hospital. I thought you might wear this ring that I picked for you as well. It should be small enough to fit with your wedding band . . . I had it made to fit flush against one side", she told me with a certain amount of trepidation in her voice, as though there were any question that I would not love it and wear it.

"Bella". I heard the word escape my lips, but it had been completely involuntary. She took the ring from me and stared into my eyes.

"Will you wear this? Do you mind if it shows that you're mine?", she asked me, the ring in her hand poised to slip it onto my finger.

"I will marry you a hundred times over, love, if you want me to. I love that you got me a ring and want it obvious that I'm yours", I looked into her eyes, willing her to truly understand what I was about to say to her, "I _am_ yours, Isabella." I kissed her lips softly. "Thank you, love . . . and thank you for having me as yours."

She slipped the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly and as she said, it fit flush against my wedding band with the swan slightly sticking out above the band on the topside of the ring. It was simple, appropriate and meant a great deal to me. She really did own me . . . and I would have it no other way.

"Your turn", I said as I handed her my present.

She opened it slowly, carefully, as though it would break. The box contained a simple charm bracelet made of platinum with a half dozen emeralds encased in the hollow of the links, evenly spaced around the bracelet. It was large enough to hang loosely on he wrist, but small enough that the clasp had to be undone to remove it.

"Edward", she exclaimed, "I love it!"

I took the bracelet out of the box and placed it on her wrist as she continued to admire it.

"That's not the real gift though, love", I told her. I pulled up the velvet holder that the bracelet had encircled and took out the charm that I had hidden there. "Bella, this was my mothers", I said full of emotion, "It's a fair representation of me. It's hard and cold and it casts rainbows and sparkles in the sunlight. More importantly, like my heart, it too is now yours."

"Edward. Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, love, its a diamond. I want you to have it", I told her as I kissed her lips.

"Edward, this has to be like, a dozen carats or more."

"Something like that, love. It doesn't matter. Do you like it?", I asked her, worried that she thought it too large or gaudy.

"I love it. It's just perfect", she said as I attached it to the center of the bracelet. "You put emeralds in the bracelet to remind me of your eyes when you were human, didn't you, the color I hope Masen's will be?"

"I did. Just like I think you did with the eyes of the swan on my ring."

It didn't matter that we had just made love a couple of times. It didn't matter that my length had been sheathed in her for hours before that. We made love like it was the very first time, like everything was new to us, every touch, every emotion. We came together with such intensity and calling out each others names so loudly that I was sure the entire house and certainly my family in their home up on the hill had heard us. I was just as certain that I could not care less.

~oooOooo~

**Renee POV **

"More coffee, Charlie?", I asked as I stood to grab a second cup for myself.

"Sure, thanks Renee", he said holding his cup out for me.

I had been up an hour or so. I thought I would have breakfast ready for everyone, kind of a treat on Christmas morning and it was the one meal that I really could cook well. I had found bacon and sausage as well as eggs in the refrigerator and a waffle iron set out on the counter. There was an abundance of everything in bowls on the counter, steaming hot and ready for everyone to have a much as they wanted. We were already on our second pot of coffee, the three of us, and Jacob, Bella and Edward had not yet come downstairs.

"So what's the plan?", I asked, just sort of throwing it out there to see if the boys had any idea of what was planned for the day.

"I think we are opening stockings and presents here this morning, then Esme is preparing a meal for the afternoon and presents at their house", Charlie said, "at least that was the plan when I spoke to Edward last night.

"You were up with Edward last night?", I asked.

"Well, I was doing some _Santa_ things in the living room and he heard me making noise and came to investigate. It was after midnight and I thought everyone would be asleep", he looked up at me sort of embarrassed, "even those two."

His meaning was clear. We all understood that our daughter did not sleep nearly as much as one would think, given the amount of time she spent in her bedroom. Just then, as if to punctuate the thought, we all heard quite clearly, the names of the two newlyweds being called out in a moment of passion. There was no mistaking it and it was not quiet. I raised my eyebrows and cocked my head to one side as I turned to set the coffee pot back down on the warmer, Charlie just shaking his head.

Phil laughed, "At least the kids have excellent timing! Now I suppose they'll be down to join us for breakfast."

Charlie and I both glared at him. "What?", he said looking sheepish.

"Who is killing who?", Jacob said as he strode into the kitchen, "That almost makes me scared to pass by their door again!" He was laughing as he grabbed a plate and helped himself.

A few more pages on the financials for Phil and the sports section for Charlie and another plate full of food for Jacob and the two of them made their way into the kitchen, freshly showered.

"Working up an appetite?", Phil kidded them, somewhat inappropriately.

Bella turned beet red, but Edward just shrugged his shoulders and headed for the coffee pot.

"Edward just gave me my Christmas present", Bella said, holding her arm out for me to see.

"So we heard", I smirked at her.

"MOM! I meant the bracelet!", she insisted, somewhat taken back that I would join in the ribbing.

Edward just leaned back against the counter, crossing his ankles with his palms on the counter and smirked.

"Oh my, Bella! It's beautiful!", I told her.

"The diamond was Edward's mother's", she said as she turned the bracelet so that I could see the charm.

I know my eyes looked like they would pop put of my head. I tried to contain my expression . . . I knew their finances, yet seeing a diamond that size totally shocked me. I had no idea what it could possibly be worth, but I was sure it was more than everything I had ever owned combined.

"Edward, the bracelet is beautiful. You still have your mother's jewelry?", I asked him.

"I have a few things. Since I didn't get to give Bella my Mom's engagement ring, I thought she might like to have the charm", he told me.

"Well, you can always let Masen use your mother's ring when he is old enough to ask someone to marry him", I told him.

Bella looked at him and they both smiled. "That's an excellent idea, Renee", Edward said.

Bella guided me to where Edward stood still leaning against the counter and reached for his hand.

"I gave Edward one of his presents as well", she said. "I didn't get to pick out his wedding ring when we were married, so I got him this", she smiled as she looked at her husband.

"Wow! How did you get stones that look so brown, sweetie?", I asked, "They look like your eyes."

"It's perfect", Edward said, his other arm reaching out to go around my daughter.

"So is this lovey dovey stuff going to continue all day?", Jacob said looking at Bella and Edward, "I'm just checking, cause if it is, I'm gonna need to eat less so that I barf less!", he chided.

The entire room broke out in laughter as Edward hugged Bella to him and Charlie 'humphed' to himself.

Emmett walked in about that time and the first words out of his mouth were, "Glad to see you didn't break my little sister this morning, Eddie. Damn, I heard you guys all the way out in the yard!"

"EMMETT", we all exclaimed together.

"What? I was just bringing Eddie boy's present from Bella down here like Rosie told me to! I'm supposed to also tell you all that Esme said dinner will be ready about 2 o'clock, so there is lots of time to open presents this morning. Well, gotta go - presents wait for no man!", Emmett said over his shoulder as he left and headed back up the hill.

"Bella?", Edward looked at my daughter inquisitively and started to push himself off the counter to head outside and see his gift.

"Wait, wait. Just wait and let me see if it's ready", she said as she pushed him back against the counter and scurried off out the door.

I knew what it was, of course. Bella and I had talked about the motorcycles that she and Rose had ordered for the family and I wondered how Edward was going to react.

Her head appeared in the crack of the door to the patio just enough for her to call to him. He moved faster that I had ever seen in his haste to get to her. I guess he really wanted to know just what she had gotten for him. There on the patio, parked next to the blue motorcycle she had gotten for her award from the racing foundation, was a beautiful emerald green bike. It seemed to match hers in styling, except for something sticking out the side of the bike and the fact that it had a seat made for two on it, unlike hers that only seated one.

"Bella!", Edward exclaimed as he threw a leg over the bike and held it upright off the kick stand, "I love this!"

"I thought we could ride together", she said to him.

A frown crossed his face, which he immediately checked but not before my daughter saw it.

"I thought we could ride together on two bikes after I have the baby, but I got a two up seat on your bike so that I could ride with you now", she explained as she put her arm around him.

"Thank you", I heard him tell her as he nuzzled her neck, "You know I would worry if we were on separate bikes while you're . . . pregnant."

It was odd, the inflection in his voice, as if he was meaning something other than what he was saying, but that was between them. He seemed incredibly excited about the bike and Bella climbed up behind him as he started the engine and did a turn around the driveway, parking it back exactly where it had been, next to her bike.

"It's freezing out here!", Bella exclaimed as she dismounted and Edward kissed her, before putting the kickstand down and taking her hand to follow the rest of us back into the house.

My daughter was a very lucky young woman and I knew that she realized it as well. I couldn't wait to see how the rest of this very special Christmas day would go!


	45. Chapter 45  Presents

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 45 Presents**

**BPOV**

We all headed back into the house and Edward excused himself to ready the presents for Jacob and my parents. I hoped we were not making a mistake in being so extravagant. I wasn't sure how my transformation would go after the baby was born and we had no idea how long I would need to stay away from humans as a newborn. This might be my last Christmas with my parents, so there were things we wanted them to have, things that money could buy for them that they might enjoy and we could easily provide them and Edward was all for it.

I finished my breakfast just as Edward came in the front door.

"Ready for stockings, sweetheart?", I asked from the kitchen.

"Soon as you get in here, love", he said and went to sit on the hearth in front of the fireplace where the stockings were hung.

I handed each person their stocking from _Santa _and we opened them one at a time so that all could see. They were filled with Swiss chocolates and peppermints mostly, but each one seemed to have a surprise in it. Interesting since I had been _Santa_ last night, that these stocking had some things in them that I had never seen before.

Jacob's stocking had an astounding amount of candy in it, probably to match his appetite. There was also a gift certificate for Snap-on tools so that he could purchase any items that he needed. He was really excited about it

Charlie's stocking contained candy as well, though not as much. The gift that was left in the stocking for Charlie was four season passes to all the Mariners games - really good seats in boxes with club level access and a parking pass for the year. He was thrilled.

Phil received a new cell phone in his stocking and Renee opened a jewelry box to find the most beautiful diamond pendant necklace with a B inscribed on the back of the setting.

"Well, Santa must have known that I would always like to be reminded of my daughter", Renee said with tears in her eyes.

Edward was next with the usual candies emptying from his stocking, but there was also a box that contained a wrist watch. As he turned the watch over, I saw the engraving on the back that said

_**Welcome to the family, Son.**_

_**Charlie**_

I beamed at my Dad, who averted his eyes. He really did avoid any display of emotion. Edward offered his thanks to _Santa _and a comment about what good taste _Santa_ had as I spilled the contents of my stocking into my lap.

There in the chocolates and candies was a box similar to the one that Edward's watch had been in. I opened it to find the ladie's version of the watch Edward had gotten with an inscription on the back as well saying

_**I love you**_

_**Always have . . . always will**_

_**Dad**_

My eyes started overflowing with tears as I flew to put my arms around Charlie's neck. He was forced to face the emotion that he was feeling and I saw his eyes fill as well, though he tried his best to hide it.

As we opened presents, I was thrilled at the thought my parents had put into gifts for Edward. Mom had made him an album of photos of me from when I was born and I knew I would be teased relentlessly about some of them! Though she had no way of knowing it, the album would help me to remember my human years, years that would supposedly become dim and distant to me after my transformation into a vampire. Mom and I could look over the photos now and tell the stories related to them and Edward's photographic memory would recall each and every one of them to me later, when I also had perfect recall, enabling me to keep my memories. I knew my Mom was intuitive, but this gift was perfect.

The watch that Charlie had given him via _Santa_ was important in that it represented his acceptance of Edward into the family and the ipad from Phil would enable Edward to trade more easily in the market, even if he was away from his laptop!

Jacob had given Edward a beautiful rifle for hunting, having overheard me refer to Edward as being out hunting at some point and I saw the amusement in Edwards eyes as he enthusiastically accepted the gift along with a box of rounds and went on about how anxious he was to try it out! Charlie eyes it and started talking about gun safety! Dad was always going to act like that I suppose.

It continued to amaze me how in tune my family was with each other or perhaps the situation this year. Jake handed me a small box to open, smaller than the one Edward had given me earlier in our room. Inside the small leather pouch in the box was a tiny carving of a russet colored wolf, intricately carved from wood.

"Jake, how did you know that Edward gave me a charm bracelet for Christmas?", I asked excitedly.

"I didn't, Chica. My Dad taught me how to make those before he died and I wanted the first one I completed to be for you. Guess it's just a bonus that you already have a bracelet to attach it to!", he said as I hugged him close.

My Dad gave me a camera as well, requesting that he have photos of the baby sent to him on a regular basis if we insisted on living so damned far from him and Phil gave me a day planner with all his upcoming games clearly marked, suggesting that we could meet at some of them and that the calendar would let me know if my Mom was home or not as far as scheduled events went.

Mom handed me a rather large box and I eyed her suspiciously. I opened it to find a quilt that she had made out of all the t shirts we had purchased from places we had been.

"I thought it would keep you warm, sweetie and remind you of all the fun we had together", Mom said. I loved it. It was perfect . . . a piece of her and our time together that I could keep with me, always. I was in tears, Edward's arms around me as we sat on the hearth in our home, my

family surrounding us. I loved her gift.

"I have one more gift for Edward and Jacob both", I said as I pulled two large boxes from behind the tree. I want you to open them at the same time.

Jake and Edward both looked at the boxes, then at each other. Edward shrugged his shoulders, then ripped into the box, making short work of the beautiful wrapping job. They both pulled their gifts free at about the same time, standing to put on the Hard Rock leather riding jackets that I had bought for each of them. I wasn't as good as Alice, of course, but the jackets did fit them!

"Thank you love", Edward said as he leaned in to kiss me, "I love it!"

"Yea, Chica, so do I . . . even though it means that we match", he said gesturing to Edward.

"Don't worry about that guys, everyone with a bike will match before the day is over!", I said with a smile.

Edward looked at me inquisitively and I squeezed his hand. It was time to give them our gifts and I knew that Edward would be better at explaining them than I would. He stood from where he was seated by me on the hearth and asked for their attention.

"Bella and I would like to thank all of you for being here with us to celebrate our first Christmas together. It has been a difficult year in many ways for all of us. I caused a lot of hurt when I left Bella last year and I want to thank all of you for accepting me back into your lives, but most especially I want to thank my wife for trusting me again and believing in us."

I stood beside him and threw my arms around him, hugging him to me.

"I love you Edward and I could never be happy without you. Thank you for finding me!", I told him just before kissing him right there in front of everyone.

My Dad cleared his throat and Renee giggled as I finally released my husband from my vice grip. He kept his arm around me, both of us facing our guests together as he continued to speak.

"You may find the gifts that Bella and I have selected for each of you to be somewhat unsettling."

He looked at me as he continued to speak.

"We want you to know that the gifts are from both of us and a lot of thought went into each one. I know we're young, but I have invested and worked in the market for almost 10 years now, since I was a small boy and I have done rather well. Because of this, we can do whatever we want, go wherever we want and have no worry over finances . . . ever. We want to share some of that with each of you, so please accept these gifts in the spirit in which they are given. We both really do love all of you."

"Well", I said, "they're parked out front! Race you to the door, Jake!", I said as I shot across the room to the front door and out onto the porch.

My family followed. They stood stone dead in their tracks, each one holding onto the porch railing and looking out to the front yard.

"Dad, the boat is for you, the truck is for Jake and the car is for Mom and Phil. Merry Christmas!"

Edward slipped my jacket over my shoulders, he was so fast no one had noticed him ducking back inside to get it for me. No one moved, my Mom stood with her hand over her mouth, Jake threw me a sly grin and my father was turning four shades of white as we all remained pretty much motionless.

Edward and I took a few steps down the stairs into the yard and turned to them, "Don't you like them?", I asked.

Jake was the first to move.

He walked with us over to his black, Harley Davidson edition Ford truck and ran his hand appreciatively along the hood.

"We didn't know exactly what you would like, Jacob, so we ordered it with everything on it, I hope it's alright", Edward told him.

"Dude, it's amazing. I have no words", Jake said as he shook Edward's hand and pulled him into that strange guy type one armed hug that they do.

Charlie was just standing in front of his boat, looking at it in disbelief.

"This is exactly the one I have always imagined, right down to the make and color. How could you possibly have known?", he looked at me with a grin on his face, somewhat astounded.

Edward. That's how I knew. Edward had pulled it out of his thoughts and ordered exactly the boat Charlie had always wanted. I wanted to get him a car so that he could leave the police cruiser at home, but Edward insisted that Charlie liked driving around town in the police cruiser, and that what he really had always wanted was a boat . . . this boat.

"I'm so glad you like it, Dad. We can have it shipped home to you after Christmas!", I told him.

"Well that's just . . . that's just something that is", he said as he ran his hand along the side and stepped on the fender of the trailer so that he could climb into the boat and check it out.

Renee was sitting in the passenger seat of the silver Mercedes, running her hand along it's soft leather contours.

"Edward, after showing me stocks and the tip you gave us, I feel like it's us that should be buying you a car, not the other way around!", Phil said.

"You need a comfortable way for Renee to travel to games with you, Phil and to come visit Bella and the baby. You seemed to like the rental car I had when we were down there, so we thought you might like to have one of your own", Edward explained.

"You were right, Edward. I love the car. Renee kept going on about how comfortable it was and how all the bags fit into the trunk when you guys went shopping at Thanksgiving.

Edward and I exchanged a few sentences with my family before claiming to be cold and retreating back into the house to sit on the sofa in front of the fire.

"That went over better than I expected so far", Edward said as he put his arms around me, "and hopefully when they have time to think about it they'll still be accepting of our gifts."

It was barely eleven o'clock and we weren't due at Edward's Mom's till around two. I leaned over and gently kissed his lips as we sat here in front of the fire and his arms tightened around me as he kissed me back, deepening the kiss and holding me tightly to him. I wasn't sure if it was minutes or hours that passed, Edward was half on top of me as we continued to kiss and make out passionately on the sofa like the teenagers we were. My hands grabbed his hair as his lips consumed me, his tongue exultant against mine. I could have kissed him for days without stopping, but the loud 'ahem' coming from Jake as he stood above us interrupted the moment.

"Do you guys do that all the time?", Jake asked.

"What? . . . Kiss? . . . ", I asked, righting myself on the sofa.

"Yea. Kiss, hug, all this kind of stuff", he said gesturing to our position next to each other.

"We do, Jake", I answered him, and remembering the talk we were having last night I added, "and _obviously _he doesn't hurt me."

"I still don't know how you are with her like that, Edward. You're not supposed to be able to even be near humans, much less all over them like that", Jacob said as he sat in the chair next to us, "It just doesn't make any sense."

"I love her, Jacob. I know the pain of being away from her and I would never do anything that might cause me that type of pain again. I could never hurt her", Edward told him.

"Well if a vampire can sit there kissing and fondling his natural food source, then I guess a werewolf can be friends with him", Jacob snickered, rising to punch Edward in the shoulder.

I didn't know how he did that without hurting himself, I would have broken my hand doing the same thing to Edwards hard shoulder.

I was kind of glad Jake had interrupted us, though, as Phil, Mom and Charlie filed back into the house, and their finding us necking would have been even more embarrassing!

Mom and I picked up all the papers and discarded boxes and Charlie sat at the fireplace burning them for us, until the room was straightened up again and there weren't gifts scattered everywhere.

"We have some gifts we need to bring down to take up to your parent's house, Edward", Renee said.

"That reminds me, so do I", said Charlie as they all headed off to retrieve their packages and get them ready to take to the other house.

"Do you want me to go help Rose get the other 'gifts' ready, Chiva?", Jake asked me.

I saw from the expression on Edward's face that he had read Jake's mind and knew what Rose and I had done. "That would be great, Jacob. She might need some help sneaking all of them out and putting them in order of who they are for", I said and he turned and headed out the door.

"You and Rose really bought all of us motorcycles?", Edward asked me with an eyebrow lifted as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Yea, we ordered them a month ago", I said uneasily. I was beginning to question spending all that money. "I hope you're not angry with me because I just . . ."

I was cut off from speaking by his lips pressed hard to mine. My husband continued kissing me for a long moment, not allowing me up for air or talking. When he finally had to allow me to breath, I pulled slightly away from him so that I could look at his face, so that I could look into his eyes and I saw only love there. He looked . . . happy!

"I hope you're okay with me spending the money for the bikes. Rose and I went in half on all of them and she is building a garage and storage area for them by your parent's garage", I told him.

"Baby, I couldn't be happier. I love that you spent money and bought gifts! I told you before, half of everything is yours to do with as you will. I love the bikes and I love that you put a seat for two on mine", he told me. "I don't want you to give up riding, Bella. I just want you to wait till you are a little more . . . durable, to ride by yourself. You don't have to ride behind me, I'll ride behind you if you like, I just need to be close enough to save you if there is any problem", he said shyly.

I stated kissing him again, only to be interrupted this time by my father coming down the stairs with an arm full of gifts to bring to the other house.

"Here, let me get the door for you and you can set those in the back of the car", Edward said as he hurried to get the door. I directed Renee and Phil out to the car with their gifts as well and we all decided to go on over, even though it was early. I could at least help Esme finish cooking dinner for all of us.

~oooOooo~

**Alice POV**

"I'm trying, Jasper. But she is my very best friend and it's so hard to stay away!", I told him.

"I know, darlin'. but they need this time by themselves. They already have so many interruptions and distractions. I was surprised to hear them this morning with her parents there, weren't you?"

"No. I saw. They stick to their routine of being together each morning and night regardless of where they are or who's around. Your stuffed shirt brother has really loosened up in the last six months."

"You're tellin' me", Jasper replied as he pulled me tighter against his hard body, "The lust coming off both of them has kept us busy almost everyday. I must say I enjoy the benefits . . . and so do you."

"That I do. That I do", I said as I kissed him just one more time before getting up to dress.

"They are going to keep up certain hours reserved for them to be alone once she is changed and I think we should do that as well. It's a great idea and it works well for them. Now hurry up, they're coming up here early and I want to see her", I said over my shoulder as I disappeared into our closet. "Your clothes are on the chair!", I called out to let him know.

I had everything perfect in the house, of course, from the garlands to the tree to the candles burning on the mantle. Rose and Emmett were watching a movie in the living room while Carlisle helped Esme with getting dinner ready. I had set the table in the dining room up as a buffet last night, complete with poinsettias and fir branches and all was ready.

I heard them drive up, Bella and Renee coming through the door first while the men brought the gifts from the trunk of the car into the house and placed them around the tree.

"I love the jackets!", Alice blurted out with a coy smile, as though she hadn't already seen the gifts to come. "Dude, you and your wife match! What's up with that, isn't that like something people do when they are really really old?". Emmett asked. Rose smacked him and we continued to greet the rest of our family.

There were hugs all round and murmurs of Merry Christmas as the last of the food was put into serving bowls and taken to the dining room. Esme was concerned that she hadn't cooked everything just right, but Bella convinced her that everything looked just as it should and smelled wonderful, something we would be unable to determine. Human food all smelled disgusting to all of us.

Carlisle asked us all to join hands as he prayed before we ate.

_Merciful God, _

_Bless this food we are about to eat and the people who prepared it. _

_We give thanks to you for the family that surrounds us, _

_the health you have given them and for the food we are about to consume._

_We ask for your continued blessings and for you to keep us all safe from harm,_

_Thine is the kingdom, the Power and the Glory_

_Amen_

"Let's eat!", I said as I grabbed a plate and handed it to Charlie.

"You better get in line in front of me, Alice. You're so small you need to eat every bit as much as Bella does", Charlie told her as he reached for a plate and put it into her hands.

"She eats like crazy, Charlie", Jasper told him, "she is just so full of energy she burns the calories off instantly. Half the time she has to go hunting for food in the middle of the night!"

Rosalie nearly chocked on her own venom over that comment as Carlisle brought his hand to his mouth in a mock coughing gesture. I had to give it to him, my husband was a master at very dry humor.

I watched the room as everyone put food on their plates, my family seeming to pass through the kitchen often and the trash can in there filling as their plates emptied little by little. The humans seemed to love the food, Bella telling Esme that everything had turned out well. The amount of food consumed showed the truth in her statement. I saw Jacob go back to the table for thirds, as did Charlie, even before the deserts were brought out.

**EPOV**

My parents and siblings had opened their stockings this morning and exchanged gifts, much the same as I had done with Bella and her family at our house. It seemed somewhat strange not to have been here. Other than last year, when I simply could not endure the pain that being with out Bella had caused, I don't ever remember missing a Christmas morning with them.

I had no regrets, though. I would have Bella with me and my family for eternity, she would probably only have this Christmas with her family before she joined my world completely. We had yet to talk about the details, whether she would fake her death or try and stay connected in some long distance way for a few years. Regardless, it would only be a few years till the fact that she didn't age would be noticed and could never let that happen.

I shook off those thoughts and concentrated on the people around me. Everyone was genuinely enjoying themselves this Christmas. As I looked around the room, my mother's stare caught my eye. She walked towards me. pulling me into a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas. Her thoughts told another story.

_Edward, I'm so very glad you found her again and brought her back into our lives. We missed you so very much last year . . . it didn't seem like a holiday with such a gaping hole in my family. She completes you in a way I had only dreamed of for you. You have everything you wanted and things you didn't even know to ask for._

"I know, Mom . . . I know", I said as I hugged her close and told her I loved her.

"If everyone is finished and stuffed like I know I am, let's settle into the living room and open presents, shall we", Carlisle said gesturing to the room that contained the Christmas tree and the gifts around it.

Everyone found seats facing the tree and got comfortable. Bella sat in the overstuffed chair and I sat on the floor at her heet so that I had my arm across her legs, stroking up and down the outside of her calf as we sat and waited for Alice to hand out the gifts.

It was the little pixie's job each year, partly because she was the most full of energy, and partly because she knew what the gifts were without ever looking, and orchestrated the event accordingly.

My siblings had gotten every fishing device known to man for Charlie - sonar, nets, poles, everything they could think of that he might possibly be able to use. Jasper and Emmett seemed interested in fishing along side him and were planning an excursion for the summer when they said they would visit him in Forks.

Alice, of course, got him a new sport coat claiming he needed some fashion in his life. She had gotten coats for all of the men and the latest designer fashions for the women claiming it was her responsibility to bring us into the 21st century with our clothing, and deliver us from the 80's that we all seemed to be stuck in!

Jacob was given tools for the most part, along with sweaters and boots from Bella's parents and a laptop from Carlisle and Esme, so that he could keep up with whatever business he chose and the expenses involved and manage it more effectively from the road.

Charlie bought books for my siblings and gift certificates for nights of dining out for my parents while Renee and Phil had gone the safe route of pretty sweaters for the kids and home decor for Esme and Carlisle.

I gave my customary silly plaques and tickets for vacations. I had no need to spend money on my family, unless there was a special gift that had come to mind. Bella had wrapped identical boxes for all my siblings as well as my parents and insisted that they all open them at the same time. On the card, she had included that they were from me as well. Just the simple inclusion of my name with hers made me smile.

"Hot Damn! I love this", Emmett declared as he stood to put on his leather Hard Rock jacket. Everyone looked at us in wonder as they all pulled out matching jackets and tried them on.

"Good! Now that we all match and won't freeze to death, come outside with me for a minute", Rosalie said excitedly, "Bella and I have gifts waiting for you!"

"She really managed to pull this off without you knowing about it?", Jacob asked as we walked to the back door and down the path to the side of the house.

"She sure did. I knew nothing until this morning when you saw me get the bike they bought for me. Since you already have a bike, I guess that means we can all go riding together before you have to leave", I told him.

My family stopped dead in their tracks when they saw 6 bikes lined up on the lawn. Their minds as well as the minds of the humans were silent. For a split second I heard nothing at all from any of my family. Then it started . . .

_Bikes? You bought us motorcycles?_

_Damn, I hope the Fat Boy is mine._

_I LOVE it! They had to know that yellow was my color, it matches my Porsche!_

_I hope they don't actually expect me to ride those! Head of Surgery, on a bike?_

_This should be interesting! Wonder if Carlisle will agree to have sex on it?_

_Huh. Two wheels, four wheels, water crafts . . . Bells knows not to spend like this . . ._

_Oh my . . . I hope she's careful riding those things._

I put my arms around my wife as we watched the reactions of our family. Bella explained that she had given me mine yesterday and since she and Jacob already had bikes, we could all go riding together!

"Carlisle, the black and red Road King is for you and the matching colored Low Rider Custom is for you, Esme", Bella told them. "The yellow Springer is for Alice and the black Night Rider is for Jasper", she continued.

"And the Red Fat Boy is for you, Emmett", Rosalie added. "It matches my Dino Glide!", she said as she moved to stand by her new Harley.

Emmett picked her up and swung her around, kissing her and thanking her, "You guys are awesome. I love having you as a little sister, Bella!"

The faces of our parents were the only ones that showed concern for the fact that we now all had motorcycles. Charlie looked the most worried, then Carlisle, Esme, Renee and Phil.

Bella spoke up to try and ease their concerns saying, "Don't worry you guys, I'm riding with Edward and he's indestructible!"


	46. Chapter 46 Plans

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter ****46 Plans  
**

**Charlie ****POV**

Well, the Cullen's knew how to do Christmas up right, I'd give 'um that . . . cars, boats, motorcycles . . . and all because Edward was some kind of whiz kid genius with investments. Huh. I would have never guessed that about him. He didn't gloat or brag and he hid it well . . . just seemed like a doctor's kid. Except for the gifts he got for Bella, of course. An R8? Damn. That alone was more than I made in two years and he bought it for her like I would buy flowers for a girl to say I'm sorry. And that necklace he designed for her for her birthday, that was really something.

I had never been a very religious man, but I liked the fact that the Cullen's had gone to church together on Christmas Eve and out caroling with the Church choir. They said grace before meals, too. Maybe Edward was 'old school' like Bella had said . . . church with the family, didn't seem like he drank or smoked, never in trouble with the law and virgin till married. That was a big deal in this day and age, I'd give him that, and I liked that about him because God knows, Bella would have given in on a dime the way she doted over him.

I leaned against the door frame watching all the kids play with their new bikes. Carlisle seemed less than enthusiastic, but that Esme was all over the idea of riding a motorcycle. I kept my mouth shut, but I was definitely with Carlisle on this one. I had been a police officer too long and I had scraped up too many kids off the highway after they went too fast or drank and wrecked those things. Not enough left of them to even open the casket most of the time. Just no protection and no room for mistakes. I was surprised that Edward would let her back on one after what we had all gone through the last time she wrecked. Maybe he just realized something I had a hard time with . . . if she wanted to ride, he would not be able to stop her, no one would. The best he could do was probably just what he was doing, insisting that they ride together.

"Alice flitted over to me saying "Don't worry, Charlie, he would never let her get hurt on the bike." Guess I had been frowning at the damned motorcycles more than I thought. I was really going to have to work on this keeping my opinions to myself thing.

"Hey, if you guys don't mind, we need to feed the pregnant lady dessert. How about we all go back in the house and have some together?", Bella said as she and Edward made for the front door. He was laughing and teasing her about wanting dessert so badly, but he headed in the door with her none the less.

Jacob made it in the door first, anxious as ever for food. That boy sure could eat, didn't seem to matter that he was a little under the weather, what with that fever and all. I wondered how Billy had ever afforded to feed him. That made me think of Billy and how much I missed my friend. He had a hard life but he was always there with a smile and never complained. I guess we could all take a lesson from that.

Bella was right to herd us all inside, it seemed Esme had found time to be busy in there. I don't know how or when it got done, we had all been outside I had thought, but when we went back in the dining room table was completely reset, new tablecloth and all and the dinner food had been removed and replaced by the most delicious looking desserts I had ever seen. Seemed like the kitchen was all cleaned up as well. Huh. I must have been leaning against that door frame daydreaming a lot longer than I thought.

It was a good thing Jacob was here to eat because I had never seen so many desserts in one place other than a cafeteria or a bakery. There was everything from pumpkin pie to coconut cake, red velvet cake, rice pudding, bread pudding and an apple pie that had a crust laced on top that looked like a work of art. My favorite was sitting right next to a large chocolate cake. Berry cobbler. Bella must have told her it was my absolute favorite.

I guessed they had all those choices because they were, after all feeding that Emmett as well as Jacob. To be as big as he was, you would sure have thought that boy would eat more than he did and Jasper as well. I hardly saw Rosalie eat at all, but she seemed so excited about giving the bikes to everyone that it was no wonder she wasn't eating much. Bella ate enough to make up for her though.

"Dad, I made you some cobbler", Bella said with a smile as I grabbed a plate.

"When did you have time to do that, Bells? You didn't have to go to all that trouble", I told her, but I sure was glad she had. She took time to think of me in spite of all the shenanigans that were going on around us. It meant a lot to me.

"No trouble Dad, I love you and Edward helped me make it last week and we froze it", she told me.

I might have known. Damned if that boy wouldn't do anything she wanted, even down to cooking. I had to hand it to him, he was right there by her taking care of her all the time and he did it with the goofiest grin on his face, like he was actually enjoying just being there with her, whatever they were doing. It was only matched by the goofy grin on her face as well. Huh, guess Sue was right way back in September when she said that the boy might actually love her and want to take care of her. I would need to say something to him about the motorcycle though.

We all helped ourselves to the desserts and the ice cream that Esme brought in, syrup and all to put on it and the desserts slowly disappeared. I hadn't been so stuffed in a long time, but I went back for just one more dish of the cobbler.

"Ahem. Everyone, if you could all come into the living room, please", Carlisle requested.

He and Esme were standing in front of the fireplace and Esme was holding a small box in her hands. Looked like present time wasn't over quite yet and they were all acting like this one was something special.

"First, I would like to welcome Bella's family, Charlie, Renee and her husband Phil to our home this Christmas. We also have the honor of welcoming Bella's best friend, Jacob. Hopefully our friend as well now that we have spent some time together", Carlisle said as he looked fondly at Jacob who nodded in reply. Everyone muttered their enthusiasm for us being with them and their acceptance of Jacob, slapping him on the back and taunting him as Carlisle continued,

"Esme and I have been blessed over the years with the opportunity of adopting five amazing children and watching them grow into the men and women they are today. We are proud of each and every one of you and can not begin to tell you how glad we are that you came into our lives and have chosen to remain close to us, even as adults. The Cullen family can be traced back in time to England in the 1500's and for all that time there has been a coat of arms, a family crest if you will."

Seemed like all their kids touched the necklace they were wearing or a wrist cuff as he was explaining this, fingering the ring on his own hand. He held up his hand to show the ring, as if in explanation to all of his guests.

"It has been a tradition in my family for each child, as they came of age, to have a crest of their own to wear. This crest represents a commitment, each of us to the other and to the family as a whole. A promise, if you will, to uphold the values that make us a family. Edward, Bella, would you stand and come up here with me, please?"

Edward stood up off of the floor where he had been sitting in front of her and offered her his hand to help her out of the overstuffed chair. His face was covered in a smile while she looked like she was in awe of what was going on. The room got real quiet, as if everyone realized that something really important was about to happen. It was almost as if none of them were even breathing.

"Bella, I have given this crest to my wife as well as all five children", Carlisle said as Esme handed him a necklace from the box she had been holding, "but it is not my right to give it to you. Though I am thrilled to call you my daughter, my son brought you to us and the honor belongs to him. Edward", he said handing the necklace to him, "would you do the honors?" The boy took the necklace from Carlisle like it was the holy grail.

He turned to my daughter with the most brilliant look on his face. "Isabella Cullen, would you accept this family crest as a sign of your commitment and devotion to this family and to the ideals we hold, and to me as your husband?", he asked her.

Tears were running down her face, real waterworks. She nodded slightly and grabbed up her hair with one hand into a ponytail as she said 'I will' and turned her back to him so that he could put it on her neck. Damn. They were really serious about family and you had to admire that. She turned back to him and he put both hands on her cheeks as she grabbed his wrists and he kissed her right here in front of everyone. When he let go of her face, he moved one of his hands to his lips and kissed the fingers, then lightly touched them to her necklace.

Carlisle moved towards her to hug her, welcoming her into the family just before Esme got her arms around her. The Cullens seemed to all stand there in one huddle like we were in the middle of a football game. It was nice though. Renee was crying and I had to admit it was a really touching gesture to accept my daughter into their family that way. Made me feel like they would all help take care of her and look out for her, but they had already shown me lots of times that that was what they would always do for each other.

Just look at the way that Alice and Jasper had come to Forks to be with Edward when he decided to come looking for Bella. Esme and Carlisle had used his vacation time to join in the search. And that Edward, four full time private eyes in addition to I don't know what all else. The boy was determined to find her, I'll give him that. And Alice, boy she had jumped on me big time when I suggested that Edward hadn't even given Bella a second thought when he left her. She sure set me straight in a New York minute, fiery little thing when it came to defending her family. I liked that. I had to admit, Bela had married into a fine family, even if I hadn't liked Edward at first. Guess he kinda grew on you after awhile.

Even Jacob seemed to like the family. . . and Edward. In fact, he and Edward seemed to have become best friends. I looked over to Jacob who stood staring at Bella. I knew how he felt about her, he had for years. I had to hand it to him, he had grown up a lot to accept her choice and still be there for her and a friend to Edward. They were even going out hunting on Monday and had invited me to come along. Guess Edward needed to learn a thing or two about that new rifle Jake had given him.

We all had coffee or beer or whatever and watched the sunset off the back deck. It seemed particularly colorful tonight as it set over the mountains on the far side of the valley. Nice way to end the day, really. It seemed like everyone had their fill of dessert as we gathered up the presents and said our thank you's and goodbyes.

"Jacob, Charlie . . . up for a round of fishing in the morning?", Carlisle asked as the last of the presents were loaded in the trunk.

"Fishing?", I said as I thought about it. "Well, may as well get some in before Sue gets here and wants to go sight seeing", I said as Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder and we both chuckled.

"Great. The boys and I will pick up up at 7, is that okay, Charlie?", Carlisle asked.

"Fine by me", I answered. "Are Phil and Edward coming with us?", I asked, not having seen Carlisle ask them.

"Phil is and so is Jacob, but Edward wants to sleep in tomorrow", Carlisle snickered, "actually Bella wants to sleep in and claims she can't sleep without him, so he's not coming fishing with us."

We both avoided looking at each other on that one, knowing that the honeymoon seemed to still be 'on' with those two and not wanting to embarrass each other with the admission.

"Edward and Bella want me to do another sonogram tomorrow, the baby seems to be really kicking Bella to the point of discomfort and I want to make sure everything is alright. They're probably nervous about it and want to spend some time together anyway, Charlie. You can understand that", Carlisle told me as we stood off to the side of the car, waiting for Renee and Phil.

"Everything is okay though, with Bella?", I asked, concerned at why they needed another one of those tests and wondering how the baby could be kicking so much at her stage of the pregnancy. It made me wonder if they had told us the truth about 'not being together' till they had moved into their house. Not that it mattered, They had been married for three months before that, it was just that she had so many broken ribs and she was healing. I knew he slept with her then, they were inseparable . . . but they had said they waited for her to recover. I just wanted them to be honest with me, that's all.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Charlie. First baby and all, and she is so small and thin. She's bound to be uncomfortable", he added nonchalantly.

That's right, I knew he was right. I remembered Renee when she was pregnant with Bella. Every little thing it seemed hurt her, but Bella was not nearly the wimp that Renee had been. Hell, Bella was used to routinely getting hurt just from being so clumsy. She did seem awful big for being just barely four months pregnant, but then she was so thin I guess everything showed on her. I could only imagine how huge she would be by the time the little guy was born. Masen Charles Cullen. Good name. I never thought of naming a baby before it was born. Renee and I had picked out names, of course, one for a boy and one for a girl. We changed it 4 times before we finally settled on Isabella Marie. I wondered how many times my daughter and Edward would change the name before they settled in on one. Maybe they would keep the one they had, they seemed pretty certain of it.

Edward and Bella came out with Jacob and Renee and Phil following closely behind.

"Well. Goodnight all and Merry Christmas to all!", I said as everyone murmured their goodbyes and we climbed in the car to leave, the Cullen's moving outside to continue looking at their new bikes, some of them never having taken off the leather jacket that Bella had given them.

~oooOooo~

Everyone took presents up to their rooms when we arrived back at the house and I guess I was the first one back downstairs. I flipped on the TV to catch the tale end of the news and see what scores they had for the weekend. It was Saturday night as well as Christmas, and they had to have something. I sat back in the recliner with the remote to check and see.

Bells joined me after making herself and me a cup of hot chocolate from the kitchen.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself, Dad, did you have a good time?", she asked me.

"Yea, Bells. Real good. They're a nice family. I always said Dr. Cullen was a fine man back when he was the surgeon in Forks, remember. You asked me about them back then and I told you how his kids never gave me any trouble", I said looking a little sheepish.

"I remember that, Dad", she answered.

"Well, I should listen to myself more often, kiddo. I was right. You chose a fine young man, sweetheart, from a good family".

No sooner had I said the words than she sat her hot chocolate down and ran over, throwing her arms around me and almost squishing me with that belly of hers. I hugged her back, making sure I hugged her shoulders and not her middle as she buried her face on my shoulder and continued to tear up something terrible. Must be a pregnant thing.

Edward was there, standing by the chair in a flash, almost as though he had heard her start to cry from all the way upstairs. Huh. He looked at me as though he could tear me limb from limb, father or no father as he asked her what was wrong.

She raised her wrist to her nose and sniffed a time or two before she answered him. "Nothing is wrong, sweetheart. I was just talking to my Dad and he said something sweet, that's all", she told him as she took his hand to steady herself as she got to her feet. The glare on his face softened immediately.

"I'm so glad, love. I thought something was wrong", he told her as he put his arm around her. "Are you ready for bed?", he asked as he moved some strands of hair from her face.

"Dad, do you need anything?", she asked me.

"No, no. Your old man is just fine, me and the TV", I said. I looked Edward in the eye as I said, "You get some rest, Bells. It's been a long day. I know where the fridge is if I get hungry."

"Okay Dad. Goodnight", she said as they turned and headed toward the stairs.

It wasn't 10 minutes before Renee came into the living room and she looked like she wanted to talk. She sat on the sofa facing me. "It's good to see you again, Charlie. Much better than all the upsets and hard feelings that were going on back in September at her birthday", she said.

"Yep, Christmas has been great. I'm glad they want to see us on the holidays, anyway", I told her.

"It's exciting that we're going to be grandparents, don't you think?", she asked me.

"I guess, Renee. She is just so young. I'm glad for them that they can have kids, don't get me wrong, I just worry. I remember what she was like when he left her before, and I can only imagine what it would be like now", I looked her in the eye and recalled. "Having a baby seemed to be the kiss of death for us."

"Charlie! It wasn't the baby, that was just me. I flipped when I thought my life was set, that house and babies was what it would be like for me forever. I didn't know what I wanted and, if the truth be known, I was scared. It wasn't you, Charlie. It wasn't because I didn't love you. I just got scared", she said sadly.

I couldn't believe she was saying this. Why the hell hadn't she said it 18 years ago and we could have worked it out. Damn it, I had never stopped loving her. I should have gone after her, I shouldn't have just waited and hoped.

It was then that it hit me. Edward had gone after her. He had realized that a mistake was made, and he had done everything possible to find her and fix it. Sure enough, all it took was her seeing him for her to agree to marry him on the spot.

Maybe if I had gone after Renee, maybe if she was just scared I could have comforted her. I was never one for emotions, in fact I'd rather sever a finger than have to deal with it, but look where that had gotten me. I had been alone for years, many of them hoping she would miraculously just come back to me on her own. Damn. Bella wasn't so different. She was stronger than Renee and more certain of her decisions . . . not so flighty, but she constantly depended on Edward for reassurance, you could see that. If I had just stepped up to the plate, put my pride aside and . . .

I was interrupted from my musings by Renee.

"Charlie, she is so much stronger than I was. Even though she's scared, she is willing to stand and fight for what she wants . . . and what she wants is that boy upstairs", Renee said softly.

"Well anyone with eyes can see that. They look at each other like you and I used to look at each other, Renee. That's what scares me. We were just like that and it didn't work out. I don't want her to be hurt like that, like when he left her before. She should never have to hurt like that again", I told her.

"There are no guarantees, Charlie. Love doesn't come with 'money back guarantees'. They're filled with hope and plans and needs . . . needs that they meet for each other and I don't think either of them could exist without the other at this point, do you?", she asked.

"No. No I don't, and that's what scares me."

Renee moved to the edge of her seat, as if to emphasize what she was about to say.

"You just have to have faith, Charlie. Just blind faith. There are no guarantees in life, just promises and intentions and efforts . . . and they have all of those. They really love each other, that's as plain as the nose on your face. Edward wears his love for her on his sleeve. Let's just be happy for them and hope it's enough to get them through all the things that life will throw at them", Renee said.

"That's right, I know that's right, Renee", I told her as she patted me on the shoulder and headed upstairs, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and the TV.

~oooOooo~

**Renee POV**

There were moments in life, like now, when I regretted leaving that man. Times when I wondered why I hadn't run back to him when I realized that I had the same insecurities in Phoenix that I had in Forks. I had loved him, I was just too stupid and afraid to follow my better instincts, giving in to fear and uncertainty. I had paid for it for years.

As I headed upstairs towards my room, I couldn't help but notice the sounds coming from my daughter's room. I paused for a moment at the top of the stairs. They were making love. Again. I chuckled to myself remembering a joke I was once told -

_Once a King, Always a King . . . But Once a Knight is Never Enough!_

Perhaps we could all take a lesson from these two who seemed to love each other so unconditionally and were so unashamed of it. They had certainly been like that when they were at my house for Thanksgiving. We walked in on them, lying there under the covers on a bed they had just broken as they slowly slid down the mattress and instead of being embarrassed, they were laughing. Laughing! I wish I had the backbone to be so blatant about my love for someone, even now, and I was more than twice her age.

Hum. Perhaps I should take a lesson from my daughter. Never too late to change for the better, I thought as I headed for my bedroom.

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

I slammed the door to the house as I entered, Riley waiting on me to go hunting.

"Well, did you get enough?", he asked.

"Enough what?", I spat angrily at him. He rose from the sofa and made his way over to me, encircling my waist roughly with his arms as he drew me to him.

"Enough of watching her", he said as he forcibly nuzzled my neck.

"They exchanged gifts, motorcycles, cars, trucks . . . even a damned boat", I said throwing my keys angrily onto the counter.

"So what", he said to me, "Let's just end her and get on with our lives. I'm getting tired of anything to do with them."

"Not to worry, my love", I told him as I received his unwanted advances, "I have plans."

"We are not only going to ruin his life forever, revenge for killing my first mate, but we are going to become filthy stinkin' rich in the process", I told him as I stroked him so that he would let me be about the human. I had made my plans and gone over them time and time again. I would be able to buy a house of my own, cars, clothing, jewelry . . .

"My plan will work, Riley. We have this house to keep her in so the little bitch won't freeze outside while we wait for the money to be delivered, just in case we need to let him talk to her to convince him she is still alive. We have never run here, so they will have no scent to follow to find us, and the cell phones I stole from that other house down in the valley have more than enough minutes left on them for what I need. We can get their numbers from her, or her cellphone, and she is so pregnant now, he will die from loosing her and the baby . . . a first for a vampire, and his family will suffer forever with the loss of him, as well as her."

It was all going to work. I would need to be a nomad no longer and then I could decide if I wanted to keep Riley as a toy, or end him. There were many to play with out there, why limit myself now that my true mate was gone. I had no need of him, except to help me with revenge, and of course . . . there was always the sex. He was young and in good shape when I turned him, and he was craving sex far more often than I could stomach having with him. I missed James. No one was like my James. Ummm . . . just remembering . . . it allowed me to deal with this new boy. I closed my eyes and remembered James with perfect recall. I just didn't get the incredible sex that I had with James and I guessed, really, I would be hard pressed to find a lover that knew exactly how to make me scream like he had.

I had spent the better part of my day in that damned tree, miles from the Cullen's, but with a view to both houses. I had seen their comings and goings and the presents they had exchanged in the yard. I could only imagine all the gifts they had unwrapped from each other in the house, away from my view. I wanted that, a Christmas like that with a house and tree and gifts of my own . . . and someone to share it with. Money was the least they could offer me for taking away my future, my someone to be with for all of eternity. It wasn't just him that had killed James, it was all of them that helped him as well. They all deserved to suffer . . . and they all would.

Every damned time I had seen the girl, he had been with her, his arm wrapped protectively around her as if she were something more than a meal. I just didn't get it. I had no trouble playing with humans, men that is, but I could only take the burn in my throat for a few minutes before I had to drink. How he actually managed to get her pregnant with his throat burning, much less avoiding breaking her, I had no idea. Perhaps I would ask her about what it was like to be with a vampire, it would pass the time and amuse me while I waited for the money. I would just have to resist drinking from her for a few days, a few days of keeping her alive as insurance, then I could have her all for myself and he would pay for eternity.

I had only to find the perfect place to snatch her from, someplace he would not be right with her. It would happen, I just had to be patient and wait for exactly the right time . . .


	47. Chapter 47 Purring

**Author's Note:** _Warning, this chapter has a little more 'color' to it than most, and it ws hard to edit it our. Read at your own risk, or skip to the next chapter, you won't miss too much!_

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 47 Purring**

**EPOV**

"Sleep, baby. There is no reason for you to have to get up", I said as I stroked her hair and moved a bit of it out of her face and tucked it behind her ear so that I could kiss her creamy smooth cheek.

"But you're up", she said stroking my hardening erection and softly moving her leg back and forth over my hip.

"Silly girl. It's really early in the morning, too early for this to even count as our morning routine, love, I'm just going to go down and cook breakfast and coffee for our guests before they leave to go fishing. I'll be right back up here with you and we can sleep in today if you want", I told her as she continued to draw me to her and place kisses along my neck and jaw. She was hungrily searching for my lips, I knew her well, but if we started this, breakfast would never happen.

"But you're purring now, sweetheart and you know I can't resist that", she told me as her lips found mine. Damn. I didn't even notice it anymore. I guess I was. It was just so hard not to around her, I was so happy with her in my arms.

"I'll be right back, I promise. We can snuggle under the covers and I'll kiss you for hours."

"No. If you are going downstairs, I'm coming with you. I can't sleep without you anyway and if we are both cooking, we'll finish twice as fast", she insisted as she headed for the closet to grab some sweats and a t shirt.

I watched my wife cross our bedroom naked. The sight of her rounded belly, carrying my child was almost more than I could take. She was beautiful, absolutely the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Her skin glowed now that she was pregnant and her hair was thicker and shinier than it had ever been. If a single second more had passed, I would never have put on my sleep pants and been willing to leave the room. As it was we headed downstairs and had the lights on and the coffee brewing just before Renee walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Mom", Bella said as she got the eggs and bacon from the fridge and I took out the appropriate pans and put them on the stove.

"Well good morning, both of you! This is a surprise, I didn't expect to see you two this early in the morning", she said with a smirk. Her thoughts gave her away.

_It's no wonder she can't keep her hands off him when he looks like that in sleep pants._

_If I had something that looked like he does in bed with me, I might never get up. _

_Just look at the abs on that young man._

_I am just so happy for her, he seems to really love her, and I know she loves him._

"Edward wanted to make sure everyone had breakfast before they left", Bella told her, smiling at her Dad as he came in and grabbed a cup for coffee.

"That was considerate of you, Edward. But you didn't have to get up, sweetie. We all understand that you need your rest", she said eying me.

"I tried", I added as she looked at me out of the corner of her eye, "she wouldn't stay in bed without me and insisted we could make breakfast together faster than I could do it by myself."

"Well, from what I see she may have been right. You two move like you can anticipate the others next move. You had the bowl for her almost as she grabbed the eggs to crack them and the butter in the pan as she finished. I've never seen anything like you two", Renee remarked.

"Mom", Bella glowered, "We just anticipate what is needed. Don't be so dramatic. We just know each other well and what we need, that's all." Her Mom thought about that for a minute as she watched Bella kiss my lips as I stirred the bacon and she poured the eggs into a plate. She was mentally equating us to magnets, I move she moves. Humans had such ridiculous thoughts some times and her Mom was no exception.

Charlie's thoughts were not so tame, or so esoteric. He was wondering why in the hell I didn't have a shirt on and if I slept with his daughter that way. If he only knew. He was sitting, drinking his coffee and thinking that at least she still wore those baggy sweats and a t shirt to bed, just like she used to.

Phil and Jacob joined us and they all had a huge breakfast complete with homemade jam from one of the folks in Highlands. The jam was all that Phil and Jacob could think about, well that and getting seconds on everything else. They were just finishing up and I was doing the dishes as Jasper and Emmett walked in the door, followed by Carlisle.

"Have you guys eaten?", Bella asked them. I couldn't help it. My knee jerk reaction was for my jaw to drop as I looked at her, stunned. Luckily, I was facing away from the humans because it was all I could do to then. keep from laughing. Carlisle amazed me. His thoughts were shattered into a thousand pieces by the nonchalant way she had thrown that question at him, he was barely able to keep by a straight face as he answered, "Yes, thanks."

Emmett was not so reserved and immediately wanted to play.

"We had a huge helping of venison for breakfast this morning, fresh as could be. I can't be eating all those carbohydrates and keep this boyish figure", Emmett said as he flexed his muscles for us to see.

"Huh, never thought of deer for breakfast", Charlie said as he laughed at Emmett, "that's a new one on me."

"Charlie, you know how weird Emmett is", Jasper chuckled as he smiled in spite of himself.

Dear God. All I had wanted to do was make breakfast for our guests and this is what I was being subjected to. I could have stayed in bed and been buried in my wife instead of enduring this from my brothers. I guess it really wasn't their fault, Bella started it. She loved to joke with them about their being vampires. She took the whole vampire thing entirely too lightly if you asked me, but I had accepted that about her and I loved her for it. She embraced every part of who I was entirely and seemingly without reservation.

The guys were out the door, leaving Bella and her mother with me in the kitchen. I sat down at the table with them and took Bella's hand as Renee finished her coffee and Bella drank the last of her orange juice.

Renee smiled at us and our joined hands. "You two really didn't have to get up. I could have fixed them breakfast you know", Renee offered as she sipped her coffee.

"Thank you, Renee, but you are our guests, it was up to me to cook breakfast. I had just hoped to sneak past your daughter and leave her undisturbed", I said as I rubbed Bella's knuckles with my thumb.

"Well, she is way to tuned in to you for you to be able to escape from her, Edward", Renee teased.

"Mom", Bella said as she squirmed adorably in her seat, "I can't sleep with out him. I haven't been able to for a long time now. I notice when I don't feel him touching me and I wake up." Renee smiled at her daughter, and her thoughts were everywhere but all involving some form of intimacy between Bella and I. I really liked Renee, and I somehow didn't mind sharing somewhat personal details with her.

"She"s kind of funny that way, Renee. I can rub her back and move her hair out of her face and even kiss her lips and she stays asleep, but if I take my arm from around her, she wakes almost instantly", I shared with her.

"You two are very lucky. Most people that I have ever talked to can not sleep with someone close to them, much less actively touching them. Maybe it has something to do with having been apart, you just need to feel each other's presence to be comfortable enough to sleep", Renee mused. She had a point. I had read minds for years, and few took comfort in being held or touched while they slept, they usually preferred to sleep close, but separately.

"To be fair, sweetheart", Bella said as she leaned in and kissed me softly, "I think Masen notices when you take your hand off my belly and he starts kicking me to wake me." She had a point. Masen did seem to react to my touch, it seemed to comfort him when he knew I was near.

"Speaking of the baby you two, Charlie told me that Carlisle is doing another ultrasound today. Is something wrong?", Renee inquired.

"No, nothing's wrong exactly", Bella hesitated as she explained, "Mason is just really moving around a lot and kicking me and I want to make sure he's alright, that he isn't being active because something is wrong in there and we just don't know about it." I placed my hand on her extended belly and rubbed it softly.

Bella covered that one really well. Her mother totally believed her story. She was learning to cover a lot of things well, like the fact that she came down to the kitchen and ate a raw steak everyday. She didn't exactly hide it from me, she just chose times when she thought I wouldn't notice . . . but I noticed everything about my wife. I needed to bring it up to Carlisle. I needed to ask him if perhaps Masen wasn't . . . thirsty. It might be a clue to just how much vampire and how much human he really was. That was a discussion that I couldn't have in front of Renee, of course.

"Well, would you mind if I came with you?", Renee asked Bella, "I'm sure Edward has other things he could be doing and I could go with you to meet Carlisle at the hospital, if it's alright with you that is."

I nearly panicked. Surely Bella would not agree to leave me behind, not when we were going to see our baby. It took everything I had not to show my distress over just the idea of me not being there. My panic was short lived as she answered her Mom.

"You're welcome to come along, Mom, if it's alright with Edward", she said as she leaned in to me, "But he's coming as well. I would never go to see our child without him. We're not going till Carlisle comes back from fishing, sometime late this afternoon."

"It's fine with me if you come, Renee. I'm glad you're interested in Masen and you're welcome to come. If you don't mind though, right now I promised my wife that she could sleep in and she apparently can't sleep without me", I said as I took Bella's hand and gestured for her to come with me.

"Have a nice . . . rest", Renee managed to say without too much giggling, as we headed upstairs.

"What was that all about?", Bella asked me as we closed the door to our room.

"Your Mom doesn't think we have even the slightest intention of actually sleeping, love", I told her.

"Do we?"

"Do we what, love?", I asked her as we both shed our clothing and crawled into bed. I covered us both up and snaked my arm under her so that she could rest her head on my shoulder.

"Do we intend to sleep?", she asked, looking up at me with a light dancing in her eyes.

I turned to her, stroking her cheek softly as I kissed from the edge of her lips down the line of her jaw to her neck, pulling her close to me, "I'm sure I can manage to tire you out enough that you will sleep . . . eventually."

She smiled as she put her lips to mine and scratched my neck and back lightly with her nails.

"That feels amazing", I told her as shifted positions slightly to give her better access to my shoulders and back so that she could use both hands to scratch and I could lay mt hear on her shoulder and nuzzle and kiss her neck. I loved quiet, relaxed mornings like these. No destination, no intent . . . just quiet scratches and caresses with little kisses and nibbles thrown in.

"I just thought I might get you to purr right away, sweetheart. You know what that does to me", she whispered in my ear as she nibbled on it.

Done.

I was purring louder than a fat cat on a sunny window ledge after a meal. Instantly.

I traced my hand down to my wife's breast as she continued to scratch my scalp and neck. Her breasts had gotten quite a bit larger with the pregnancy and the nipples had darkened. Interesting, they never mentioned that in medical school and I found it fascinating. I gently kneaded her breast, her body arching into my hand as I squeezed lightly. From my position, with my head on her shoulder, I was looking directly at her breast when I noticed something glisten. I hadn't gotten her so worked up that she could be sweating yet, so I leaned in for a better look. She was leaking a fluid from her nipple. I squeezed it again, just lightly around the nipple and a drop of fluid was visible. I couldn't resist tasting it. I loved the taste of her mouth and even her tears when I licked them from her cheeks, not to mention what her other fluids did to me.

I leaned over and took the nipple into my mouth, gently caressing it with my tongue and sucking lightly as my wife moaned and hugged me tighter.

Shit!

I came instantly. The taste in my mouth was so exquisite, so erotic, so all consuming that my entire body tensed and I came every bit as hard as when I had tasted her blood in bed with her. I had absolutely no control as my arms became iron manacles around her and my legs moved to cover hers as my hips held her down. There was very little of the fluid, a drop or two perhaps, but it was enough. My body was rigid and my moans turned into growls as I was brought to climax again and again.

I was vaguely award of Bella's hands in my hair and on my face, a part of my brain realized that she was pushing my face, pulling at my hair, trying to get my attention, but it was to no avail. I moved to the other nipple and kneaded it the same way I had the first one, taking more effort but gaining the same result . . . a tiny drop of fluid. I regained my senses for only an instant, long enough to raise my head and look into her wary eyes. I realized I was growling.

"Edward?", she spoke with a tone to her voice that was just on the edge of fear and I never wanted my wife to fear me . . . we had come too far for that.

It took everything I had to manage just a few words to her. I managed to lift my head and stare into her eyes for a brief instant, long enough to say, "I won't hurt you", before I moved my lips to envelope the other nipple. It was just as exquisite as the last and again I climaxed harder than I could ever remember. Repeatedly.

"So good . . . Bella . . . oh dear God . . . damn . . . . ahhhh . . . . holy . . . . so good, so good . . ."

I opened my eyes, sitting on my heels between my wife's legs after taking her hard again and again from that position. She was staring at me, her arms out stretched towards me, beckoning me to come to her. I bent forward and put both hands on her belly, kissing it gently as I checked on Mason. His thoughts told me that he was fine, oblivious to what took place outside his warm shelter, only happy that I was close by with my hand on her belly like he liked it. I closed my eyes and blinked as I moved to lie beside her, venom filling my eyes and flowing down over my cheeks, though it had never done so before.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?", she asked me, somewhat frantic, her eyes filled with the love she had for me.

The irony of that was not lost on me. She was asking _me_ if I was alright. A vampire had just ejaculated all over her repeatedly while forcibly restraining her with no regard for her needs and she wanted to know if I was alright. I buried my face on her shoulder and cried inconsolably. She just kept stroking my head and holding me to her, whispering her love for me.

"I'm fine, Edward. Sweetheart, I'm absolutely fine. I love seeing you come unglued with me. It means everything to me that you really do care that much about me, that I can have that effect on you, baby. I promise you, Masen and I are fine."

"I scared you, Bella. I never want you to be frightened of me. It's the one thing I fear. I thought when you saw me hunt you would leave me and I still worry that one day something will click and be too much for you."

I took her face in my hands and stared into her eyes, willing her to understand, "I can't loose you."

**BPOV**

I learned long ago that though my husband was kind and thoughtful and loving, he was also a vampire . . . and vampires reacted differently than humans did in some situations. They took things differently, things had a different effect on them than you would expect of a human male.

We had tucked into bed and snuggled close, his head on my shoulder so that I could scratch his scalp and back with my nails. I wanted to hear him purr. He had developed the habit of purring when we were snuggling and had been alone for an hour or two and always after we made love. I loved hearing it so much, I thought I would see if I could get that response from scratching his scalp and back and I was thrilled when I heard the slight rumbling start in his chest.

I knew he wanted me to rest and relax, but I also knew that we always made love in the mornings and this morning would be no exception. I was so at peace lying in our bed with my husband gently caressing me. He seemed fascinated with my chest and scooted his head over to take one of my breasts into his mouth, as he always did, tracing kisses across my chest on the way.

Something was different this time. The moment he took me into his mouth he tensed. The gently, loving arms of my husband changed instantly into something foreign - something lethal. His arms became steel, completely unyielding and inescapable as he stopped any movement of my legs with his and held me completely immobile, pressing me into the mattress. I heard him start growling and his body went completely rigid, cool liquid spilling out all over my leg again and again as I felt my husband come repeatedly.

Something about him had changed, a shift in his very being. I pulled at his hair and pushed his forehead with both hands trying to get him to look at me, to get his attention and call him back to himself. I had never seen him like this and I thought he might need help to regain his control. It was baffling, I had no idea what had sparked this change in him, one minute he had been gentle and sweet, relaxed and slowly caressing me and the next he was rigid, unyielding and ferocious. The growl coming from him would rival that of any predator in the jungle.

I called to him and he finally raised his head to stare at me, maybe he finally realized I was using all my strength to try and get his attention or perhaps he summoned some inner strength that allowed him a moment to reassure me, I didn't know. The face that I saw before me was not that of my husband, it was the face of a predator, an apex predator that was restraining his prey. He was completely inescapable. The hard lines of his face and the set of his jaw were matched in ferocity only by the stare coming from his coal black eyes. I stroked his cheeks with my fingers as I heard him manage to get a few words out, his teeth clenched and his lips drawn into a thin line.

"I won't hurt you."

Did I hear him right? I knew he was trying to reassure me, something way in the back of his eyes told me that my faith in him was warranted. He loves me and would always protect me. I had come to believe that he was incapable of hurting me, that there was something in him that would always protect me . . . even from him. I had to rely on this belief now. I had to trust my faith in him, in his love for me and Masen. Not that there was any choice . . . whatever it was he was going to do, no one would have been able to stop him.

He took my other breast into his mouth and licked and sucked gently, eliciting exactly the same response as he had a moment before . . . all over my leg, repeatedly. After lingering there for a moment, he raised up and knelt between my legs, taking me again and again while he screamed 'mine'.

The face I saw then broke my heart. Edward was crying. Tears were streaming down his face as he placed his hands tenderly over where Masen was growing and bent to kiss my belly. I held my arms out to him, entreating him to come to me and he complied, moving to lie beside me with his face buried in my hair.

He was crying uncontrollably.

I told him over and over that I loved him, that he hadn't hurt me, but he continued to sob. I just held him to me and stroked him over and over as he shook with the force of his emotions. Slowly, over time he started to calm. I continued to run my fingers through his hair and scratch his scalp and shoulders as he lay beside me. I was able to reach behind me and find a corner of one of our blankets and I managed to pull it over us as we lay together.

His unnecessary breaths slowed, and I realized he was going to sleep. I fastened my arms around him and held him as I looked up and realized Alice was standing beside our bed.

"I saw something, Bella. I just had to see if you two were alright", Alice said with some hesitation and more than a little embarrassment at being in our room unannounced. I was glad I had pulled covers over us moments before.

"What did you see", I asked her quietly as I continued to stroke his hair.

"I saw him crying, Bella. Tears were streaming down his face!", she said with almost a scared look on her face.

"Yes, he was crying, Alice. He's sleeping now though and I don't want to wake him. Can you see how long he'll be out?", I asked. She closed her eyes for a moment, "He'll wake up in under an hour and Bella, he'll be a mess."

"Thanks, Alice. We should probably tell Carlisle about this when he gets back, I'm just glad he's okay", I said as I kissed the top of his head and held him tight.

Though the lack of privacy was sometimes annoying, I loved that Alice was always looking out for us. I was also relieved to know that he would wake up. I needed the tell tale reassurance of soft breath and a heartbeat to let me know that he was alright and there was none. I loved that he could sleep now, but given his behavior this morning coupled with his falling asleep, I needed to know that he would be okay.

**EPOV**

All of a sudden I became aware of my wife's heartbeat. My head was on her chest, her arms were around me and we were completely covered by a soft down cover. She was so unbelievably warm that she made me warm. I had one hand resting on her belly, and I started rubbing it gently. Masen appeared to be sleeping as well. Sleeping. I must have fallen asleep. Everything came flooding back to me, the taste, the ecstasy, the look on Bella's face. Oh God. The look on her face. I raised my head to look at her features, her face was serene, calm while she slept.

I had scared her. Forgive me God, I had scared my wife and I never meant to.

I checked every vital sign for both her and the baby and they appeared to be fine, simply asleep. My movement started to wake her and she tightened her arms around me, leaning her face into my hair.

"Hi, sweetheart", I heard her softly say.

"Bella."

"It's okay. Everything is okay", she said a she continued to speak softly, lovingly to me.

"You fell asleep. Nothing to worry about, I'm just too much for you. Too much sex and the big bad vampire had to take a nap", she gently chided me.

How did she do that? She took a situation where I was completely out of control, a situation that should never have happened and she was teasing me about it. Maybe she really did have absolutely no self preservation instinct.

"Bella, how can you joke about an aroused out of control vampire coming all over you repeatedly", I asked her.

"Are you alright . . . really alright sweetheart?", she asked me, her voice full of concern. "What was that all about anyway?"

I had to tell her, I owed her an explanation of why I went all vampire on her, or whatever that was . . . and I didn't keep secrets from her regardless.

"I'm fine love, as far as I know. You were, um, leaking", I told her as I caressed her breast, "and when I tasted it, I couldn't control myself. It was a completely unbelievable turn on and I'm really really sorry about that."

Bella turned bright red, the blush touching the tops of her breasts. Luckily I was now propped up on one elbow so that I could see it.

"Leaking? Leaking, Edward?", she asked, mortified.

"It's perfectly natural sweetheart. Your body is preparing to feed the infant", I told her as I held her close and kissed her neck.

"Doesn't that come _after_ the baby is born?"

"Well, yes. But sometimes they start producing a substance called colostrum before the baby is born as well. Just not usually this early", I told her, my two medical degrees kicking in somewhat. I should have known when I saw the drops to begin with what they were, I just didn't connect it at the time. And I certainly had no idea the effect it would have on me.

"Let's get in the shower and get cleaned up, okay?", I asked her.

I carried her to the bathroom, Bella needing a human moment while I filled the tub with warm water and bubbles.

Joining her when she finished with the toilet, I slid in behind her and she rested against my chest as I held my hands over her belly. We managed to duck under the water and wet our heads, shampooing each other and then ducking in again to rinse. With the size of her belly and her current lack of mobility, I was glad I had chosen to put in the over sized jacuzzi, not just the one large enough for two.

Bella turned to me, straddling my lap as she kissed my lips, her hands fondling my chest and abs. I kissed her back, somewhat hesitantly given what had happened earlier.

"Sweetheart, I have something I need you to take care of for me", she said against my lips ever so softly as she kissed me. Of course. I hadn't given any thought to my wife's pleasure. I hadn't seen to it that she came before me or even at all this morning. She rocked her hips into mine, making her intent clear as I traced circles on her back and her behind while she sat astride me.

"I love you more than anything, Bella, I just . . ."

"No. I don't want to talk right now. I had my vampire, now I want my husband to make love to me."

Guess that was all I needed to hear.

I kissed my wife with all the love and emotion that was flowing in me at the moment, releasing her lips only when her need for oxygen demanded it, but never lifting my lips from her skin.

She moved with unbridled passion as she rocked against me, moaning my name, her hands gripping my biceps with a strength that would have caused a mortal man to cry out. I held her waist as she moved, making sure she wasn't going to slip or injure herself in the tub as she paid no attention to her own safety. She screamed my name before I was able to muffle her cries with my mouth on hers. I knew her mother was in the house and I guess we didn't care.

She collapsed against my chest as she relaxed, her heart rate dropping slowly back to normal and her breaths coming more easily. I stroked her hair as I realized she felt my length aroused again.

She looked up at me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Vampire. I think you're used to it by now", I said as she smirked at me. I held her hands as she stood, pulling herself from me and we stepped out of the tub.

~oooOooo~


	48. Chapter 48  Enlightening Mom

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 48 Enlightening Mom**

**EPOV **

Renee sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen when we came downstairs dressed in jeans and long sleeved t shirts. We matched, both wearing white shirts and tennis shoes except that Bella had a long cable knit tan sweater covering most of her as she seemed to get cold easily lately. It was after all, the middle of winter and we were in the mountains. I guess I never noticed temperatures much, except to try and dress to blend in with the humans. I would have to remember to grab a jacket if we went outside.

"Hi there you two! Did you sleep well?", Renee asked coyly as she looked up from the cup of coffee that she held with both hands. Bella frowned, giving thought to whatever she was about to say to her mother. "What sleeping we did was good, Mom, as was everything else", Bella smirked, looking at me as she spoke.

I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed over my chest. From what I was hearing in Renee's mind, this was going to be good. Bella would so put her in her place. My wife was shy, but I had come to realize that she was fiercely protective about anything to do with me or us and she needed to solve this. She was tired of the constant smirks and innuendos. It was bad enough to hear them from Emmett all the time and I didn't think she was going to continue to allow her Mom to do it as well.

"Bella! Since when did you talk like that?", Renee spat at her, surprised at her daughters honesty.

"Since you started making insinuations into Edward's and my sex life, Mom", Bella told her, "I'm willing to take the coy questions and innuendos if you're willing to take facts as I throw them back at you. No harm done either way, I just need to know if you want to keep it up, or if you're willing to let go of making comments about whatever Edward and I do when we're alone."

"Bella", Renee said somewhat softer, "You're right, I shouldn't kid you about it." She hesitated before continuing, knowing she was treading on somewhat unsure footing, "I am interested in answering any questions you have. Either of you have, for that matter", she said as she looked at me. "I have been pregnant, young and in love you know . . . and I just want to be sure everything is alright. I know Alice and I both have bought you nighties and such and I never see you in them. I just wonder if you aren't, well you know, bashful maybe . . . and I'd like to reassure you that it's okay to be completely open with your husband." She looked across the kitchen at me, "Or wife, as the case may be. Mom's worry about everything, as you will soon find out when Masen is born."

"Mom."

I knew from the set of her jaw that she was going to put an end to this, it was embarrassing, unnecessary and she was tired of it, even though her Mom was leaving in a day or so. Maybe she would just comfort her and relieve her fears and let it go. I waited to hear what my wife would come up with, she always surprised me.

"You never see me in all the nighties that you and Alice keep buying me because Edward and I don't wear clothes to bed, or even in our room when we're alone. We have sex often, Mom, we make love before going to sleep and when we wake up every morning, most days in between as well. We both prefer it that way and yes, as you have probably heard me screaming his name, he takes care of me quite nicely", she told her as she came and put her arm around me, "So you see, you're worrying about us being open with each other is unnecessary and frankly, annoying."

Well, if I were human, I would be blushing, even though she was not. I uncrossed my arms and put my palms on the counter on either side of me, staring at the floor. I looked up only as I heard my sister approaching the house.

"Bella, you are so noisy, no one can help hearing you and Edward going at it all the time", Alice snickered as the little pixie flitted into the room.

"Okay enough", I said pushing off of the counter and giving them a harsh look. "Enough talk about my wife and what we do or don't do when we're alone. Renee, I'm sure if Bella has any questions she will come to you, hell I'd come to you to ask questions, but discussion about things this personal between my wife and I are not a topic for idle conversation." I looked directly at Bella, "Alright, love?".

"I'm sorry, Edward. I shouldn't have shared personal things without checking with you ", she said as she tightened her arms around me, "Forgive me?"

"Always, baby. I have a little bit of work I need to attend to in the office. If you want to see if your Mom wants to take a walk with us, I'll be ready to go anytime after you have some lunch. I'm not hungry", I said pointedly looking at Renee and headed for my desk in the library.

"Well. What crawled up his rear?", Alice asked as she sat down at the counter with Renee and Bella".

"He didn't like me telling Mom quite so blatantly what we do and do not do in private and how often", Bella answered.

I listened to the conversation for awhile. Bella knew that she could tell them anything she wanted, I was just going along with the flow to get them to leave her alone. I would stay naked in bed with her forever if I could and I really didn't care who knew it.

"Oh", Alice answered, "You told your Mom about the naked honeymoon. Well, if you ask me, going without clothing at all for over two weeks was just a waste of fashion, days that you could have shown off something new!"

I couldn't see into the kitchen, but I could read Alice's mind and I chuckled as I saw Renee sitting there with her mouth dropped open, not knowing what to say.

"Alice, the only thing I regret about that was the sunburn in some places and the scratches on my butt. You have no idea how much fun it is to do everything without being confined in clothing. Naked in the kitchen while cooking around hot ovens is probably the only danger to no clothing", Bella told them as I saw Renee turn red through Alice's mind, "and thorny brier bushes".

"Naked in the kitchen? Anyone we know?", Jacob asked as he strolled into the kitchen, heralding the return of the mighty fishermen.

"Hi Jake! How was the fishing?", Bella asked him.

"Good, good. Carlisle said he had some things to do this afternoon and I wasn't feeling all that great, so he dropped me off here before he headed home. Your Dad and the others are still at it", he huffed, "I think you might have to throw a net over Charlie to get him to come in off that stream."

I watched through him as everyone chuckled, Renee sighing and nodding her head up and down in agreement.

"How about some lunch, Jake? I was just about to make some sandwiches, want some?", Bella offered.

"Sure, sure", he said as he pulled out a chair and took a seat, after going to the refrigerator for a coke.

I chuckled. That boy rarely turned down food. I needed to remember to speak to Carlisle about Jake's recent illness. Phasing was something I knew little about and I wanted to make sure Bella was in no danger being around him even now. I needed to know if Carlisle could tell if he was about to have it happen for the first time and suggest that we should talk to him at length before it happened.

My attention turned back to the paperwork in front of me. I clicked the computer on as I read the list Phil had given me. He had researched some stocks and wondered if I would give him my thoughts on them and discuss with him whether they warranted investment or not. This was incredibly interesting to me and not a chore at all. It was long since I had discussed stock choices with anyone other than Alice, really, although occasionally Jasper liked to check out a few.

After an hour or so of my own research, I realized that Phil had an exceptional knack for this. The stocks he had chosen to ask me for an opinion on were all solid and showed some amount of promise. I jotted down additional information that I came across on each one and lined them up in order of highest potential and best long run.

Alice danced into the study and looked over my shoulder, pointing out the ones she had seen that would take off and adding yet another potential stock to the list that she thought we should purchase in the morning. All in all, there were two on Phil's list and one that she added that I would suggest we buy when the market opened tomorrow.

My sister had seen that I would need her advice and we would be making a purchase in the morning and had come down to go over them with me. Having a fortune teller in the family definitely had its perks.

"Phil is on target with this one", she said as she pointed out a company, "even his timing is correct. I was going to suggest it myself."

"Do we need to make another run at the market, Alice? What have you seen?", I asked.

"Oh, nothing in particular, just scenes of us making these purchases and them skyrocketing within days. We need to get out of them before the end of the week though, even though they will continue to rise. Phil will be elated that one of his choices is this good. It was really nice of you to agree to help him, Edward", she said as she stood behind me with her hands on my shoulders, looking at the computer screen on the desk in front of us.

"By the way, have you spoken to Carlisle about what happened this morning?", Alice asked me as she massaged my shoulders and neck.

"Alice, you're the clairvoyant, you know I haven't talked to him yet", I answered her, "and I wasn't aware that you knew." I turned and looked up at her, "You saw?"

"Yes. I was in your room this morning while you were sleeping and Edward," Alice looked me in the eye, ". . . creepy. Seeing a vampire asleep is just creepy. Bella was worried about your reaction and the tears and I told her I had seen that you would wake up and you were fine. I'm sorry to intrude into your bedroom that way, but I saw that she was really worried about you and I could ease that concern for her."

"I knew she had been more upset than she let on. Thank you Alice, thanks for looking out for her for me," I said as I stood and hugged her, "I know I don't tell you that nearly often enough little sister."

"Are you ready to take a walk, sweetie?", Bella said as she stuck her head in the door, "We're finished with lunch."

She walked over to the desk and looked at the screen, noticing the papers that were obviously not in my handwriting. "Phil?", she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, and he actually picked a winner, Bella. It's just amazing sometimes that humans come through on these things when they are just getting started. I suppose there is something to be said for beginner's luck", Alice allowed.

"That's great. It'll make him feel like he is doing it himself . . . well, he would be, really. He will just have you two to tell him when to get in and when to get out so he doesn't loose money."

"Baby, he had chosen the exact right time to get in himself. I'm really impressed with the research he did and some of the choices he's making, even without any input from me. He would do well at this, even without us", I told her.

"That's kinda good to know. Makes me feel like you guys are not completely altering fate", Bella said.

"Not altering it, Bella . . . just giving it a little nudge in the right direction", Alice laughed.

"Anyway, Alice. Are you and Rosalie still willing to flank us, just in case?", I asked as I clicked off the laptop and put the papers in my desk drawer.

"Yes, of course, big brother", she said exasperatedly, "Rose is listening from the back porch to see when we leave."

"Bella, Alice saw us taking a walk down by the lake with your Mom and though she hasn't seen anything happening, she and Rosalie are going to stay close to us, without being seen. Victoria in the area makes us be on alert, whether she has decided anything or not", I informed Bella, not wanting to scare her but making sure we were protected.

"Thank you, Alice. And thank Rosalie for me. I really appreciate you guys taking care of me like this. I'm just so sorry this is still happening", Bella said with a sad face as I moved to stand beside her and she put an arm around my waist.

"Bella, you're family. No one messes with our family. There are seven of us and only two of them. We'll take care of her the moment she decides to act, or we find her. Just go enjoy the afternoon with your Mom. Oh, and Carlisle will be here to pick you up at 4. I already told him about Renee coming with you and Rose and Esme want to come as well, if it's okay", Alice said as she scooted out the door, waving her fingers at us and smiling.

~oooOooo~

We walked hand in hand into the kitchen where Renee was just clearing up the dishes from lunch.

"Where did Jake disappear to, Mom? Is he coming for a walk with us?", Bella asked.

"Well dear, I invited him, but he wanted to get a nap in. I just don't think that boy feels well at all. Maybe Carlisle should take a look at him", Renee said.

"Good idea, Renee", I said to her as I slipped my jacket on, held the back door open for them and gestured to them that they should go before me.

The lake was picturesque this afternoon. The gazebo my brothers had built Bella for her birthday was perfectly located at the far end of the lake with a view of the mountains on the far side of the valley through a break in the trees. I wondered if that clearing in the trees was natural, or if they had rid the area of the trees themselves. That would be just like Emmett, tossing 50 foot trees down so that Bella could have a pretty view. I chuckled to myself at the vision of Emmett pulverizing the evidence . . . you're not allowed to disrupt trees in the National Forest and Rangers would seek to discover who had done it, looking to us first because of the view it created for us. Cover your tracks, the first rule of being a Cullen.

We sat on the glider in the gazebo, Renee on one side facing us and me with my arm on the back of the bench around Bella. The air was crisp and full of the scent of pine and cedar in this almost pristine setting. It was quiet and relaxing and for a moment I was taken back, remembering what the days of my youth must have been like. It was a different era, and I only vaguely remembered bits and pieces of it, but I know it gave me the morals and beliefs that were instilled in me. I could imagine sitting with my wife and her mother on a Sunday afternoon, like today, sipping iced tea and chatting about something inconsequential while we enjoyed the day and each other's company. It was such a simpler time back then. I took my arm from the back of the bench and moved it so that my hand was on Bella's belly, just under the edge of the sweater that was wrapped around her. She responded by leaning toward me and putting her tiny hand on the inside of my thigh and squeezing slightly. I mused at how this behavior would have been outrageous in my youth. Her mother would have been aghast and Bella, being a lady, would never have placed her hand in such a compromising position on my body. The very thought of touching me so intimately would have mortified her in that era. I chuckled to myself.

Bella interrupted the discussion she was having with her Mom and turned to me, "What's got you so tickled, sweetheart? I know it wasn't the furniture I was describing to Mom."

"I'm sorry, love", I told her as I rubbed her belly and leaned in to kiss her cheek, "I was just thinking how different things were now compared to summer before last." I let out a small laugh and I knew she was smiling at the crooked grin that was covering my face. I hated to modify the truth, but I couldn't very well tell her mother that I was over a hundred years old and remembered life as it was at the beginning of the last century.

"I would never have been so presumptuous as to touch your stomach and", I said as I moved to cover the hand she had on my thigh with mine, "you would never have been so bold."

"Well, things are different now. You're mine and I get to keep you forever, so I can touch you if I want", Bella smirked as she rubbed my leg then clasped her fingers in mine.

"Hello", Carlisle said as he stepped into the gazebo and sat down beside Renee.

She was somewhat surprised by his unexpected appearance, as her back had been facing him as he quietly approached. His arrival at least stopped the comment she had been about to make about Bella and me. At least I wasn't the only one that she thought was handsome in my family. Her thoughts of Carlisle flew through her mind. I began to realize that Renee would always have crazy, wild and somewhat off color thoughts. It didn't seem to mean anything, it was just the way her mind worked. I wondered if Bella's mind worked in the same way. I loved it and it drove me crazy at the same time that I could not read her mind. Her thoughts were closed to me, completely safe in that head of hers. I could only wonder. Charlie's mind was so hard to read, hard to break into and Renee's flitted through a hundred thoughts in just a few seconds. I could only guess what Bella's mind would be like.

My musings were interrupted by Carlisle's asking if we were ready to go see little Masen today.

Masen. God yes, I wanted to see an image of him. I had begun communicating with him and he was very real to me. He and I spend hours upon hours at night and he was starting to understand things that I would tell him somewhat.

"Sure, let's go", Bella said as she moved to stand, "Carlisle, is it alright if my Mom comes with us, she really wants to see Masen?"

"I don't see any problem with that, Bella", he said turning to Renee, "I understand how she feels. I enjoy seeing images of him as well. Esme is dying to come as well."

~oooOooo~

"I'm sorry, this may be a little cold", Carlisle told her as he squirted goo on her stomach so that he could move the ultrasound wand through it and get as undistorted a picture of Masen as was possible.

Rosalie, Esme and Renee seemed almost as excited as Bella and I as the monitor powered on and the image of a tiny life came into view. Masen. He was laying across her stomach, kicking the ribs on her left side that she had been complaining about. Fingers, feet, small little nose . . . it was all there and apparently, if the opinions of my father as well as all the women present held any validity, he looked like me.

He was well proportioned, looking more like a small adult really than a baby. I wanted to try just one thing to see if there was a connection between he and I, if he could understand me in some form. I placed my hand on the side of Bella's exposed belly where he was kicking her and said, "Masen, you need to be careful with Mom and stop stretching those legs out, kicking her. It hurts her."

Renee's thoughts told me that she regarded my behavior as sweet and loved the concern for my wife, but Carlisle knew immediately what I was doing and kept the angle of the monitor such that Masen's reaction wasn't obvious to everyone else. It was clear to me though, as well as to Carlisle. Masen had reacted immediately to my touch and request, pulling his knees into a ball and stilling his movements. I rubbed gently and he relaxed somewhat, but whereas he had extended his legs before, they were now bent at the knee and up against his chest. What an amazingly advanced little creature we had created.

Carlisle's mind was flying through several scenarios, all ending well with Bella and Masen quite healthy. My Dad was amazing. His thoughts were those of a man thrilled and excited beyond belief at the input of new information and the possible ramifications of this new knowledge yet he remained completely calm on the exterior, his human facade completely intact and that of only a concerned doctor and father in law.

"Everything looks great, Bella. Would you like me to print a photo or two of him for you?", Carlisle asked her.

"That would be amazing! I would love a photo, and I bet Mom would too", she told him as she looked toward Renee.

"Of course", he said as he turned to leave the small office, "There are wipes at the foot of the table to clean up with. I'll just be a moment."

What he had conveyed to me with his thoughts, but had been unwilling to say with Renee present, was that the baby was much farther along than he had thought it would be. Masen had done several weeks worth of growing in just a week and he now measured the size and development level of a fetus of about 24 weeks gestation, yet Bella had only been pregnant for three months. No wonder she looked five or six months pregnant . . . she was. I didn't need my medical degrees to do the math and know that at this rate, the baby would be born in January or February at the latest. Next month. How the hell were we going to explain that? Even if we had been intimate when she first came home from the hospital in July, a human baby would not be due till at least March. We had made no secret that we waited till we moved into our own home, that was the first of September. That would make the baby due in May. We were definitely not going to make it till May, or even March for that matter. Figures. Just when Bella's Dad was starting to think about liking me, now he would think we lied to him.

I was vaguely aware of the ladies squeals of delight at seeing our son's face so clearly and I felt Bella squeeze my hand and take my arm to pull herself up from the table, but I was somewhat lost in thought.

"Here you go," Carlisle said as he handed Bella the photos. She was already up and off the table by herself as I stood there looking at the monitor and the image of our son.

"Let's celebrate with some ice cream! We haven't taken Mom to _Sweet Treats _yet and it's on the way home", Bella declared enthusiastically. I immediately heard all sorts of objections and groans run through the minds of my sister as well as my Mom and Dad. Ice cream was somewhat more revolting to them than most foods.

"They make their own chocolates there as well, Renee", I added, "and Mom and Dad usually stock up on chocolate when we go there while we get ice cream."

_Thank God_ Rosalie thought. "No ice cream for me, I would love to get some chocolates as well. You three can have at the ice cream", she smirked as she directed the comment to Renee, Bella and me. Great. I was going to have to eat ice cream. I caught a smirk from Bella as she took my hand and we walked towards the car. She was trying her best not to laugh at me as we followed Renee and Esme out the door.

"You're adorable when you pout. I'm sure you'll find a way to get out of actually eating it, sweetheart", she whispered. I guess I wasn't nearly as good at keeping my feelings from showing as Carlisle was.

Sweet Treats was one of Bella's favorite things about living in Highlands and I loved bringing her there as often as possible. She would find it disgusting as well, once she was no longer human.

The shop made ice cream to order as you waited. They had chocolate and vanilla ice cream and yogurt and they would add any ingredients you wanted and grind them in making an individual serving of literally anything you could imagine. They had over a hundred choices from pineapple and all the other fruits to nuts to even candy bars, M & M's and granola.

Bella _always _got vanilla ice cream with pineapple, coconut and almonds. Always. I often wondered why she stuck to the same thing, never venturing to try any of the other combinations, but she said why would she mess with perfection. She always ordered mine, however, and it was always something different .. . and she always had a lick or two, if she didn't eat mine as well.

We walked into the shop and looked at the chocolates with everyone else before going to the other end of the store to order our ice cream.

"Mom, watch. They make their own waffle cones here so that they are still slightly warm when you eat them. See how they put a tiny marshmallow inside the end of it. It melts there and keeps the melted ice cream from dripping out of the cone. How neat is that?", Bella told Renee excitedly.

"You come here often, don't you?", Renee said with a smile.

Bella ordered her standard concoction, then Renee ordered chocolate with raspberries and dark chocolate chips, and they turned to me.

"What?", I said as I shrugged my shoulders. "You know I can never decide and you always order for me", I told her. She smiled and gave me a hug with the arm that was already around me.

"I thought with Mom here, you might want to order your own and not let it be known that your wife always decides for you", she giggled.

"Nope. My wife decides. I like it that way and I don't care who knows it", I said as they both laughed at me as I stood there with my hands in my pockets.

I paid for the cones and Bella ordered a carton or two of different flavors to take home with us. While they made them, we walked out on the deck. One of the fun things about this place was that there was a deck that ran the length of the building overlooking a large stream that contained fish. Not just any fish, but a variety including three foot long fat trout. They were absolutely huge, no doubt from eating the food that could be purchased in dispensers along the railing of the deck and the odd ice cream that fell off the cone into the water, like mine just happened to as I took my second lick.

"Oh no, sweetheart", Bella said as she put her arm on my shoulder. Would you like me to get you another one?" She was becoming a better actress. Only a small glimmer of a smile crossed her face as she offered to purchase me another cone that she clearly knew I didn't want.

"No, that's okay. I'll just feed the fish the cone as well", I laughed as I made it a game of throwing small bits of the vile stuff to the fish below.

"Bella, this ice cream alone is a reason to live here. I see why you come here so often", Renee told her. We went back inside and got the bag of ice cream to take home and found the others sitting at a table out front with their bags of purchases in front of them. They were laughing and talking and seemed to be enjoying the outing almost as much as Bella. I was happy my wife was laughing and enjoying her food. She would find ice cream disgusting once she was no longer human.

~oooOoo~

We stopped at Carlisle and Esme's house to watch the sunset on the way home and Bella and I wandered off to the far end of the enclosed deck so that we could sit on the swing together. We cuddled with my arms around her as we watched the colors start to appear in the cloud covered sky with the approaching sunset.

I marveled at the creature in my arms, so loving and trusting. She sat with a vampire nuzzling her throat and his child growing inside her and seemed utterly content, completely comfortable in my world. I would do anything for her, protect her at any cost.

I worried about her safety with the unknown creature inside her.

I worried about the birth and how we would judge the right time to take the child.

I worried about Victoria, the other vampire and the fact that we had not located and killed them yet.

I worried that Jacob would phase and Bella would be too close.

It was twilight. The end of yet another day and the beginning of another night in eternity. And most of all I worried that somehow, someday, something would separate me from the woman in my arms.


	49. Chapter 49 Bonding

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** Remember to leave me some love. I don't have a good sense of what you, the readers, are feeling if you don't reply. I don't know if you are being led down the path I intend . . . Share your thoughts if you have the time! THANKS!

**Chapter 49 Bonding**

**EPOV **

"Ready to go try out that gun I gave you?", Jacob asked me as he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Jacob."

"Hi Jacob."

"Hi Jake", Bella said as the others murmured their '_good morning_s' to him, "Ready for some breakfast?"

"Always Chica", he answered as he walked over to where she stood and gave her a hug before filling his plate and finding a seat at the table.

"I set up a range for us out back, Jacob, just to practice this morning and Jasper is bringing some of his rifles down for us to try as well", I told him as I sat at the table with coffee in front of me, my plate long gone.

"Nice. I didn't know Jasper had rifles", Jacob answered as he smeared butter and jam all over his toast.

"Yes, he collects them. Has quite a collection from the few I saw, mostly old antiques, civil war era", Charlie informed him as he got up to give Bella his plate and refill his coffee.

"Huh. Well I hope he has a few newer ones that we can actually shoot and not just admire", Jacob replied, his mouth full of breakfast.

"So what's the plan for today, Sweetie?", Renee asked Bella.

She was giving Phil a disgusted look for being so engrossed in the paper. Phil had the financial section out and was going over some news reports from Wall Street. He was really into the idea of investing or the idea of being able to support Renee with a better income than just a minor league ball player makes. He had also had some injuries lately and was unsure of how much longer he could play, so an alternate way of earning income was vitally important to him, though he didn't want to tell me that. I had told him not to invest monies that he couldn't afford to loose and he was taking me seriously.

My wife was finishing up wiping the counters, having already put away the cookware used for breakfast that I had washed. She was adorable with the apron tied above her belly and her bedroom shoes on. It was all I could do not to go and stand with my arms around her and breath in the freesia and strawberry scent of her hair, possibly causing me to take he right here on the counter. Nice thought anyway.

"Well, I think the boys are going to practice shooting", she said darting her eyes to me, "then Phil and Edward have a little business to do in the office before they go hunting with Emmett and Jake. Carlisle, Jasper, Phil and Dad are going fishing . . . again". She exaggerated the 'again' and rolled her eyes at her father.

"The rest of us are going into town. I need roomier clothing if I am to wear anything other than sweat pants around here", she said as she came to stand beside my chair and I leaned my head against her stomach with my arm around her and her hand on my shoulder.

I placed my hand full on the front of her belly and asked a question that I already knew the answer to, "How is Masen this morning, love?"

Everyone's ears pricked up at that and they stared at us, waiting for Bella's answer. "He's fine. Not so much kicking this morning, thank goodness. He's been treating my ribs like punching bags the last couple of days", she laughed as I rubbed over where he had hurt her yesterday.

"So, Edward", Jacob said, "How about going with me one day this week to look for a building or some land for _Black Swan Racing_?"

Bella's jaw dropped as did several others in the room.

"_Black Swan Racing_?", Bella asked, an eyebrow arched as she waited for a reply.

"Yep", Jacob answered with a huge grin, "I'm naming my new company after the founders, _Black _and _Swan_. Sound good?"

"Jake, you starting your own business, huh. Well that's somethin. Congratulations!", Charlie told him

"Sounds awesome Jake, but here? Highlands?", Bella said, still stunned from hearing the company name.

"Yep. Good a place as any. My partners live here and they can be involved if they want to if I'm closer", Jacob told her.

Great. Not that I didn't like Jacob and want him to do well . . . I do. It's just that the idea of him around all the time, knowing that he still had feelings for Bella . . .well, I just wasn't sure how I felt about that. He didn't understand fully about the 'werewolf' that he could be phasing into and he would probably need the pack at La Push to help him through it. I just didn't know how he would react or feel about being with a bunch of vampires once he embraced what that really was, and what he was. We were after all, each others only mortal enemy. Perhaps I could shake him into a deeper understanding that the legends were really true, I mused to myself.

Jasper arrived with several gun bags in hand and a rifle under his arm. "Mornin' all", he said in his typical southern drawl, "Ready for some huntin'?"

"Ready as I'll ever be", I said reluctantly, "I'll get my gun." I left to go to the office and get the rifle and the rounds that Jacob had given me for Christmas. I chuckled to myself at the very idea of using a rifle to hunt with. They had picked up on my lack of enthusiasm and I listened to their banter in the kitchen as I strode to the office.

"He doesn't seem too enthusiastic", Charlie said to Jasper, "Does he like to hunt?"

"What the . . .", Charlie handed Bells paper towels, she had choked on her orange juice and it was all over the table, "You okay, kid?"

"Fine", she said as she composed herself, "I'm good, Dad".

"Edward used to hunt all the time, he just hates to leave Bella", Jasper said with a smirk on his face.

I returned with my rifle and we all headed out to the do some target practice. Jasper, Emmet and I had spent a couple of hours quietly moving tree and brush to make a small, maybe two yard wide clearing into the woods for about fifty yards, placing a target against the side of the hill that my parents house sat on as there was a dirt cliff there before we had gone hunting last night. It would be safe to shoot, even if we missed. The bullets would sink into the soft earth and not continue on to harm something in the distance that we had not seen or intended. Jasper had helped me position the range in a straight line from the front of my house so that from our front lawn we could shoot across the lake, down the range through the woods and to the target, a total distance of about a hundred yards. Emmet and I had pulverized the trees and brush and had made them into a sort of sort of mulch, covering the ground along the range. It looked really nice, if I do say so myself, and it wasn't noticeable that we had just made it, since it was only a couple of yards wide. No one other than Renee had walked down to the other side of the lake and she wouldn't be shooting with us.

Charlie, Phil, Jacob, Emmett, Jasper and I walked out onto the front porch, each with a weapon.

"See there, at the far end of the lake", I pointed out, "there is a small range. Charlie and Phil had to look through their scopes to see it clearly, but the rest of us saw it with the naked eye, including Jacob.

Jasper was a marksman and went first, using his favorite Remington 7mm Magnum, a gun normally used for elk and big game at quite a distance. Though the humans couldn't see it without looking down their scopes, I saw that Jasper had nailed the very center of the target.

"Nice shot!", I complimented him, as did the others once they looked through their scopes and saw the shot he had made.

Emmett took a turn with a Winchester 300 Short Mag, a rifle that had a great deal of kick to it.

"Fuck! I can't believe I almost missed the whole damn target", Emmett exclaimed.

Charlie frowned at his use of language and his thoughts told me that he was glad the ladies weren't outside with us to hear that. He took the gun from Emmett.

"Let's see how those sights are", Charlie said as he loaded and took aim with the gun Emmett had just used.

Charlie's shot was just off where Jasper had hit, dead center in the middle of the target. "Huh. Seems the sights are accurate, Emmett", he smirked, "I guess the old man here can still shoot."

"You best remember that about your father in law, Edward", Jacob said as he laughed. Charlie gave me a stern look and his thoughts told me that he was thinking the same thing Jacob had voiced. Charlie had come a long way towards accepting me and my relationship with his daughter. It had been stressful for him and even more strained once he found out that I had gotten her pregnant, but he was genuinely trying to make the best of it and get to know me better. There was always the underlying threat from him that he would hand me my balls if I hurt his daughter.

I picked up the new rifle that Jacob had given me for Christmas.

"I had it sighted in, Edward, so hopefully it's good", Jacob said as I loaded and drew the weapon to my shoulder. I chuckled to myself at the idea of actually using the scope. My sight was better than any scope we had with us. I hit the target about three inches away from center where Charlie and Jasper had hit. Not a bad shot, but not showing off either. Truth was, I wasn't very good with these things.

We continued to swap off with turns and guns. Charlie and Jasper were the best shots, Emmett and Phil the worst and Jacob and I were somewhere in between. After an hour or so Phil looked at the time and pointed out that the market opened in fifteen minutes and we should go get set up. We excused ourselves and left the rest of them firing, laughing and having a great time in the front yard.

We wandered into the house just as Bella and her Mom came down the stairs. Esme, Rosalie and Alice were picking them up momentarily to go into town. Rosalie had to pick up some packages that she had ordered for Masen's room and Bella needed larger clothing from the maternity store. She had changed in size in only a week. The others were just going along for fun and because there was no way in hell I would let Bella go _anywhere _without at least three vampires with her with Victoria and that other vampire's scent all over town.

I was busy saying goodbye to Bella, wrapped up in her embrace and so lost in her kisses that I didn't notice Esme drive up. Renee actually touched me on the shoulder as she said, "Ahemm . . . can you let go of her long enough for us to go get her some clothing that fits? This behavior is why she needs the new clothes, Edward. Edward . . ."

Bella and I were having a hard time keeping our lips together, we were both about to bust out laughing and we just kept kissing because it was so damned funny to listen to Renee get more and more flustered the longer we stood there. Finally she huffed and walked towards the door, muttering something about just leaving Bella home. As soon as she was out the front door we both laughed hysterically. Her Mom was so easy to exasperate that it was almost criminal to keep doing it to her.

"I'll be back soon, sweetheart. Have fun '_hunting_' with Jacob", she said with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk in her voice.

"What's so funny?", Charlie asked. "You're Mom's out here fit to be tied", he said as he poked his hed inside the door.

Neither of us could help it, a round of new laughter filled the room from Bella and I.

"Nothing Dad", she said as she left, "Mom is just too easy."

_Easy_, Charlie thought to himself, _I never thought she was easy at all._

"Phil and I were just about to make some purchases, sweetheart, do you want to make the buys?", I asked my wife.

"No, baby, you do it this time. Esme is already here and I don't want to keep her waiting. I'd like to do the trades for the sale though, okay? And go ahead and do what you will with the account you set up for me to learn with, use it if you have a good lead for us", she said as she left, going up on her tip toes to kiss me one more time.

Phil and I went to the library and fired up my computer, using Bella's as well so that we could get on my acount and Phil's at the same time. I pulled the papers that Phil had given me out of the desk drawer and handed them back to him so that he could see the notes I had made.

"You and I agree on two of the stocks that you picked, Phil. Excellent choices and timing, for that matter. Alice and I have suggested a third as you can see here", I pointed to my notes.

Phil's account came up and sure enough, he had done as I requested and transferred twice his original investment back to his savings account, leaving him twenty thousand or so that he could use to invest. Good. If we split it between two of these stocks, we should do well in the end, and I fully intended to sink a few million into the one Alice had come up with yesterday, showing the potential to gain over 500 percent in the next 3 days.

Phil did his trading first, simply putting half in the best of the two stocks he had picked, and the other half in the stock that Alice and I had suggested. Excellent.

I decided to do the same using the funds in Bella and my account. When I switched to the family account, Phil got a look at the balance and I thought he would pass out.

"Oh my God, Edward! Doesn't it make you nervous handling all that money for your entire family? You're only 19 years old! I would die of nerves and I'm twice your age!", Phil exclaimed.

"My family isn't judgemental, Phil. If I loose money, they never say anything", I told him, but I was unable to resist adding, "Of course, I haven't lost in years."

I purchased twenty million dollars worth of stock as Phil stood beside me, petrified. I lightheartedly logged off, and closed the computer without watching the ticker to see what direction the market was headed in today. Phil looked at me as though I had two heads.

"Carlisle is here and I guess we're heading off to fish", Charlie announced as he and my brothers came into the office with Jacob to get Phil, "You boys will be safe with those weapons, right? My daughter wouldn't like it if Mason's Dad got hurt."

This time Emmett and Jasper about lost it, Jasper chuckling but Emmett in a full fledged guffaw. The idea that a gun could hurt me was apparently hysterical to them.

"We'll be careful. Guys, let's just get what you need and we'll meet on the front porch in a few minutes and walk into the woods from here", I told them all.

It was moments later when Carlisle pulled away with the fishing crew and I headed off into the woods to hunt deer with Jacob and Emmett. It was one of the last weeks of deer season, if I paid attention to such things.

Emmett and I smelled the deer, of course. A small heard was just over the next rise and we were downwind. We all took a shot and no deer fell, Emmett and I shooting high on purpose. We really didn't want to kill one this way and waste it. The herd scurried away rapidly into the trees.

"Plenty more, not to worry", Emmet allowed as we walked over the rise and further into the forest.

Jacob and I hadn't had a real chance to talk about what Bella, Carlisle and I had revealed to him on Christmas night, and I thought this might be a good time since no one other than another vampire was around.

"Jacob", I said as we walked, "Have you given any more thought to what we talked about Christmas Eve?" His head whipped around to me and he stopped cold, looking at Emmett.

"You mean about the Quillette legends?", he asked.

"Yes."

"I have a million questions", he responded, "like why do you believe that shit anyway?"

"Because it's true", I answered, looking him straight in the eye. He chuckled to himself and smacked my shoulder, continuing to walk into the woods.

"Jacob", I called to him, "stop for a minute. Grab my hand." Jake turned to me and looked at me like I was nuts.

"Okay dude, what gives?", he asked.

"Try to bend my fingers, Jacob", I told him. He scoffed as he grabbed them, intent on bending them double if I wanted to be so stupid as to go toe to toe with him. He couldn't budge them, and the temperature of my skin registered with him, finally. He looked up at me, shocked. We had discussed my family being some of the _cold ones_ from his tribe's legends with Carlisle and Bella on Chrisms eve, but he still did not believe them.

"The legends are true, Jacob. Edward and I are both vampires", Emmett told him with a stupid arsed grin on his face. Emmett embraced everything about this life and loved it.

"You know about this?", Jacob asked, astounded.

"Yep, I was there and met your grandfather as well", Emmett told him.

"Fuck. What the hell am I supposed to do with this information? This just isn't real. I thought my Dad was full of shit all those years, doting on old legends and wives tales", Jacob mused. "Dad was right? He was right after all . . .? Edward, my Dad hated the Cullen's."

"I know, Jacob and we vowed to remain friends, remember. I refuse to be your enemy, whether the hatred in bred into us or not", I told him.

"So hunting", he looked at his gun, "with these. It's just sport to you?"

"Yes. We could catch the deer far easier by hand. You will, too, once you phase into your wolf form, Jacob. Running after them is child's play", I told him.

"Show me." He looked up at me, his mind reeling.

"Show me, Edward. This is all unreal to me, I need proof", he said, forcing the words out and straining to maintain eye contact with me.

"Are you sure you can handle seeing that?", I asked, "You sure you won't freak?"

"Yes. I'm sure. I need to know. I have to know that this is real, vampires and were wolves and since there isn't another werewolf here that I know of", he looked at me as if he were asking a question. "I guess the vampire part will do."

"You understand that the humans, other than Bella, can't know _anything_ about this", I said solemnly.

"Agreed", Jacob declared.

I looked to Emmett and his mind was clear, he thought we should show him as well. He needed to know and we wanted to keep him as a friend.

"Follow me", Emmett said as he took off at vampire speed.

Jacob just looked into the thin air where Jasper had been, standing there with his mouth open, his mind completely blank.

"Come on, let's catch up", I said and started off into the woods at a fast human speed. Jacob matched me stride for stride, coming along beside me and asking, "Can you do that as well?"

I was gone before he finished his question, racing ahead and then back to him, stopping in front of him.

"You disappeared", he gasped.

"No, I just moved faster than you could see, that's all. Come on, let's find Emmett", I said.

We came up to a clearing and Emmett jumped nimbly down behind us from where he had been perched in a tree some 30 feet above us, eliciting a small gasp from Jacob.

"Are you sure you want to see this, Jacob? I don't want you to go into shock or be afraid of us, you have nothing to fear from us. You're one of my best friends", I told him.

"No, I need to see. If I belong to this mythical world, then I need to see", he said determinedly.

"Alright, but we don't waste our kills. Emmett will catch it, feed from it and we can take the deer back home after we clean it and claim we shot it, agreed?", I asked.

"Agreed. But if we're taking it home, at least get a big one, we don't want to look like a bunch of losers coming back with a baby or something", Jacob added.

"Emmett, they'll be coming into the clearing on the other end. We'll watch from here", I told them.

Emmett disappeared into the woods to go outside and come from the woods toward the deer so that they would run past us and Jacob could watch.

It was all over in less than a minute. Jacob and I watched from the edge of the clearing as a small herd, along with a huge buck emerged from the forest into the clearing to our right. It must have been at least a 10 point buck, to use hunter's terms. As they bent their heads to eat grass, all of a sudden the wind shifted and they froze, bolting across the meadow and away from an approaching Emmett.

It wouldn't have really been possible for Jacob to see Emmett chasing the buck, but he saw the buck go down and he saw Emmett bending over the animal. We walked closer, careful to maintain distance from the now feeding vampire. My brothers and I had fed fully last night, knowing we were coming hunting this morning and that there would be a good chance that blood would be spilled. The fuller we were, the easier it would be to maintain control once the scent of blood was in the air.

Jacob's thoughts were wild when he was close enough to clearly see Emmett's mouth on the buck's neck and Emmett drinking. "Fuck", was all he could say as Emmett finished and stood to face us, not a drop on his shirt.

I walked over to him. "How should we do this?", Emmett's thoughts were brilliant.

"Jacob, go back up into the woods and shoot this deer, anywhere you like", Emmett and I said as he moved to hold up the end with the horns, leaving me the butt.

"I'm not shooting with you both that close, are you insane?", Jacob yelled as he turned to us from the edge of the clearing.

"Do it. Just hit the deer, if you miss it's alright, we're bullet proof anyway", I told him.

He was stunned, but he aimed and shot the chest of the buck.

"Alright, I said as I saw Jacob taking out his knife to field dress the animal. We can truthfully say that Jacob shot him", I said as Emmett and I laughed and Jacob stared at us in shock.

"Bullet proof?", he asked.

I answered any questions Jacob had for me, that I knew the answers to anyway, as we walked back to my house, Emmett carrying the buck out from him with one hand so as not to get blood on his clothes. When we reached the house, Jacob opened the tailgate of his new truck and Emmett laid the buck across it. He wanted to show Charlie and Phil as well as the girls what the mighty hunters had brought down before we took the carcass to the processors.

"Well guys, that was quite an adventure", Jacob said, still somewhat stunned from watching Emmett drink blood as well as carry the buck all the way to the truck with one hand. "I have to say, more of this deer got used for food than I have ever seen. I guess we all have different ideas about what part of it tastes best", Jacob tried to show that he really was alright by making a joke.

"Friends, Jacob. I refuse to be your enemy. You took care of Bella when I didn't, and for that I will always owe you", I told him as I put a hand on his shoulder and he didn't flinch away. "Let's go talk about _Black Swan Racing _while we wait for the girls to get back. I can't wait to hear what you have planned!", I said as we walked into the house to clean up.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I insisted on sitting in the back seat with Rosalie and Alice, not wanting my Mom to be squished next to them and have too much opportunity to notice their cold, hard bodies. Up front there would be no reason for her to have contact with anyone. We drove to the post office and picked up several parcels that Rosalie had ordered for Masen's room.

"Are we moving Jacob to Phil and Renee's room when they leave tomorrow so that we can start work on the nursery?", Rosalie asked.

"I had thought so, Rose, but I just realized we need it for Sue. I just don't think my Dad would sleep in the same room with her at my house, or even if they share a bed anyway", I realized as I said the words.

"Well, sweetie", my Mom said, "You could ask Charlie, or you can just assume she needs her own room and wait till next week to do the room after she leaves."

Rosalie frowned at the idea of waiting, but Esme told her to cheer up, "The supplies are already here for the room at our house and we can start on it and still switch and finish the one at Bella's house first, after Charlie and Sue leave on Saturday!."

"I guess", Rose said dejectedly, "I just keep seeing my design in my head and I want to see it in the room for real."

Esme laughed as she pulled into the boutique parking on Main Street, "Now you see how I feel every time I have to wait to start a new project!"

We got out of the car and went into the maternity store. Jessica, the girl that had helped us last week remembered us and greeted me by name. It felt odd to use that name now that my high school classmate of the same name had been killed, but there had to be thousands of people with that name. I would just have to get over it.

"Has that new line you were expecting arrived?", Alice asked as we walked in.

"Yes, I'll get a selection for her to try on and put them in the dressing room", Jessica offered.

"Please get a size larger, at least a 6 if I'm going to have any chance of fitting into them", I told her, "the tops can still be a small". _I hope,_ I thought to myself. I was huge already. It felt like my stomach should almost have it's own zip code.

Esme, Alice, Rose and my Mom all handed me things while I stayed in the dressing room. Well, it really wasn't much of a dressing room, just one of two small rooms adjacent to the storage area in the back of the store and the back door, the other small room being the bathroom.

Luckily.

It seemed I was always in the bathroom these days, peeing was one of the things I did most often during the day . . . and night as well lately. I smiled to myself. I knew Edward hated any discomfort that carrying Masen caused me, but I think he secretly loved the fact that I was waking up at least one time every night to go to the bathroom. He would never wake me or disturb my rest on purpose, but if I woke up on my own we always managed to make love before I went back to sleep. I don't know if my need or his was greater, he seemed to worry so about hurting Masen with our shenanigans, or being too rough with me. He had seemed fine since that night in Orlando at the Hard Rock, he had been able to keep his strength and need under control, rocking gently into me the better part of each night as I slept, anyway.

"Bella", my annoying little pixie sister called, "Let us see the outfits on you! How do you expect me to know how each one looks, it's not like I can read your mind and see them in the mirror you're looking into you know?"

"Oh, I love that shirt", Mom offered, "baby blue and purple always did look wonderful on you, sweetie. Let's get that one and the jeans to go with it, those look great."

"They're comfortable too, Mom", I pulled up my shirt to show the elastic area in font and how much more room for expansion there was.

"Bella!", my Mom almost shrieked, "Has Carlisle seen those bruises?"

Woops. Pulled the shirt up too far. Damn. Now my Mom had come over and lifted my shirt, cringing at the blue marks and worrying.

"Maybe we should go have Carlisle look at you", Renee said,

"Settle down, Mom. These were already forming yesterday when we did the ultrasound, Carlisle knows about them. Remember Edward asking Masen to stop kicking me, when he put his hand on my belly . . . remember?", I asked them.

"Well, these weren't this blue, Bella, I had no idea", Esme said, "Has he settled down any?"

"Actually he has", I told them, laughing. "Maybe he's doing as his father told him!"

They all laughed, my vampire family trying to help me discount the seriousness of the bruises and calm my mother down.

"Oh, those jeans are perfect, except that they have a tear in them in back!", Alice noticed.

"These are the new line that you ordered, sort of at my request, right", Alice asked Jessica.

"Yes, they are", Jessica answered, "and I wish I had ordered extra, they are amazing, Alice. You should be doing the buying for the store you're so good at judging these things. Everything you had me order is just beautiful!"

"Thank you, Jessica. We will need to order a couple of pairs of these jeans in this size, though. This one is ruined and Bella and I both love them."

"Not a problem. I want more for the shop anyway, let me make a call", she replied.

I tried on a few more things, and Rose loved a pink shirt on me so much I agreed to get it and I don't even _wea_r pink . . . ever! I gathered all the clothes and headed to the front. Alice, Rose and my Mom sorted the pile, deciding what I wanted and what I didn't as Esme and I looked on and laughed.

"Bella, you have made it clear that you have no need for nightwear", Mom said with an understand twinkle in her eyes, "but what about after the baby is born. You may not feel like getting dressed and other people may be around when you want to breast feed the baby. Maybe a nursing gown?"

"Um . . . not now, at least, Mom. I don't even know if I'm going to breast feed. Edward and I haven't decided yet", I said looking at Alice to see if she had seen anything. I don't think even Carlisle would have an opinion on that topic yet and by adding Edward to the decision making process, I threw my Mom off. She wandered off muttering things about it not _being any of his concern_ and _what was the world coming to when women had to consult their husbands to know if it was alright to breast feed_.

If she only knew.

We left the shop and browsed through Rose's favorite store, _Spoiled Rotten_, with Rose deciding to try on a few things. Alice and Esme found some things s well, and my Mom kept looking at a particular rack of shirts.

"Try one on, Mom, it there is something you like!", I urged her.

"Honey, have you seen these prices?", she said, shaking her head.

"Okay, now I insist. You can at least see if it looks good on you. Stocks. This morning. remember? I;m sure one shirt won't be a problem, Mom. I had to get used to it, now it's your turn if you're going to hang with the Cullen's!", I chided her.

Two shirts and a pair of jeans later, I happily walked out of the store with my Mom with a bag under her arm.

"See, Renee. It wasn't that hard, was it", Alice told my Mom.

"I have never spent over two hundred dollars on a pair of jeans and a couple of cotton knit shirts in my life!", Renee almost gasped.

Esme moved to walk beside Renee and put her arm around her, hugging her briefly. "It takes some getting used to", she told her, "but you have to remember, we have all been exposed to Alice for years . . . and she almost thinks of clothing as 'for one time use'!"

We all broke out in laughter, even the corner of Alice's mouth dipped up into a half smile!

We put the bags in the trunk and headed for our last stop, the grocery store. Two carts full and the trunk overflowing, and we were headed for home with our treasures, anxious to see what fishing and hunting tales the men had to spin.

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

Damned sap, I thought as I jumped down to follow their car into town. I was sick and damned tired of my perch in the tree atop Satulah, the mountain that stood between the town of Highlands and the knoll that the Cullen house sat on in Blue valley. I could see for miles and miles from my perch and not be seen.

It seemed that all the ladies had gotten into one car to come into town today, I had to find a place that I could snatch her from, take right from under their noses, but an opportunity had not presented itself . . . yet. They always had at least two if not three of them with her and all the other humans that were staying at their house for that matter. No matter. I had time and all I needed was one slip on their part.

They parked on Main street and went back into the maternity store after going to the post office. I was sure they had all smelled me, especially since they were making such a point of not leaving the humans alone. My car was parked in town, just waiting for the chance, the slightest opening. They couldn't track me if there was no scent and after a few miles in a closed car, I would be extremely hard to follow. And so would her scent.

Riley was usually close by, but he needed to feed this morning and would be a couple of hours or more before he returned from Atlanta. It was just easier to run to the city than to try and hunt here and raise more suspicion. Too bad, this might have been a good time, except that she had three of them with her.

I moved around to the rear of the shopping mall, in the alley where all the back doors opened and the dumpsters sat. I could hear them inside talking. Laughing. Where the fuck did she get off being so damned happy, giving him a child. He took my mate and he gets to keep his _and_ have a child? I don't think so, I snarled to myself.

Bitch. Just wait.

They moved down the street to another store, again the same as last time, and I hung by the backdoor listening to them trying on clothes and discussing them with each other. How long had it been since I had a girlfriend to try on different clothes in a store with. hell, how long had it been since I didn't just run in and out, stealing what I needed and not taking the time to primp and look and decide. Damn it. I wanted to be with a gtoup of women again, just our shopping.

If the Cullen's could do it, so could I.

I heard them leave, heading to the grocery store by their own admission. I knew the layout of that disgusting smelling place by heart and I had no need to go there and hear anymore of their mindless banter. I was done. I heard Riley approaching, and all I wanted to do was leave.

"Get in the car", I told him.

"Baby, is that how you greet me?", he asked. I had to think of something fast.

"Yes, I just want to get you home and get you out of those clothes. Now."


	50. Chapter 50  Cullen Gang

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 50 The Cullen Gang**

**APOV**

Finally! Bella seemed to be listening to me about fashion. Well, perhaps_ listening to m_e was too strong a way to phrase it. She was, however, allowing me to order selections for her and she was coming home with them. It was a start. I ordered several other things from the shop as will to arrive with the jeans and at this point I felt like Bella would be not only accepting of them, but appreciative! Having a new little sister was fun, but having one that was changing sizes and shapes was amazing. I had never even thought about the world of maternity fashion! Unbelievable how I had missed that and now I got to dress an infant and toddler . . . well, at least for a little while. We still had no idea just what to expect or how fast little Masen would grow up.

"Jasper, are you coming?"

"Right here, darlin'. Emmett just switched with Esme to watch Edward's house and everyone else is waiting on the porch", he answered.

"I'm coming. Just because we're feeding doesn't mean we can't be fashionable", I said as I adjusted my scarf. Jasper put his arms around my waist and gently bit my earlobe. "If you start that again, we'll never have breakfast and be ready to ride the motorcycles with the others", I said as I took his hand and led him downstairs and out to where the others were waiting on us to go hunting.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

As we left the grocers and piLed back into the car yesterday I was lost in my thoughts. Looking around me, I was amazed by my vampire family. They had changed so much to accommodate me and my human parents . . . even grocery shopping. They didn't seem to mind, even Rosalie. Ever since I asked her to help with the baby she has seemed not just more willing to accept me, but happier in general. Masen was already creating happiness for the people that would become his family!

I could even see myself adjusting to Alice and her wild addiction to clothing. Edward had the right attitude about it and it was starting to rub off on me - just let her get whatever she wants because it makes her happy, then wear the things you like and give the rest away. Easy, non-confrontational, and somewhat adventurous in that you never knew what would appear in your closet! Most importantly . . . it made Alice happy.

The guys had some crazy fishing stories and I thought my Dad would loose it he was laughing so hard recanting how Phil lost his footing in the middle of the stream and took a tumble into the freezing cold water. Luckily, it was just before they were getting ready to come home anyway. I had the feeling that if they had caught any fish, Phil's fall would probably not even have gotten a mention.

There was a _huge _dead deer draped over the tailgate of Jacob's truck in the front of the house, visible to all as we drove up the driveway. I had a feeling it had been displayed there purposefully - mighty hunters and all. Esme, Rosalie and Alice all exchanged snickers and eye rolls at the sight of it behind my Mom's back as I started to walk over by the truck where all the guys were standing. This had to be a first for my new family. I was sure they were used to burying the carcass or leaving it in the woods, not bringing their leftovers home with them.

"Hi, Love", Edward said as he enveloped me in his arms and kissed me softly, whispering, "I missed you", in my ear.

"How did it go?", I asked as we made our way over to where all the others were gathered by the tailgate.

"Great. I missed, Emmett fed and Jacob shot one", Edward whispered with a smile, "I'll explain later". I could only imagine.

Mom rushed inside where Phil was changing out of his wet clothing. They had to pack since they were leaving in the morning, but I was pretty sure that was just an excuse not to have to look at the dead animal.

Dad and Edward unloaded the grocery bags from the car, leaving me only a bag or two of new clothes to bring in as we all planned to sort of dispersed to our respective houses and Jake and Emmett headed to town to have the deer processed.

I waited on the porch to hug Edward as he was bringing in the last bags. I seemed like I need him with me every minute even more than ever. I suspected that part of the need for him was coming directly from Masen, though I didn't yet understand it . . . I felt it.

"Edward!", Phil opened the front door, yelling for my husband. It was unnecessary. Edward would hear himself being called at a whisper but of course, Phil didn't know that.

"Edward", he said excitedly as he focused on us, "the stock!" He seemed so excited he couldn't even get whatever he was going to say to come out in words. Edward chuckled beside me and I knew that he already knew what Phil was going to say, having heard his thoughts. I guess it must be something good . . . not to worry if they were both smiling.

"Edward, the stock rose 400%. _ Four hundred percent, Edward!_", Phil repeated himself. Edward continued to look at him calmly setting the bag of groceries on the nearest chair in order to put both arms around me. Phil was almost comical, his excitement was so over the top and Edward stood calm, waiting for him to settle down, I guess.

"And . . .", Edward said, looking expectantly at Phil.

"And? What the hell? You _expected_ this?", Phil said, looking astonished.

"Yes", Edward answered nonchalantly, rubbing circles on my back as we stood on the porch.

"But . . . but, Edward, you have _millions_ invested!", he said quietly.

"Yes", Edward replied as Renee came outside to join us. Apparently Phil had already informed her of the gain and she was as white as a sheet. I put my hand on Phil's shoulder to calm him.

"It takes some getting used to", I said as I nodded my head in understanding.

"See you in the morning!", Esme and Alice waved as they got into Esme's car to leave. I saw a twinkle in Edwards eyes and his lips drew up into a smile. I knew he was up to something.

"Mom", Edward yelled . . . human facade in place, "Stocks made over a hundred mill today."

"That's nice dear," she replied, no more interested than if we had told her that we liked her car, "See you all in the morning!"

"Hard Rock jackets and jeans in the morning, don't forget", Alice chimed in, ignoring the stock comment completely, our attire being far more important and interesting to her.

"Oh my God. Money really isn't important to this family, is it? It's just a daily occurrence around here!", Mom exclaimed, astonished.

"I told both of you before, it takes some getting used to", I said as eyed Edward and hugged him to me.

"It's too late to sell, Edward! Should we wait to leave in the morning till after the market opens so we can sell?", Phil asked anxiously.

"You are welcome to sell if you want to, Phil. That is, of course, always your choice. I think we should leave by nine though if we are all riding down the mountain with Charlie, he has to be at the airport by one and we were going to get some lunch at the Dillard House, just down the mountain."

"No, no, Edward", Phil stammered, looking like he had just made the biggest mistake in the world by questioning my nineteen year old husband's judgment, "I wasn't questioning you! I just thought, well I assumed . . . the stock quadrupled and I thought you would advise to sell in the morning, that's all."

Edward laughed. "Phil, I remember just how you feel. I felt the same way in the beginning when my stock would rise like that. It's a great feeling, I know", he said calmly, "But if you want, I'm leaving the funds there till at least day after tomorrow and I can call you when I think it's time to get out of the market on that one. You are welcome to now, of course, it doesn't offend me. I know how exciting it can be."

"You think it will continue to go up then?", Phil asked.

"Yes, I'm expecting an increase of up to another 300% by in the morning, Phil", Edward said calmly.

Phil looked stunned. He sat down in one of the rockers rather quickly as Edward picked up the grocery bag. "I'll just go put these away for you, sweetheart", he said as he disappeared into the house, leaving me with Mom and Phil.

"I told you he was amazing", I said to them as I sat in the rocker that Edward had emptied by removing the grocery bag.

~oooOooo~

"What's wrong with Phil?", Jacob asked as he strolled into the kitchen, grabbing an apple and plopping himself up onto the counter to sit. Edward and I were nearly through preparing dinner while Charlie showered and Renee finished her packing upstairs.

"Too much exposure to the Cullen's", Edward laughingly answered.

"I heard that", Jake said as he nodded and took another bite of apple. "What?", he asked when he saw that we stopped what we were doing and stared at him. "You guys have to know that you're a lot to take in", Jake said. Neither of us spoke but continued to look at him. "Come on, like it's normal to give people cars and trucks for Christmas and build your wife a house when you're 19 and give your wife's best friend millions of dollars to start his own company", Jake said expectantly, "And they don't even know about the _really_ weird shit!"

We lost it. Edward, Jake and I all cracked up at his statement, delivered so emphatically.

"Okay, someone spill. Just how did that deer get shot and why was there no mess dripping from the tailgate?", I asked, looking at both of them.

They both talked over each other in their enthusiasm to tell me how the hunt had gone and I almost curled up in a ball on the floor laughing at the idea of Emmett and Edward each holding up an end of the deer while Jake backed up some distance and shot the already dead animal. Then I realized . . .

"You let Jake see Emmett _hunt_?", I asked incredulously, "You made such a big deal out of letting me see you hunt and he gets to do it just, no big deal?" Edward put his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder as we stood, facing Jake as he sat on the kitchen counter.

"Bella, you're _human_", he whispered, as though that explained it. "Jacob's blood is of no interest to us, in fact . . . it's somewhat repulsive. No offense dude", he said as he looked at Jake.

"None taken, bro. After what I saw today, my blood repulsing you is just dandy with me", Jake said as he cocked his head and shook it slightly, remembering something from the day, Edward laughed quietly, picking up Jake's thoughts, I assumed.

"Dinner ready yet, kids?", Charlie asked as he rounded the corner, "I'm starving!"

"Almost", I replied as I handed him the dishes to go and set the table in the dining room. Since it was our last meal together this trip, I thought we would eat in there and Jake hopped down to fill the glasses and put them on the table as well.

Jake had brought in the box of now processed deer, neatly wrapped and labeled as though the meat were bought in the grocery store. I put some of it in the freezer, keeping some out to use later in the week and some to send home in a cooler with Mom and Phil in the morning. I had opened a pack labeled 'stew bits' and left on the counter by the fridge, plopping a piece or two in my mouth as I passed it each time while I was putting the other meat away. I hadn't noticed what I was doing till I saw Edward staring. I looked at the raw meat in my hand that I had been about to plop into my mouth like it was an M&M.

His arms were around me instantly, no human pretense. "Masen seems to be somewhat thirsty, love", he said to me, kissing my neck. "Just think of it as _feeding the baby_, love. He just has different needs than babies you're accustomed to", he whispered sweetly.

"Edward, I'm not accustomed to any baby or their needs. I haven't even ever _held_ a baby! I never had any interest in them. I wasn't lying when I told you it didn't matter that we couldn't have children. I know nothing about them except that you have to change and feed them a lot and there is crying involved." I admit it. This was the moment, for the first time . . . I panicked. Edward must have sensed it and did everything he could to calm and distract me, holding me tight and kissing down my neck. My parents walking in and their coughing, as though they had interrupted something passionate was enough to pull me out of it.

Dinner was on the table and everyone gathered to say grace, nicely offered by my Dad and we sat to enjoy or meal together. Well, everyone enjoyed it but Edward.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"It will be okay, sweetheart", Bella insisted, "If I can ride you like this and it doesn't hurt Masen, then riding the Harley won't hurt him either." She was impassioned as she sat astride me. She was moving in circles over me as I held her hands, our fingers entwined . . . and she was driving me absolutely wild. It was all I could do to keep telling myself to remain still, gentle rocking of the hips, don't squeeze her hands too tight. Don't hurt her . . . God, don't let me hurt her, please. She had already come twice this morning and she showed no signs of slowing down.

I placed her hands on my chest, anxious to let go of them before I forgot my strength broke one of her fingers. Anxious, as well, to bring her to climax because she just seemed to become more and more frenzied, moving harder and wilder with each passing minute. I reached up and held her breasts in my hands, caressing and massaging, and it was enough. She came violently, screaming my name before I could ever hope to cover her mouth. Sitting up and placing my lips to hers was no longer an option with the baby out in front of her as large as he was.

I was so completely worried about her, I was unconcerned about my own release. I knew though, that if I didn't come she would be upset. I carefully rolled her over onto her back and wrapped her legs around me, her ankles crossing behind my rear as I scooted off the bed. Every fiber of my being concentrated on not ripping the bed and floor around me to shreds. Bella wouldn't mind, but the noise might scare the others in the house. My wife was remarkably unaware when her mind was otherwise involved.

"Dear God, you're going to be the death of me, woman", I whispered in her ear as I moved her and myself back onto the bed and lay beside her.

"That was amazing, Edward. Why have you never done that before?", she asked me.

"No reason, love. It just seemed necessary this time", I said as I rubbed her naked belly with my hand.

"Bella", I said as I froze, unable to move.

"Edward, what's wrong?', she asked as she frantically grabbed at me.

"Masen."

"What, what about Masen?"

I had scared her and though I hadn't meant to, I was momentarily helpless to fix it. I gathered my wits and forced myself to explain.

"Bella, Masen just spoke to me", I told her. I stared into her eyes, hardly believing what I was about to recount to her, "He wants to know why he has to be still and not move around so much if we are allowed to jostle him all over the place."

"He what?", Bella looked at me like I had just grown fur and had three heads.

"I'm so not kidding, love", I told her, smirking and looking at her belly as I sat up and continued to rub it.

"Sorry Masen", she told him, "Mommy isn't as strong as you are and I just need you to not hurt me till you grow a little bigger and let us know that you want out. Daddy will get you out and you can play and roll around with us all you want".

"Daddy will get you out", I told him, "Be sure to let me do it. If you try . . . if you bite Mommy, it will hurt her badly. This is the most important thing I can tell you, little one. Do Not Bite Mommy. Let me get you out when it's time . . . okay? You _must_ wait for me."

I couldn't believe what was happening. I had no idea how Masen was getting his thoughts to me. It was more than just my reading his mind, it was like he was putting thoughts into my mind directly! He obviously had picked up enough language from listening to us to be able to communicate somewhat. I could not wait to see what Carlisle thought of this new occurrence . . . and I was overjoyed that perhaps we had a way of keeping Masen from harming Bella when it was time for him to be born.

Bella and I hurriedly dressed and stopping only to start the coffee maker and set out some danish for breakfast, got on my bike that we had left parked by the front of the house and rode quickly to Carlisle's, leaving Jasper standing watch outside over the house.

My family was gathered outside the house, each of them familiarizing themselves with their new motorcycles as we rode up.

"Carlisle!", I called excitedly and far louder than necessary. I immediately had every ones attention as Bella climbed off the bike and I set the kick stand and got off as well. "Masen communicated with me!", I almost shouted. I explained as fast and accurately as possible what had happened this morning, and everyone, especially Carlisle, was thrilled. This took away loads of anxiety as to the timing of the birth. Masen was capable of letting us know, himself. Unbelievable. Absolutely unfuckingbelievable that he was that advanced. I had never been more excited about anything in my life.

"Calm down, Edward. We have a ride and lunch with the humans. We'll talk more about this tonight while they sleep. I am thrilled at the news!", Carlisle told Bella and me. "Your son is apparently an amazing creature. Coming from both of you, I'm not surprised", he added with a smile.

"Alright all. Edward, you and Bella go back down to your house and finish breakfast and packing with Renee and Phil and send Jasper up here to get a feel for these bikes. Though we can't get hurt if we wreck, we could cause a hell of a mess for everyone else", Emmett added.

Renee and Charlie were finishing their coffee in the kitchen when we walked in. From their left over thoughts, I gathered that they apparently had a heartfelt conversation about their past together and how they felt about each other. I would have loved to hear that whole conversation and I knew Bella would as well. She never understood why her Dad never remarried, always assuming he hadn't gotten over Renee. She would love some answers and I would have to remember to listen to Charlie if I saw him being thoughtful, maybe he would be thinking about what had been said and I could find out for her.

"Mom, Dad, ready to go?", Bella asked them.

Phil and Jacob stuck their heads in the kitchen about then, Phil announcing that all the bags were in the car and Jacob grabbing a danish or three from the platter on the table.

"I got my bike out of the garage, ready to go when you are", Jacob announced.

"Hey, kids. I guess I never really thought about it, but is there a car I can take to puck up Sue?", Charlie asked sheepishly. Damn it. We never discussed that at all, did we. I was going to have to suck it up and trust my new father in law with one of my favorite possessions. I guess I kind of had it coming, since he was trusting me with his daughter.

"Take the Volvo, Charlie. You might enjoy driving it", I said as I handed him the keys. The look of surprise on Bella's face was priceless as she came over to me and put her arm around me. "Thank you, sweetheart. I forgot about Dad not having a car here", Bella told me, kissing me sweetly in thanks. "I'll set the GPS for the airport, Charlie. Home is already programmed in it", I told him.

"Everyone ready?", Bella asked.

We all headed toward the front door and the vehicles there just as we saw six Harley's coming up the driveway, all the riders clad in the same jackets.

"Cullen gang here and ready to go!", Emmett yelled as the engines were turned off.

"Cullen gang, huh. I'll have to remember that if any reports come over the wire about trouble from a motorcycle gang", Charlie laughed, "You guys aren't planning to rob banks or vandalize property are you?"

"Dad! You have to be kidding . . . but I sort of like calling us the 'Cullen Gang', don't you guys?", Bella asked looking at my family.

"Yes ma'am", Jasper answered as Alice nodded excitedly.

"I love it", Esme replied. "This is going to be so much fun", she almost squealed as Carlisle rolled his eyes at her.

The bikes were absolutely gorgeous. "Bella, you and Rose did an amazing job of ordering bikes. Each one is beautiful", I told them.

"Did you notice that, even without my help, each couple's bikes match and compliment the other?", Alice added.

Only Alice would think of that. I just shook my head. Rosalie had remembered and ordered everyone helmets, so we were ready to ride.

Phil and Renee led the way, since they had driven it before, Renee following Phil, driving the new Mercedes they got for Christmas. Charlie followed her and Carlisle and Esme followed, tailed by Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rose and Jacob and my bike with Bella riding behind me.

We headed down the mountain towards Dillard, Georgia, where the family style restaurant we wanted to take them to for lunch was. It had quite a reputation and meal's were served the old fashioned way, all the serving bowls on the table and passed from person to person. We had been so fortunate with the weather this last week, the cloud cover had held, without fail all most all day long everyday, so that we could move about freely with our guests.

One of my family had stood watch outside my house each night to make sure there were no intruders, having Victoria and another vampire in the area. Three other members of my family had searched faithfully, every night looking for any trace of Victoria. Each result was the same, night after night. Victoria's scent and the other vampire's were all over town. Every store front, every alley, every front porch and sidewalk. Two or three miles from town there wasn't a trace of them to be found. They were not in any of the houses or staying at any of the hotels . . . hell, they weren't even hold up in any of the trees or caves, though we did catch a strong odor in an area on top of Satulah Mountain, between our houses and the city of Highlands.

_Nothing_ anywhere near our house. _Nothing. _

We had run along both sides of every highway for 50 miles in each direction and still nothing. No scent of them what so ever. Victoria was smart. She was using a car to come anywhere near, and only then getting out in town. We were going to start hanging around town in small groups as soon as our human visitors left and see if we could locate her, or set a trap for her.

I was musing over all these things, swaying side to side as we took the curves heading down the mountain on the winding road, just enjoying the day. We came around a blind corner and there, driving a late model tan pathfinder was the flaming redhead herself, and a male sitting in the passenger seat beside her that I recognized from one of the posters at the police station in Forks. Riley Biers. The boy had gone missing almost two years ago from Seattle.

My brothers saw what I saw and both of them, along with Jacob and Rosalie cut out of our formation and turned to follow them. Carlisle, Esme, Alice and I continued to follow the humans in the car. I was not taking Bella anywhere near Victoria, certainly not following her at high speed on a motorcycle with Bella on the back! Charlie noticed them turning and pulled over. I rode up to his window as he rolled it down, letting him know that Rosalie had lost a necklace and thought she knew where it flew off, and they had gone with her to get it. They would meet us at the restaurant, at least that's the story that Rose had in mind when I read her thoughts as she turned her bike to follow Victoria.

Damn. I wanted to rip her apart myself.

I have never been more nervous than waiting for them to return. Charlie pulled back onto the road and in less than an hour we were parking at the restaurant. We got on the waiting list for a table for twelve as I paced back and forth along the railing of the deck outside, staring at bits of the road back up the mountain that showed in the distance. Humans would not have seen them or been able to hear their bikes, but I knew the minute they appeared halfway down the mountain. They were all there, safe, which either meant that they lost Victoria or they knew where to find her. They could not have ripped her apart and burned her and Riley that fast and I had seen no smoke on the horizon.

They rode up and parked beside our other bikes, heading in to join us.

"Did you find your necklace?", Renee asked as Rose walked up onto the deck. Rose fingered the chain around her neck, showing Renee the family crest that was attached to it and how she now smartly wore it inside her shirt and jacket, not hanging outside so that the wind could force the clasp open.

"I'm so sorry to bother all of you like this, we tried to hurry. It was just where I thought I felt it fly off", Rosalie told her.

"I'm so glad that you found it! It would have been a shame to loose something so valuable that you treasure so much, dear", Renee said, patting Rosalie on the shoulder to console her.

Lunch was uneventful except, of course, that we had to actually eat. Thank God for Jacob and his appetite. Food for twelve, being actually eaten by five was hard to disguise no matter how much you pushed the food around on your plate. We finished our meal, individual dessert portions of pie and ice cream included. We headed out to the parking lot to say our goodbye's to Renee and Phil and see Charlie off to go to Atlanta to get Sue.

Bella hugged her Mom for what seemed like hours, but I was sure was only a few minutes. They were both crying and finally parted blowing kiss after kiss at each other as Charlie shook his head in exasperation and disgust at the public display.

I tried to wait patiently, but the sooner they left, the better.

Then we could get down to the business of finding Victoria.


	51. Chapter 51  Phasing

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 51 Jacob  
**

**Carlisle POV**

We watched as they pulled away and expelled a breath in spite of the fact that we didn't need to breath. Phil and Renee were gone, headed back to Florida and Charlie was gone for the day. We had all used the rest room and rid ourselves of the nasty distracting food in our stomachs, we needed to be able to think clearly.

So very much had happened this day. Edward swore that he could not only read little Masen's mind, but that Masen had communicated with him . . . that Masen had actually put thoughts _into_ Edward's head. Fascinating. Edward wasn't one for exaggerating things like that. More amazing things had happened in my family in the last six months that Bella had been with us than in many decades preceding it . . . vampires sleeping, drinking blood from humans and _not_ killing them, mating with humans and producing what seemed to be intelligent, hopefully viable offspring, nomad vampires stalking our family, Rosalie showing care and compassion for someone else and werewolves for friends. The changes in our household were endless, what with accommodating humans and even potential werewolves visiting us close up in our homes.

My family and Jacob gathered around the bikes.

"Absolutely no trace of her", Jasper reported, "I don't know what she did, but we never even got a glimpse of the car again. It's like she disappeared into thin air, therre was no scent at all to follow." Edward stood there, tensed as though to spring at the next thing that moved as Bella stroked the arm that was protectively curling in front of her and holding her to him. She was the only one that had any chance of calming him now.

"We need to go back to where we turned and go down each and every street on the way back up the mountain and find where she ditched the car. Maybe we can get a lead on whatever type of car she steals this time", Emmett suggested.

"Yes, good idea. She had to get out of the car somewhere", I agreed with them, everyone nodding their approval. I was trying to stay positive. Once she was out of the car, we would all be able to pick up her scent.

My attention turned to Alice as I saw her gaze haze over . . . a sure sign she was having a vision. "No, she drove out of town. Another resort community where people are only here a couple of times a year, cars in the garage and no one noticing if they are gone or not for months. Blue. The car she has this time is also an SUV, and it's blue. I don't know the make", she told us.

"Suburban. It's a blue suburban, late model", I said, seeing it in her mind as she thought of her vision, "Jasper, can you locate registration for blue suburbans within a hundred miles of here?"

"Soon as we get home to my computer, no problem", Jasper agreed.

"Good, then we can check out the houses they are registered to and see if she is hold up there", Edward said, seeming somewhat comforted by there at least being a path to follow..

"Sounds like a plan, my brother", Emmett agreed, "I call searching for the houses!"

"Emmett! We all will be doing that, we have to put a stop to this before the redhead gets what she wants", Rose added. I was happy to see that even Rosalie had become somewhat protective of Bella, especially now that she was pregnant.

Esme just held to me, her arm around my waist as i felt her tremble slightly. I knew how worried she was about Bella.

"Just a damned minute", Jacob chimed in, "this Victoria has been smart all along. What makes you think she will keep the blue suburban and how the hell do you know about it anyway?"

"Jake, Alice can see the future", Bella told him. Putting her hand on his arm as he stood beside she and Edward, she continued, "She has visions of what people do once they decide on a plan of action. Victoria made a mistake and decided. She could change cars, of course, but for now it would at least give us some clues about her whereabouts and what she is up to."

Jacob looked at her like she had again grown a third head, but he was becoming accustomed to weird and apparently starting to just accept our answers. "Well," Jake said as he slung his leg over his bike and grabbed his helmet, "Let's get this show on the road, get Jasper to his computer to get us some leads and track the bitch down before the human returns and you guys have to watch how fast you move and what's said."

All eyes turned to Jake.

"What?", he said as he stared back at them, fastening his helmet, "You guys rub off after awhile. Charlie is the only one in the dark, right?"

God I wished that were true, but I just didn't think Jacob had a grip on his ancestry. He now understood what we were and his friendship continued but I just wasn't convinced that he had any idea at all what he could phase into at any time now . . . and we had little idea how to help him. Knowledge of our mortal enemies was scarce and guarded from us to say the least, though I had no feelings of hatred towards them it was not mutual. I could only hope that Sue, being on the council now, would have information that she could share with him that would help him to understand his heritage and what was, almost certainly, about to occur.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

Damn stupid vampires. How hard could it be to find one red head and her side kick? I hadn't thought about it too much till recently. I knew that the bitch was trying to stalk Bella and there was a possibility that she was involved with tampering with the bike that Bella crashed on, but now this vampire thing. She and her sidekick were apparently vampires that _did_ kill humans to feed from them. That was messed up.

Disgusting.

No wonder they were mortal enemies with my tribe, at least in the legends. If I had known . . . had any idea that the legends could possibly be true and that Victoria was one of the _cold ones_, I would have been much more intent on finding her and taking her out. I just had no idea.

Jasper had gone with Alice and Rosalie with Emmett, taking a side rode or two on the way home, but they would be here soon. They rode much faster than Edward was willing to ride with Bella on the back. Apparently crashing would not harm them, but Bella was another story and they were all fiercely protective of her. I was glad to see it, given what they were and all. Wouldn't want to have vampires as enemies, though I supposedly did just by my very nature.

I plopped my helmet down on the seat and headed towards the house. I had laid back a bit on the way home, looking for clues as well. Bella walked out from the steps of the house to meet me, Carlisle, Esme and Edward already deep in discussions in the living room.

"You okay, Jake?", she asked as though she was really concerned. I don't know, I must have looked like shit or something for her to be staring at me like she was.

"I'm good", I told her, "I just for the life of me don't understand how you let yourself get involved with . . ."

I gestured around me and towards the house, tipping my head to one side. She knew what I was trying to say as I raised my eyebrows and frowned.

". . . with vampires", Bella said.

"Yea", Jake said. "Vampires and werewolves. What the hell were you thinking, Chica?", he asked as he hugged me, "You knew I was a member of the tribe and you left town with me. You knew the vampire part of the story was true, so you must have assumed that I was or would become a werewolf and you left with me anyway?"

She laughed. Sort of snorted, really as a look flashed across her face, then to me. "I knew there was a chance you would become one, but we're friends, Jake. I didn't care. I love Edward and I didn't care that he was a vampire. It's not like either of you _chose_ to be those things. Edward was dying of Spanish Influenza and Carlisle changed him to save him, he would have died otherwise. You were born into the tribe, you have the gene or you don't, but it isn't something you asked for . . . it isn't a club you joined willingly. You didn't ask to be next in line to be chief. Both of you are what you are, with no voluntary decision from either of you . . . or even choice. You can choose how you handle it, though, and I'm really proud of both of you", she said as she stood there looking into my eyes. She hugged me tight and held me for a long minute. My resistance was down and my mind was all over the place.

"I miss being with you, you know. I miss waking up in bed with you the most. I know we were only friends, but you had to know that I wanted more. I always wanted more, Bella", I told her as I held the tops of her shoulders, gently rubbing circles on her back with my fingers and looking at her softly.

"Jake, I love Edward. I have _always_ loved him. I love you, too, you know that, just in a different way. Both of you are the most important men in my life, well, add Charlie in there just a little bit. It's crazy that you're both mythical creatures, isn't it", she laughed.

"It's not actually funny", I said as my temper started to boil. "I like Edward and all. I guess you could say he is my best friend, aside from you, but Chica . . . ", I looked down at her belly.

It was getting quite large and sometimes it seemed to move all on it's own. The thought of him being with her, being that close to her. His cold, hard, lifeless body _in_ hers . . . it was just too much. She should have been mine, the baby should have been mine . . . not something inhuman. If the legends were true, he wasn't even _alive_ for God's sake and she had been _with_ him?

". . . how do you even know what this is?", I gestured to her belly, "How do you know it's not a monster of some sort .. . some hideous undead creature that might need to be killed?"

Bella turned a shade of furious I had never even seen from her and I had seen her seriously angry before, usually at me. "How dare you . .", she started, slapping my face.

I was holding on to her, shaking violently. I thought it was just because I was incensed at the idea of him being_ in_ her, in _my girl_, but I thought I had accepted that months ago. It was something more, something was going on that I had no control over.

I felt myself knocked backwards, thrown, really. The force that moved me was unclear, I had seen nothing till I focused on Edward standing protectively in front of Bella. She was on the front porch now, some 15 feet away from where we had been standing and Edward was crouched and growling.

Carlisle and Esme walked slowly towards me, but I backed up. Something wasn't right, something was happening to me. He was saying something, gesturing with his hand like he wanted things to calm down . . . like he wanted me to calm down. Huh. I felt . . . stretched, energized sort of. Everything pulled and hurt all at once and everything tingled. I lost it for a second, lost all memory and I thought I lost consciousness as well as all of a sudden I heard myself growl.

Growl? What the hell?

I looked around the yard to see what the danger was. There had to be danger, all three vampires in front of me were crouched, ready to protect and spring if need be . . . but I saw no danger. I saw . . . paws? PAWS?

The danger apparently was me! I had paws and . . . a tail? Run. All I could think to do was run . . . so I did. I took off into the woods at an amazing speed, rivaling that of Emmett when he was hunting the other day. I ran and ran and continued to run. I had to figure out what had just happened and there must be a way to undo it. My ancestors changed and changed back if the legends were true . . . and apparently they were.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

Well, that was nice . . . real nice. I like sitting at a table and having food all on the table in bowls and passing it to each other. Reminds me of how I was raised, family all around the table at supper. Nothing like most kids today, grabbing fast food, running to their rooms to eat and the parents, well they were just as bad. Texting and fooling around with their cell phones at the table, not paying attention to the kids or asking them what went on with their day, with their friends at school. I bet you over half of the parents in Forks couldn't even tell me the names of their kids friends, and Forks was a small town! Small town folks were much more prone to take an interest in the children. That was the problem today, as I saw it. Family just didn't stay close, parents were too busy to be involved in their childrens' lives, moms worked as well as dad's leaving no one at home to keep an eye on just what was going on under their roof.

The Cullen's were different. They kept up with each other, did things together. Carlisle and Esme struck me as the type of parents that could tell you almost each one of their kids friends names and probably where they lived as well. Camping, hiking, now this motorcycle riding. The motorcycles might be looked at as a little wild, but they all were riding together. Always as a family. They put a high value on education, too, doctors and all. Bella had picked a good family, that much I was sure of. The money, well, I can't say as I was comfortable about that. That Edward . . . who ever thought he was such a financial genius, managing the family money as well. Hell the boy invested and managed Carlisle's money and Carlisle must make quite a good living as a surgeon, so that would be lots of funds to invest. There was a lot of trust there, that was for sure. I don't know if I could ever trust a teenager enough to give him access and free rein with my income . . . but Carlisle did and Edward seemed to be up to the task. No lack of trust there, that ws certain.

Yes sir, Bells had chosen a good family. I guess I had been wrong about Edward. He must have had damned good reasons for leaving and he apparently just wanted her to get over him and be happy, move on he told her. Those two. I laughed to myself. There was no way either of them could ever let go of the other, even I could see that. Hell, a fool could see it. They wore their love for each other right out in view, plain for all to see and not the least ashamed or embarrassed by it.

They were just so young. Bella had told me she was a virgin and Carlisle had indicated that Edward was as well when they married. That was apparently rare these days . . . "old school" Bella had called it when I had tried to talk to her about being careful and taking precautions. She had told me not to worry about that because Edward was "old school". Ha. He must be a quick learner. Apparently he took good care of her in the bedroom as well, if her screaming his name on a nightly basis was any indication. It was their house, after all, I had no place saying anything. I never heard anything when they were at my house so that was at least something and he took care of her in every other way as well. Made sure she ate well, rested, had her jacket outside . . . hell he doted on her. I had never had anyone stand up to me the way he had. He didn't ever defend himself, never pushed with that at all but if he even thought someone upset her, even me, he was right there. The boy had stood toe to toe with me and told me he would not tolerate _his wife_ being upset by me in her own home . . . and he was right. I could count on him to protect her, that much was for sure.

Atlanta was only a hundred miles or so from the Cullen cabin in Highlands and it was a pretty drive, traffic free for the most part. This car of Edward's handled real well on the curves in the mountains and I was enjoying driving it. It was full of gas and I would have to remember to fill it up before I returned it to him.

As I neared Atlanta the traffic increased and the little two lane highway merged into a three lane each way monstrosity with exits and entrances going every which way. I got inside the perimeter highway and just kept following the signs to the airport on the other side of town. The buildings towered overhead and there were tunnels in downtown to go around the buildings.

Sue had wanted me to pick her up on the curb outside baggage claim, but I was determined to arrive early enough to park and go inside and wait on her. It was just more polite to my way of thinking, and I always wanted to treat her well so she would know how I felt about her. She had a hard time of it since Harry died and I wanted to make things easier on her, at least that's what I told myself at first.

I liked her. I admit it. I was in love with her now, I just needed to make sure she knew that. She had been having such a difficult time with those kids of hers, I just didn't want to complicate her life. What with Bella being half zombie and then running off with Jacob, well, plenty had been going on for both of us. She seemed to take over a lot more responsibility with the tribe once Billy died as well, but she was always there, fixing me dinners and cleaning up after me. She even watched the ball games with me on the flat screen.

Renee used to do that stuff. I knew I still had feelings for her, that I had never really gotten over her. Guess I was just a one woman kind of guy that way. I had waited for her, waited for her to realize her mistake, to admit that she loved me and come home. I should have been more like Edward. Though he was the one who left, when he realized he made a mistake, like I did by not going after Renee, he moved heaven and hell to set it right. I should have done that. I should have gone to her, convinced her of how much I loved her, offered to move with her. If I just hadn't been so damned stubborn.

Huh. Well, this parking spot is as good as another. Looks like I am walking a half mile no matter what. I locked the car and headed in, realizing it was probably a good thing to park this far out, wouldn't want any door dings or scratches on my son in law's car, he would flip. He kept things nice, especially cars it seemed.

"Sue!", I called to her when I saw her come up the elevator. I wasn't one for public displays but I figured she needed to see it was me and just standing here quietly with my hands in my pockets would never do it.

"Charlie", she said with a smile and ran over to me and put her arms around my neck. I had to hug her back, right there in public, but it was an airport and people hug in airports. I snuck a small kiss on the lips as well before taking her hand and walking into the baggage claim area.

"How was the flight?", I asked her as we walked.

"Well, I never expected first class. Was that your doing, Charlie?", she asked.

"Not me. I can't take credit. I'm a coach kind of guy, but Bella made the reservations I think", I told her.

"That doesn't seem like Bella. You taught the girl to be thrifty with money, Charlie", Sue exclaimed.

"Well, yes I did and she is . . . normally. Sue, it seems that Edward is something of a financial genius and she now has all the money she will ever need. Ever. that son in law of mine is trying to teach her that it's alright to spend money", I laughed.

"That's new. I thought you still didn't like him", Sue stated questioningly.

"Well, let's get your bag and get to the car and I'll tell you about it on the way to their house, okay?"

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"Jake!", Bella screamed as she realized what had happened.

Jacob had phased into his wolf form, his front paws landing just where Bella had been standing and ran off into the forest, just as Alice and Jasper pulled up on their bikes.

"Is it safe to go after him?", I asked Carlisle.

"I don't know, but I think we need to at least track him and tell him that this is what we had been talking about and to hold on, not to get too far away. I'm sure Sue will have information about this when she arrives", Carlisle answered.

"Jasper, will you and Alice stay with Esme to protect Bella?", I asked, hugging my wife.

"Edward, I . . .", Bella started, but I cut her off.

"No. Jacob is not rational right nowand he has to be frightened by what just happened to him. He can't hurt us badly, but he could hurt you and you are not going near him right now", I told her and she didn't argue. It was clear from my tone that the matter was urgent and there would be no discussion. She knew me well.

Carlisle and I rook off after him without another word. His scent was easy to follow and had changed from just a slightly woodsy smell to the obnoxious stench that I remembered werewolves to have. He was moving fast and Carlisle and I both ran full out to try and catch up to him.

We were over two ridges and down into a valley with a stream in it before he had apparently decided to slow down. Stop, in fact. We came upon him sitting by a stream, having apparently just drank as his face and front legs were still wet. Apparently he wasn't very good at drinking as a wolf yet and that was to be expected. Newborn vampires had trouble with everything they did at first.

As we approached, I found that I could still read his mind and it was reeling. All sorts of new things and feelings were coming into play and I could only hope that we would be able to have the friendship that had flourished in the last few weeks to continue. He had no idea what had triggered the change for him and even less of an idea of whether he would ever be able to change back to human form or not.

"Jacob", I called to him. I walked out into a clearing with Carlisle about 20 yards away from where he sat with my palms up, trying to move slowly showing no intent to do anything other than talk with him.

"Jacob, we are only here to talk. It's Edward, your friend, Jacob. We're friends and I am not trying to harm you", I said. His thoughts replied instantly as he cocked his head to one side.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I know who you are . . . I know we're friends. Quit messing around and explain this shit to me", he said as he raised a paw, "What the hell is this? Paws?"

"I told you you had the gene, Jacob", Carlisle stated calmly, "This is what happens. Something triggered the change and you have taken on your wolf form. Sue will be here soon and I'm sure she knows how to tell you to change back. Edward and I have no idea, Jacob. I'm sorry. Wolves don't like us and there is no way they would have ever told us anything about the mechanics of phasing from one form to another."

"Jacob. I can read your thoughts. Yes, you have paws in your wolf form, but you will learn how to change forms back and forth when you want to. It doesn't just happen randomly after you gain control of it", I told him.

"Well great. How about calling Sam**. **I think he would know better than anyone what all of this is about, I doubt Sue changes into a wolf!", Jacob sneered.

"Okay, Jacob", I said.

"Carlisle, do you have Sam Uley's phone number?", I asked my father.

"Shit Edward, you weren't kidding. you can hear my thoughts, can't you?", Jacob asked.

I looked away from Carlisle and up at Jacob, "Yes, I can hear your thoughts."

I handed Carlisle my phone and he put Sam's number in it and hit dial as Jacob timidly moved closer to us.

"Uley", he answered, probably not recognizing the number as I had never phoned him before.

"Sam, this is Edward Cullen. I need your help", I said calmly.

"Well, you can fuck off and die if you think I would help you, bloodsucker", he answered venomously.

"Sam. It's about Jacob", I said.

"Jacob . . . is he hurt?", Sam asked, instantly concerned.

"No Sam. He phased. He phased just moments ago and Carlisle and I tracked him to make sure he was alright. We have no idea how to help him except to tell him that he will gain control and be able to phase back to his human form", I said as Jacob's mind literally screamed at me.

"Alright alright! Give me a minute?", I almost yelled. Unfortunately, I almost yelled into the phone as well.

"What the hell are you talking about leech?", Sam yelled angrily.

"Not you, Sam. I was talking to Jacob. He keeps yelling and I can't hear you", I explained.

"Cullen, how do you have any idea what the hell he is thinking and how can he be yelling at you? Didn't you say he phased and is in wolf form?", Sam almost snarled as though he thought the entire call was some sort of a trap of some kind.

"Alright, you're on speaker Sam. I can read minds. That's how I know what Jacob is thinking and what he wants to say to you", I told him.

"Right. And I'm Santa. Get off the phone and stop wasting my time, leech", Sam shrieked.

A howl came from Jacob. His mind screamed for Sam to listen to him and I could only hope that Sam spoke wolf. A minute passed, two minutes. Neither of us moved or spoke.

"Jacob. Fine, I'll listen to the bloodsucker", came the voice over the phone.


	52. Chapter 52  Genes

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 52 Genes  
**

_A howl came from Jacob. His mind screamed for Sam to listen to him and I could only hope that Sam spoke wolf. A minute passed, two minutes. Neither of us moved or spoke._

_"Jacob. Fine, I'll listen to the bloodsucker", came the voice over the phone._

**EPOV**

Jacob shook his head up and down using some rather descriptive words for Sam before he settled on the first question he wanted me to ask Sam for him.

"He wants to know if you knew this would happen", I translated.

"I thought it would, Jake. You're a direct descendant of Ephraim Black and in line to be our next chief. The chief heads the wolf pack, Jake. I'm just a stand in till you're ready. There were no vampires around when your father, Billy, was the chief, so no one phased into wolf form. When the Cullen's moved back, I phased first, then a couple of the others. I thought you would be soon", he told Jacob.

"He wants to know how to phase back into human form", I told Sam. Jacob growled angrily as I spoke, "Alright, alright alright, Jacob. Apparently I'm not translating to his liking. I rather try not to use this language. He literally said, I don't give a shit who is chief. How the f*** am I supposed to get rid of the damned paws and get back to being a f***ing human, Sam?"

Sam almost laughed. Almost.

"I can't really tell you how to do it, Jacob. You have to calm down first. Getting angry caused you to phase and you have to be calm to phase back", Sam told him.

"How in the hell do you expect me to do that, Sam. I'm covered in fur here", I asked Sam at Jacob's request.

"It took me two weeks to figure it out on my own, Jake, when it first happened. The only way I phased back was after old Quiliterra came out into the woods and found me, and talked me through it. He had been a wolf years ago and was able to connect with me mentally."

"Fan flipping tastic", Jacob growled. "Is that even a word, Jacob", I asked him after translating it to Sam.

"Look Jacob, let me get together with the rest of the pack and see if we can come up with a way to explain it to you. Meanwhile, get something to eat, it will help you calm down", Sam suggested.

"Right, let me just go into the local restaurant and order a steak", Jacob chided.

"We'll get him something to eat, Sam. Thank you for helping", Carlisle told him.

"He's a wolf. He can go kill his own dinner, bloodsucker. He doesn't need yours or anyone's help to do that. Just get the phone to him tomorrow when I have some better answers. Oh, and have Sue call me when she gets there", he said as he hung up.

"Well, Jacob. How about we go hunt together?", I asked him. He cocked his huge head and I would swear he laughed at me.

"Wonder who's faster now . . . what did Sam call you, oh yea . . . leech?", Jacob said to me. I just chuckled to myself, reading his mind and understanding that he was just trying to get some humor into all of this, lighten it up a bit . . . so I played along. Carlisle, however, looked slightly alarmed as I nodded to him.

"Okay, dog. Follow me and be a good boy", I said over my shoulder to Jacob as I took off after I scent I caught on the wind.

Carlisle looked at me incredulously, his mind wondering if I had taken leave of my sanity, teasing a werewolf at a time like this. I just shrugged my shoulders at him.

I stopped just before crossing a ridge, a small herd of deer was on the other side. "Do you want me to kill one for you, Jacob, or would you enjoy doing that yourself?", I asked.

"As long as I don't get any comments about you _feeding the dog_, I would just as soon eat your leftovers . . . no sense wasting a perfectly good carcass just because it's been drained of blood", he said, "unless you guys pump venom or some such shit into it when you bite, like a damned mosquito does. I don't want to grow fangs or anything."

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. Mosquito? If this whole situation wasn't so untimely it would be hysterical. "Jacob. Have you looked at yourself in the water's reflection? You already have fangs!"

"Shit, Cullen. You know what I meant", his mind told me as he snarled and showed me his teeth.

We took off after the deer, leaving Jacob grumbling something about _smart ass bloodsuckers_, but I couldn't be sure. In this moment, I was truly glad we had become friends.

Carlisle and I each had one and left them in the field for Jacob. He seemed a little anxious about eating in front of us, it was his first time and he was unsure if he would heave or like it or what, so I suggested that Carlisle and I leave and Jacob could come back to the woods near the house when he was through eating.

"Hey, bloodsucker", his mind yelled towards me as he walked away towards the fresh kills, "I'm sorry about what I said, you know, that she slapped me for."

"Actually, Jacob, I wasn't listening to your conversation with Bella."

"Sure, sure. Well, tell her I'm sorry, will ya?"

"I'll tell her. Are you sure you know the way back to the house, Jacob?", I asked him. His thoughts were less than polite, but suffice it to say he was quite confident that he could make it if he were in human form, much less with his now sensitive nose and our _sickeningly sweet stench _ to follow there.

I told him to be sure and wash up in the creek on your way in, he was bound to be a mess by the time he finished. He just growled indignantly at me and headed off towards the fresh kills.

Carlisle and I started off towards home. We set a pretty slow pace and began to talk as there was much to discuss and we rarely had the opportunity to speak when we were absolutely alone.

"You think Sue will have answers for Jacob?", I asked.

"She should at least know more about it than we do, son. She is one of the tribal elders since Harry died. You've been around her and she is coming here knowing what we are, I hope that means she will be willing to help", Carlisle mused.

"I have tried to make her more comfortable around me because of Bella, Sue and Charlie were becoming an item and I knew Sue would be where Charlie was. I can only assume that I succeeded if she's willing to come to my home for a visit." I looked to Carlisle.

"Well, there's one more for the books", Carlisle said offhand. I knew what he was referring to, but I asked him regardless.

"What do you mean?"

"Bella wishes to be changed after she has Masen, right?"

I nodded.

"Charlie is developing a relationship with Sue. The father of a vampire will be with the mother of, potentially two young werewolves. That has to be a first, their kind and ours have never been friendly . . . till now. Sue coming here is a major step and we'll need council permission to change Bella without breaking the treaty. You and I both gave our word that we would never bite a human or create another vampire and I would like to work out an exception so that we can remain faithful to that agreement", Carlisle explained.

"Do you think that's a possibility?", I asked.

"Son, after the last few months, I now believe that anything is possible if you want it badly enough".

He looked at me and chuckled, his mind telling me how proud and amazed he was with me. Though the nature of a vampire is aptly described as being set in stone at the time of their change, he somehow felt that I had grown up quite a bit in the last year or so. It was funny to hear him think of me as a wayward teen, but to his three hundred sixty something years I must truly seem that way. His mind moved on to other topics.

_So, you feel you communicated with Masen this morning?_

_Were you looking into Bella's eyes when this happened?_

This was a topic that I was excited about. "No, I wasn't making eye contact at all. We had just made love and I was lying beside her with my hand on her belly", I told him. I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered, "He wanted to know why he had to be still and not move around so much if we were allowed to jostle him all over the place. I answered him in my mind and he understood. Bella told him that she was not as strong as he was and she needed him to try and not hurt her, and he understood."

Carlisle said nothing, his mind was blank as he listened and just looked amazed as I continued, "I told him not to try and get out himself, to let me get him out and he agreed not to bite Bella. Carlisle, he agreed to let me get him out when the time came."

_That is just amazing, Edward. _

_If the child is that advanced, is he ready to be born now, can he survive outside even now?_

"I have no idea", I answered his unspoken question with a smile, "but I'll ask him when I get home, though I don't know if he will really understand what that means! Are you planning another ultrasound this Sunday, Dad?"

_Yes, and I think it would be best if it were only the three of us this time. _

_I'd like to see if Masen responds to questions asked of him and can follow instruction. _

_It could be important during the birth and determining the timing of the birth as well, Edward._

We walked in silence, neither of us could completely digest what was happening with the new little one and we had to get it right for his sake as well as Bella's.

We spoke a little about Renee and how intuitive she was. I thought she had been so centered on her grandchild that she had noticed little else. She and Phil were totally thrilled with their stock purchases and newfound opportunities for income.

While it was nice to be away from everyone so that Carlisle and I could have a private conversation, I was thankful for vampire hearing now more than ever in the past. When we had arrived back at home from our trip down the mountain to the Dillard House, Carlisle, Esme and I had gone on inside to let Jacob and Bella have a minute. She looked like she wanted to speak with him and I needed to continue conspiring with Carlisle over plans to trap Victoria. I was sick of her hanging on the outskirts and threatening my family. I needed to end her and her friend Riley.

I was in the kitchen putting away the clean dishes from the dishwasher while we brainstormed, not paying any particular attention to Bella's conversation. I truly did like to give her privacy whenever I could, I respected her enough to make a point of it. She would be safe outside with Jacob and the three of us were only a split second away if we were needed. Victoria had been no where near the house, though I could not allow that to lull me into complacency when it came to being on my guard. I found it difficult to believe that she was in town and had no idea where we lived.

Victoria was crafty, she had demonstrated that time and time again. She was also willing and patient enough to wait for opportunity. She had ended Billy back on the reservation, presumably in retaliation for the werewolves killing her friend Laurent. Bella's bike was tampered with at the track, causing the horrific accident that nearly took her life. She had changed a local boy, Riley Biers and had him aim that car into the pizza place the night Bella and I were out for dinner in Forks and had him cause another bike wreck when she once again thought Bella was riding at the track.

She was stalking us. Following Jacob here, she knew exactly where we lived and had purposefully not left her scent anywhere near for us to find. Her tracks to wherever she was staying were hidden as well, obviously always driving there to hide her trail instead of running which would leave us a scent to follow.

Esme had just brought up a valid point, that there must be some observation point that Victoria was using. We should go outside and look around, then go check out possible vantage points where she could be keeping an eye on the comings and goings around here. We had stepped toward the front door when I realized that the tenor of Jacob's thoughts had changed.

I heard Bella's hand smack against his face as her words rang in my ears. I had Bella in my arms in an instant, having released his grip on her shoulders and shoved him backwards as I moved her to the porch and stood protectively in front of her, Esme and Carlisle crouched between us and the newly transformed werewolf.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I had no idea what was happening. I had never seen anyone phase into a werewolf, of course, least of all my best friend.

I was standing in front of him, madder than hell that he had called my baby a monster and I had slapped him for it. I noticed him starting to shake violently just as I felt a breeze and I was standing on my porch, Edward crouched in front of me and Esme and Carlisle crouched protectively in front of us, all staring at Jacob.

At least, I assume it was Jacob, because there in the front yard stood an enormous wolf, russet colored kind of like the tone of Jake's skin. The animal looked at me and Edward, then seemed to stare down at his paws before looking back up at Esme and Carlisle. He then ran, moving quicker than I had ever seen an animal move . . . almost like vampire speed. Jasper and Alice had just pulled up on their bikes and I wondered if that had been what spooked him into running.

Edward moved to stand by me, hugging me to him as he asked Jasper and Alice if they would stay with Esme to protect me while he and Carlisle went after Jacob. I started to protest but it was to no avail . . . and I knew it wouldn't be. There were times when I could argue and get my way with Edward and there were times when I needed to just accept what he was telling me and do as he said. This was one of those times.

Emmett and Rosalie pulled up and we all went inside. I recalled the conversation that I was having with Jacob as Rosalie hissed.

"Damned dog, how dare he call anyone else a monster, least of all a baby", Rosalie spat, her knuckles clinched and the skin drawn tight over them with the force of her anger.

"Man, sounds like Jacob just absolutely _lost it_ ", Emmett said, "Good thing Edward was listening, Bella. You can get hurt badly by accident being too close to one of them when they phase into wolf form."

"Well, thank goodness she wasn't hurt", Esme said, turning to me, "Does Masen seem alright, dear?"

"I'm sure he is fine, Esme", I told her as she fussed over me.

"Maybe a cup of tea then", she said as she headed to the kitchen to fix it for me.

"There was no trace of anything on the side roads between here and Dillard", Jasper informed us as we sat in the living room together.

"Nope, we smelled nothing as well", Rosalie added as Emmett shook his head in agreement.

"Well, if you ask me", Esme offered as she set the tea in front of me and sat down beside me, "I think she is having a hard time finding an opportunity to get at Bella. Let's face it, there are only two of them and seven of us, well now eight if you count on the help of the werewolf. She probably doesn't have a death wish, so she wants to just get in and get out."

"I think you're right, Esme", Jasper agreed.

All eyes turned to Alice as she gasped, a vision playing in her head.

She looked up, terrified. "Bella, you have to make sure you stay close to us. I just say you lying on the ground, screaming. I couldn't see anything else, no Victoria . . . nothing. Just promise me you will always be with at least one of us till we take care of Victoria."

"I promise, Alice", I said finishing my tea and standing to take the cup to the kitchen. "Will you all be here for awhile?", I asked, "I think I'd like to go lie down."

"Sure, Bella", Alice tried to comfort me, "I wouldn't have said anything but Edward told all of us to keep nothing from you. If it was something we would tell him, to tell you."

"I really appreciate that you all are doing that and even more that Edward asked you to. He really has come a long way, hasn't he?"

"He loves you", Jasper stated. It wasn't a question.

"And I love him and all of you. Thank you. I'm really lucky and glad to have you all as my family", I said as I quickly headed up the stairs.

I made it to my room, shutting the door before I fell apart, crumbling into a small ball on the floor and tears flowing unrestrained.

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

I hated seeing my youngest daughter so upset. She wasn't fooling me. I heard her tears falling softly the minute she shut her bedroom door. She always tried to be so strong, for herself as well as for Edward.

"Alice, why don't you stay in here and see if you can see that vision more clearly while Rose and I take the boys outside for a minute. I want to look at something", I told her.

We walked down the porch steps as I explained, knowing Alice would hear as well. "Just before Jacob phased, Carlisle, Edward and I were coming out here to find something. Victoria has far too good an idea of our movements to be keeping her distance. She has to have a point of observation, somewhere she is watching us from and I'm guessing that if she can see us from it, we should be able to spot her. Let's just take our time, remember that her scent isn't within miles of here, and look for a vantage point she could be using. Now may not be the best time to spot her, but we can get an idea of where to look and go and see if she has been there. It might be a way of trapping her, catching her by surprise."

"Excellent strategy, Esme. Attack rather than wait to be attacked. It gives us something to work on and if we find a place heavy with her scent, it could give us an edge", Jasper mused.

"Well, like I said, she is probably not watching right now, too busy dealing with having been seen, but there is no point in taking a chance. Let's not stand here in the open gawking. Emmett, you look West, Jasper you look East. Rose can scan the horizon to the North and I'll look South from the front porch. Walk slightly into the woods, stand on the porch gazing off into the distance like humans do, or go in the house and look out a window. We don't want her noticing that we're doing this, just in case she's watching.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"Carlisle, Bella's crying", I told my Dad as I took off. I had always been the fastest runner in the family, but I moved faster than ever as I approached my house , jumping to the second story balcony and into my room. Luckily I had used the balcony as Bella was leaned against the bedroom door it in a heap on the floor, crying. I had her in my arms and on our bed before she really even knew what was happening.

"What's wrong, love, are you hurt?", I asked, one arm under her holding her and the other moving over her face, her shoulder, her arm and down her side, trying to determine if there were any injuries.

"I . . I . . I'm f . . f . . fine", she finally managed to say as the uncontrolled sobs began. She was becoming more inconsolable by the minute and I had to get her attention before she became absolutely hysterical.

"Bella, sweetheart, stop this. The shaking you're causing is making Masen motion sick!", I told her, delivering the line with a straight face.

She stopped cold, staring at me and swatting me as she buried her face in my chest.

"Did you find Jake?", she asked.

"Yes. He stopped running a couple of miles from here near a stream. Stupid mutt couldn't even manage to lap up water without making a mess of himself", I told her . . . also with a straight face.

"Edward! I'm serious!", she insisted, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at me as I lay beside her.

"So am I."

"Edward!"

"Okay, okay", I laughed, "Carlisle and I killed a couple of deer and had a snack. leaving the bodies for Jacob to have for a meal. Sam said it would calm him down to eat and he didn't want to kill anything himself."

"You called Sam Uley?", she asked as though I was out of my mind, "He hates you!"

"He hates vampires, but he is very attached to Jacob. Jacob asked me to call him thinking he might be able to tell him how to phase back to human form", I said as I moved a strand of her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, "He didn't want to wait for Sue to get here and had some doubts that she would know what to tell him anyway. I translated for him and Sam is going to get together with the rest of the pack and see if there is anything they can tell him that will help. He's calling back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What is Jake supposed to do till tomorrow", she asked.

"Well, after he finishes his meal and cleans up in the stream, he will be just outside here, in the trees, and no, he would not be more comfortable coming in the house", I said anticipating her next question, "We can talk to Sue when she gets here and see if she has any suggestions. Right now, Jacob is fine, just a little pissed off about having paws and a tail." I chuckled in spite of myself.

"Edward Cullen! You are not laughing at him, are you? He's our friend and he's probably scared out there in the woods with all the wild animals", Bella exclaimed.

"Sweetheart. He phased into a _werewolf_. There is _nothing_ in those woods that can harm him other than vampires and we're trying to help him. Don't be ridiculous, _werewolf_, Bella!", I tried to emphasize to her.

She settled down with her head on my shoulder, her leg thrown over me, her belly propped up against my hip and my arms around her as she drifted off to sleep. I didn't move for fear of waking her, knowing that rest would be the best thing for her right now.


	53. Chapter 53  Sue

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 53 Sue**

**Sue POV**

"I know, I know, but it's Charlie's daughter. She's his only child, Sam, and apparently Edward is now a fixture in her life. No. I know that. They have been married for over six months. Well, they do . . . he admitted face to face that they were intimate and he hasn't hurt her yet. I know. Did you ever stop to think that he didn't choose to be what he is, either? No, I know. I'll be careful. No, I'm going and that's that. I'm leaving right now. Yes, I'll call you when I am there. Yes, I'll remember to get him to call you. Bye. Goodbye Sam!", I said exasperatedly as I nearly slammed the phone down.

I put my bag in the car and headed toward Seatac. I wasn't used to flying and certainly not post 911. I had no idea of the security or the wait, and I could only hope I had the right number of ounces in the right number of bottles so that I could take my things onto the plane.

I parked in long term and headed to check in, dragging my overstuffed bag. I was apparently more worried about this trip than I thought as I tended to just keep choosing more things to go with me, unable to decide on which ones.

"Reservation for Sue Clearwater, flight to Atlanta", I told the reservation agent as I handed her my drivers license. She checked in her computer, then motioned for someone to come over. Great. There must be some problem with the ticket and now I would have to endure yet another argument today.

"Thank you Mrs. Clearwater", she said as she handed me the ticket and asked the gentleman that had come over to us to show me to the lounge. Huh. I followed him past the security line to a far shorter line with no wait, passed through it and continued on to a door that said VIP waiting area. There had to be some mistake. He opened the door, gesturing me inside before him and then, turning to me said, "Coffee and snacks are against the wall. Feel free to help yourself, someone will call for you when it is time to board. Enjoy your flight." Well, I guess airport service had improved greatly, I thought to myself. I sat down and opened the ticket in front of me and read and reread it.

"First Class?"

~oooOooo~

**Rose POV**

"Esme, look there", I pointed to a stand of trees on the top of Satulah mountain, between here and the town of Highlands. "We only pick up her scent around town, so it would make sense that she drives there and has a perch in town to watch us from", I told her.

"She's right", Jasper added anxiously. "We openly smell her in town, so she has to be using a vantage point that is close to there. Those trees are perfect", he said as Alice came into the room.

"I see her, I finally see her and she is perched in a tree! She hasn't decided when to try and get to Bella, she just keeps watching!"

"Alice, do you think you could get us close to that tree without our going there and her picking up our scent?", Jasper asked.

"Let's go see. We probably frightened her off for the day after passing her this morning, but we can stake out the area", Alice suggested.

"Emmett, will you stay here with me so that there are two of us with Bella? I don't want to slip and leave her unprotected and there is no telling when your father and Edward will return from looking for Jacob", Esme said.

"Sure Mom", Emmett responded, "I'm all about keeping my little sister safe, not to mention my nephew! I might get lucky and Victoria could pick now to come and get Bella. I would love a chance at her almost as much as Edward would."

Alice and Jasper took off with me, running through the woods toward Satulah, and hopefully Victoria's vantage point. It was about five miles from the house, and the closer we got, the more confident Alice seemed. We stopped a few hundred yards from the top of the mountain, Alice stopped dead, her vision clouding with the decision she saw someone making.

"She'll be here first thing in the morning. They are not coming in today, they're occupied with getting a different vehicle after we saw the one they were in this morning", Alice told us. "That stand of trees up there", she said pointing to the trees up on the ridge, "that's where she sits. I can smell her from here. She can drive almost to it from town and just go a few hundred yards into the woods. No one pays any attention to her, even if they notice because of all the hikers in the area. We should probably drive up the road there and see what type of car she has in the morning before we try and approach her from this side. Maybe we can block her car with one of ours if we know which one it is, then even if we spook her, she will be on foot!"

"Excellent plan, darlin'. I think my military mind is rubbing off on you", Jasper whispered into Alice's ear as he hugged her to him. "Let's walk through town since we are this close, just to see if there are any new scents or trails", he suggested, "Just make sure we give this place a wide birth. We wouldn't want her to smell too much of us here."

"Great. I have something I want to pick up in town anyway, no time lime the present.", I added as we cut to go around the edge of the ridge towards town.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV **

I approached Edward's house to find all the bikes parked out front. Esme and Emmett were sitting on the porch gazing out over the mountains toward town. Edward had jumped to the balcony of his room in his haste to get to Bella, but there couldn't be anything significantly wrong if my wife was calmly sitting out front. I knew she could hear Bella crying just as well as Edward had.

"Everything okay, Petal?", I asked as I bent down to kiss her lips before standing beside her chair.

"Bella is just overwhelmed with the day, sweetheart. Sometimes pregnant women just need to cry. She has stopped now that Edward is with her, that's probably all she needed anyway", she told me.

"The other kids are off looking at that stand of trees there, up on Satulah", she gestured towards town. "If Victoria can see us, it stands to reason that we can see her, so they went to check out that stand of trees to see if she had been there. Any chance of setting a trap and getting her before she makes a move would certainly relieve a lot of tension around here and I know Edward would sleep better", she chuckled, "Well, you know what I mean."

"Actually, Petal, Edward seems to be almost able to sleep at will now, and sometimes after an extremely vigorous evening or morning with Bella, he sleeps without meaning to", I told her.

"Vigorous my ass", Emmett immediately chimed in.

"Emmett, language", Esme chided.

"Mom! How can you possible describe anything with a _human_ as vigorous? Seriously", Emmett scoffed, shaking his head.

"Well, son, you might be surprised". I said while I'm sure a smirk came across my face, "Your brother has exceptional control, but he does spend hours at a time exercising that control. It has to be difficult if not straining to him. Bella has some unusual effects on him, as well. I'm sure you and I have never experiences things like Edward has with her."

"Shit, Dad, come on. Who are you even talking to?", Emmett insisted, "Have you met me? You and Mom insisted that Rose and I live at another house we made so much noise and broke so many walls and furniture that first year."

He just would not quit, Emmett had always been so full of himself and he and Rose did have a reputation for 'tearing it up' at all times. I would have to shock him into realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Petal, I don't know if you have heard this yet, I'm not sure how much Edward has confided in you, but I have been trying to see if it has ever been heard of before to know if there is something we need to do for him, or if he is indeed alright", I explained. "This information is not to be used to tease or harass them with, Emmett, do I make myself clear?", I said, turning slightly to stare him in the eye.

"Fine, But giving me information and not letting me use it is just criminal", Emmett pouted.

"Well, this information is best kept between us. It's extremely personal, but extremely important to determining if your brother is alright or not", I insisted. "Petal, has Edward told you the effects her . . . fluids have on him?", I asked.

"No Carlisle, we have never discussed it. Wouldn't something like that be terribly embarrassing to him to talk to his mother about?", she asked.

"Maybe, but you are the only one that has had any experience with some of this", I said, quieting for a moment. I needed to say this just right. "Let me explain. We all know that she is his singer, her blood calls to him much more than just the normal lure of human blood", Carlisle reflected, "but her blood is also something of an aphrodisiac for him, it seems all of her secretions are. Well, of course we know that blood heightens everything for us, but for him it's much more than that."

I could see that my wife and son didn't know what I meant. I was going to have to spell it out. I ducked my head, looking at my shoes for a moment before I gathered my wits to say the words to them.

"It seems that if Edward drinks Bella's menstrual blood or the secretions her breasts are making to feed the baby, he releases continually for the length of time he is ingesting it", I said quietly. I knew right away from their stares that they still had not comprehended what I was trying to tell them.

"Petal, did you nurse your baby when you were human?", I asked her, knowing the answer.

"Yes", she replied, " . . . oh. You mean that if he swallows the secretions her breasts are making that he . . . comes? . . . continually?", Petal asked with a shocked look on her face.

"Yes. It seems he reacts in some ways like he is feeding, in that he holds her tightly, pen's her with his body and immobilizes her legs with his. The difference is that it is pleasurable for both of them. Either way he apparently takes on the appearance of a predator and growls profusely the entire time."

"Oh my God, Carlisle! Does that not scare her to death?", Esme said exhibiting a complete look of horror for how that must make Bella feel.

I chuckled, "I thought that as well, Petal, but actually he says that his growling just turns her on more and that now he purrs uncontrollably most of the time he is alone with her in any kind of an intimate situation", I told them.

"Dad, let me just get this straight. Are you telling me that my big brother comes continually for several minutes at a time when he sucks her tits or her pu . . ."

"Emmett! Language!", Esme yelled, swatting her son.

"If there is blood from her or secretions for the baby involved, then yes, Emmett. Not just for a minute or two, but so far a bit over an hour at a time. He was quite embarrassed the first time. Your sister, Bella . . . she would have none of that", i shook my head just considering how amazing my new daughter was, "She calls him out anytime he starts to feel any guilt over reacting like a vampire instead of a human male. That girl is absolutely amazing."

"Holy shit! He orgasms for hours at a time! How the hell do you ever even try to top that?", Emmett wailed, "No wonder he sleeps afterwords. That would make even a vampire sleep!"

"What would make a vampire sleep", Bella asked as she stepped out onto the porch.

"I was just explaining some of the unusual phenomena that you and Edward have been experiencing", I answered her. Bella turned a shade of red that I hadn't seen on a human before. Shaking it off almost immediately, she continued to walk towards us.

"Well, for whatever reason, Edward is taking a nap. I hate seeing him so stressed, Carlisle. Can we not set a trap for Victoria and Riley and end all this drama?", she asked.

"That's where Alice, Rose and Jasper have gone now, dear", Esme answered, "I had an idea about where Victoria could be seeing us from and they took off to check it out. Perhaps we can end this game for her a little earlier than she had planned."

"I would love that. I'm so sorry all this followed me here. I never meant to cause you all so much trouble", Bella told us. She was obviously stressed and quite worried.

"Bella, dear, what you have done just by being with Edward is worth a thousand times the amount of so called trouble that you have caused. You have brought him to life, dear. That is worth anything to me and I get a new daughter as well . . . and grandchildren. You need to accept just how much you mean to this family. We would not dream of doing anything without you", Esme told her as she hugged her tight and stroked her hair.

I watched as Edward leaned against the doorway to the house and observed his wife with us. All the stress that he had shown while out with me looking for Jacob and even when we were teasing Jacob and feeding . . . was gone. In front of me was a relaxed man, totally content as long as she was near.

She turned and spyed him standing there, as though she sensed him. He had made no noise. She moved to stand beside him, their arms around each other casually, as though they belonged there. I suppose they did, regardless of the fact that one was human and the other a vampire.

"I thought you were sleeping and would be out for a little while", Bella told him.

He moved his hand up and down her arm, hugging her to him as he answered, "I missed you."

My other children appeared on the driveway heading towards the house. Rose was carrying a large cushion of some form and a silver bowl. As they approached, Emmett asked when Charlie was expected back with Sue.

"Oh, goodness!", Esme exclaimed, "Dinner for the humans! I need to go prepare if we are having them to dinner at the house tonight!" She hurriedly got up and started towards our house, but Bella grabbed her attention as she passed her.

"Esme, why don't you let me make dinner for just them and myself tonight and let's not put everyone through eating again like this morning. It might be better for Sue to just get used to being in the house with Edward first, before we add the whole family", Bella suggested.

"Seriously, lets do that", Emmett whined, holding his stomach, "I still haven't recovered from breakfast."

"I'll help her, Mom, not to worry", Edward offered as his hand continued to rub up and down her arm.

"So, Rosalie, what's the cushion for?", Bella asked as Rose stepped onto the porch.

Edward immediately buckled over laughing, obviously having read what was in Rosalie's mind.

"Rose, I appreciate the sentiment, really I do, but I just don't think Jacob is going to see the humor in having a dog bed and bowl", Edward told her.

"It would be better than sleeping on the dirt", Rosalie said, "or even in the house on the carpet."

"Cute, Rosie! I like it", Emmett roared, laughing so hard he nearly fell over with Edward.

"Kids, how would we explain it to Charlie? If you want to take it out into the woods behind the house, Jacob might appreciate it, but I'm not so sure. He is pretty incensed that he has paws and a tail", I told them, "He's trying to be calm and so far he is friendly, but we need not push our luck. He is brand new to this, and you know how explosive brand new vampires are. I can only guess that werewolves are the same."

"Anyway", Alice said somewhat exasperated, "I had another vision and the area that Mom suggested is where Victoria has been watching us from. We want to go there early in the morning and see if we can't catch her unaware and end this cat and mouse game for good."

"Excellent, Alice. How do we work this?", Edward asked her.

"Well, Edward, you need to stay here and translate for Jacob when Sam calls, as well as dealing with Sue. She knows you better than she knows the rest of us and Charlie will be here as well. Let's just suggest that since it's Sue's first day here, we won't go fishing, we'll put it off till in the morning, that way the household here can sleep in to some extent, Esme can come down under the guise of helping to prepare breakfast and the rest of us can set a watch for Victoria. With Esme and Edward here and Jacob nearby, we won't be leaving Bella unprotected while we try to end this", Alice explained, "Five of us should be able to end two of them with no problem once we find them."

"Well, the baby furniture is in the garage and I'd like to get started on his room", Rose said.

"Rose, Jacob is still here, whether he is human or not and I don't want to move his things to work on the room till he is back and at least knows that we moved his room or he leaves to go back to work. The other two rooms are for Charlie and Sue . . . I doubt they will share a room in front of us", Bella said, "If there is time, the furniture for the room at Esme's arrived as well, let's just get started on that room!"

"I thought you wanted the room here first?", Rose asked.

"I did. Things are just not allowing that right now and it's okay if the one there is finished first. At least he will have his own room somewhere!", Bella laughed.

"Alright then. Since we are all relieved of dinner duty, we can go get the nursery ready there then. Jasper, Emmett, come on and I'll show you which furniture needs to go up to our house", Rose said as she headed for the garage.

"Well, it's settled. Bella, with Esme and I helping, I see you having an absolutely gorgeous nursery by morning!", Alice said as she flitted down the stairs.

"Carlisle, will you stay with Bella for a moment?", Edward asked, "It seems that Rose wants to find a good place for her gifts and I need to go with her, just in case Jacob isn't thrilled with them and needs to calm down. I can at least still read his mind and know if there is danger."

"What? No. I'm coming along as well", Bella chimed in.

"No! You are not going anywhere near a new werewolf, they are too volatile, it's too dangerous", Edward insisted.

"I'm coming", Bella said as she headed down the stairs, apparently walking towards the rear of the house. We all exchanged glances and listened to the huff coming from Edward as we followed her.

When we got to the back of the house Edward suggested that we just place the bed inside the tree line where it couldn't be seen from the house and let it go. He assured us that Jacob would find it there. Rose agreed, finally, and after placing it along with the bowl full of fresh water, we turned for the house. I was staying here, my shift at helping to protect Bella, and Rose was heading to do the nursery at home.

**EPOV**

"Rose, looks like you will get our chance to see his reaction after all", I said with a smile as we turned back to see Jacob step from the tree line and walk towards us. Rose gasped, probably not expecting the sheer size of the wolf in front of us, her mind was reeling.

"Jake, are you alright?", Bella asked. I stood protectively in front of her so that she had to literally peer from behind me. She didn't object, knowing that I would not be willing to move at this point. The wolf nodded his head up and down, then bowed his head somewhat.

"Jacob wants you to know that he's sorry he upset you, that he was just worried about you ", I translated for Jacob.

"I know that, Jake. It's okay, we all wonder what Masen will be like and I remember what it was like when I first found out that the legends were true, about vampires and werewolves I mean", Bella told him.

Jacob nodded.

I couldn't help but smile at his thoughts. Jacob loved my wife, he accepted her choice, but he was still in love with her and he was doing what I would probably have done had she picked him, he was staying in the wings watching to make sure she was happy, that she was treated well. He was in effect just waiting for me to make a big enough mistake that he could move in. The wolf pawed at the ground, impatient for me to translate what he wanted to say to her.

"He wants to know if he's forgiven", I told her.

"Oh, Jake," she said taking several steps towards him and reaching out to touch the fur on his now bowed head, "of course I forgive you."

His thoughts were docile enough that I allowed her to approach him, but I was by her side with a hand on her, ready to move her away in an instant if the situation changed. Jacob looked over to Rose and I chuckled.

"Rose, Jacob doesn't know if you're making a joke or being nice, he suspects you are being an ass, but either way he actually appreciates the bed", I told her. Jacob stared at me and scoffed, a difficult thing for a werewolf to do.

"Alright, alright. Rose, Jacob hates my translating. I tend to be more polite than he is", I said cutting my eyes to him, "What he said was, 'thanks for the bed, bloodsucker, even if you are being an ass'."

Carlisle chuckled as Rose looked surprised, but her mind told me she was willing to play this game.

"You're welcome, dog. We put it far enough from the house that maybe the wind will keep your stench from getting inside", Rose told him.

Bella looked horrified at the words exchanged between Jacob and Rose. "Don't worry, sweetheart, they are both just playing, although Jacob does enjoy the new terms that Sam used to describe us, like leech and bloodsucker. So don't worry about him being offended by being called a dog and told he stinks, he already commented on how sickeningly sweet Carlisle and I smelled to him."

"Jacob is going to scout around and see if his heightened ability to smell can pick up anything on Victoria and Riley. He'll watch over the house tonight, and", I said turning to him, "he'll be careful not to let Charlie see him."

Jacob nodded, turned, and went to the bed Rose had put behind some bushes and curled up on it, placing his head between his paws.

"Good thinking, Jacob", I said, turning to Rose, "Jacob wants to know if you will take his truck and put it in the garage at your house so that Charlie won't see it. We'll have to tell him that Jake left to tend to business for a few days. He wants to remind us that Charlie is a police officer and trained to observe details, he says just to pack up his things and put them in the truck as well so that it is believable that he left for a short time. Oh, and not to forget to put his bike up - and be careful with it!"

"Yes, of course", Carlisle said, "Thank you Jacob. I hadn't thought of that."

"I got it covered, dog, as long as there is nothing disgusting in your room that you want packed", Rose told him, "no left over bones or anything."

Jacob huffed and turned his face away from us and we continued toward the house so that Rose could pack and get Jacob's truck safely hidden before Charlie and Sue arrived and Bella and I could start dinner.

It had been an eventful day. Thank God that Bella had calmed down so quickly once I lay with her and held her. Her tears slay me. I couldn't help but steal glances at her as she moved to stir and mix the concoctions that she would be serving for dinner.

"I still say my diet is healthier", I told her as she scoffed at me, taking the vegetables from the cutting board where I had chopped them for her. Carlisle looked over from where he sat at the kitchen counter, coffee in front of him, reading his paper and smirked at us.

"No preservatives, no growth hormones and no antibiotics", I continued.

"Yes, it's an excellent diet for keeping the undead in rare form", Bella chided.

"Undead?", I cocked my head and mouthed. Carlisle lost it, he could not contain the laughter at the banter between us.

"I'll show you undead", I said as I chased her around the table, lifting her easily off her feet and instantly throwing her onto the sofa to tickle her. I was so happy to be playing with her and so caught up in her laughter that I paid no attention when the door opened and Sue walked in with Charlie.

"Charlie", my Dad said, folding his paper and getting off his chair to move towards the living room and greet them.

My head popped up from the sofa where all the laughter was coming from, the back of the sofa faced the door and I'm sure all that was seen was my torso visible over the sofa back. "Sue, Charlie, glad you made it back safely", I said as Bella sat up and her head and shoulders became visible.

"Good thing you're here, Dad, you can arrest him", she said pointing to me, "He won't stop tickling me!"

"Hi all! Bells, I'm not sure there is a law on the books about being tickled by your husband, I'll have to check into it", Charlie said with a smile.

"Hi Sue", Bella aid as she held out her hand to me to help her get up off the sofa. She was quite large by now and getting up from a soft low surface like the sofa could be difficult with out a hand.

Sue gasped when she saw her, telling me that Charlie had not told her about Bella being pregnant. A thousand thoughts flew through her mind at once, most of them not so nice, but the majority of them worrying about Bella.

"Come in, Sue. I guess from your shocked expression that Charlie didn't tell you about the baby", I said, putting my arm around Bella and walking towards where Sue still stood by the door.

"No, no he didn't", she said, never taking her eyes off Bella's belly.

"Well", Bella said, rubbing circles on her belly, "Edward and I are expecting".

"Yes", Carlisle said, "It seems Charlie and I are going to be grandfathers at an early age."

Sue's initial thoughts were not so kind, wondering just what in the hell kind of monster we were expecting, but she didn't voice it to Bella, though I know she heard my slight growl.

"Congratulations!", she said to Bella, "Charlie here should have given me a heads up!"

"I wanted to surprise her and it was your news to tell Bells, not mine", Charlie said sheepishly.

"Well, let's get you settled in", Bella said gesturing to the stairs, "Dad will you bring her bag?"

Bella headed up the stairs with Charlie and Sue in tow.

Carlisle looked at me and said, "Well, son, this is going to be interesting."


	54. Chapter 54  Ingrained

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** _I would like to thank Melanieintn for always pointing our my spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. i don't know what I would do without her, and you guys would wonder what the hell you were reading if you saw some of the things that get past me!_

**Chapter 54 Ingrained**

_Carlisle looked at me and said, "Well, son, this is going to be interesting."_

**Sue POV**

What had I gotten myself into? I was staying at a vampire's home. Not just any vampire, but one that had gotten the daughter of my soon to be husband, pregnant with it's spawn. I must be out of my mind. Perhaps we really did loose out sensibility when we got older . . .

Him being with her, much less intimate with her, wasn't even supposed to be possible but _pregnant? _How was it even possible for him to get her pregnant, he wasn't even _alive!_

I followed Bella up the stairs with Charlie and Edward and she showed me to my room. I was grateful that at least she had not presumed that I would share a room with Charlie. Not that I would have minded, but it would have mortified Charlie.

The room was beautiful, beige and cream with just a bit of pale green. I was grateful that it was on the very end of the hall and Charlie's room was just across from where I would be staying. Somehow it made me feel a bit safer that our doors were across from each other and we were on our own end of the hallway.

"This room is really pretty, Bella. Did you decorate it yourself?", I asked.

"Actually, Sue, Edward did this room, I decorated Dad's though", she said as she gestured for me to follow her.

"Wow, this one is just beautiful. Imagine that, blue just like you like, too, Charlie", Sue exclaimed.

"Yep, guess that's so. She did a real nice job on it, the whole house, really. Wait till you see their room", Charlie said gesturing to Edward and Bella, "Their bathroom is as large as my living room!"

"Well, our room is at the other end of the house and there is the room Jacob is in just here", Bella said as she flipped on the light in the third bedroom upstairs." It was kind of a woodsy color, greens with a hint of brown. Really pretty as well.

"Rose designed a beautiful nursery for us that this room will be turned into when Jacob leaves", Bella told me.

"Where is Jake?", Sue asked.

"He left just after we got back from riding the bikes this morning. He said he would be back in a few days, but he didn't say exactly when", Bella told me.

Damn it. She knew that Sam and I wanted to talk to Jake. What was going on here, was that boy going to this extreme to avoid talking to any of the tribal elders? Hum. I would have to ask her and Edward about this when Charlie wasn't around.

"And this is our room", Bella said as she escorted me into a beautiful room with vaulted ceilings, a fireplace and a gorgeous canopied bed draped in gossamer curtains, tied at the corners. The posts looked like a type of wrought iron with trailing vines and rosebuds on it. It was absolutely beautiful, something that belonged in a storybook full of princesses and fair maidens. Above the fireplace was a painting of the two of them sitting outside on a bench looking more in love than any two people I had ever seen portrayed. Ever.

She showed me to the bathroom that Zcharlie had been kidding about . . . only he wasn't kidding., It really was the size of his living room, complete with a sunken tub that you could teach small children to swim in.

"Edward had this house built and he decorated it as a surprise for me for my birthday, Sue. Doesn't it just look like something out of a fairytale?", she said, hugging onto him, "Edward makes me feel like a fairy princess in a bedtime story."

"I love you", I heard him say as he bent down and softly kissed her lips.

"Alright, alright. Enough of that! I'm already about to be a grandpa!", Charlie boomed. Edward laughed, Bella blushed and I appeared to be somewhat amused by Charlie's outburst. In reality, I was incensed. Fairytale, indeed . . . she was confusing a fairytale with a happily ever after ending with a horror story that would have a terribly grizzly, evil end. How could it not? I was beginning to regret having let Charlie talk me into this trip. I was out of place here . . . anything human was out of place here.

"Dinner is almost ready, Sue. Are you hungry?", Bella asked me.

"I'm always hungry when you cook, Bella. You are so good at it", I answered as we headed back down the stairs.

Carlisle was waiting at the foot of the stairs and made his excuses about needing to get home to dinner before Esme had his hide. Huh. Bloodsucker has food waiting for her husband? What does she do, tie a deer to a tree in the back yard and call it a picnic?

Edward leaned over towards me and whispered so that only I could hear, "No, but there are plenty of deer in the woods at the rear of this house as well as theirs." Damn. I forgot. Mind reader. Well, he looked amused, not mad, so I guess that was alright, I'll just have to try and control my thoughts around him that's all.

"I'll just go and put that car of yours away in the garage, Edward. Thanks for letting me use it. It was a great ride, smooth as glass", Charlie said as he excused himself and left out the front door.

"Thank you for coming, Sue", Edward said as he stood behind Bella, his arms around her and one hand covering her belly. "While Charlie is out of earshot, we should tell you that Jacob had been having a fever for days and not feeling well, and he phased today."

"Where is he? Is anyone hurt?", I asked as I felt my body tremble out of fear for Jacob.

"He was talking to me and he got angry, phasing into a wolf in the front yard and then running off into the forest. Carlisle and Edward went after him", Bella said, looking concerned and . . . remorseful?

"Oh no! You didn't hurt him did you? He would have had no idea what was going on and I'm sure he didn't mean to cause a problem if anyone was hurt, it was accidental . . . ", I said, I'm sure looking whiter than a ghost. I was terrified that an altercation had erupted and they had killed him. "Where is he, is he . . .". Edward cut me off, placing a hand on my shoulder that I knew he meant to be a comforting gesture, but I flinched in spite of myself.

"Sue. Jacob is fine. He is unharmed. I know this is difficult for you to believe, but he is my best friend. Carlisle and I took off after him when he ran into the woods and we found him about two miles out. We talked to him till he calmed down, then called Sam and spoke with him to see if there was something he could tell Jacob that would help him to phase back", Edward said, "He had something to eat and he is sleeping just past the treeline in the backyard."

"I know this is hard to accept, Sue, but Jacob is a friend to all of us. We like him very much", Carlisle reaffirmed to her, "He just never truly believed the legends till last week."

"He found out on Christmas Eve that Edward was a vampire and he has been dealing with it ever since", Bella added.

"We noticed his temperature increasing and he was not feeling well, so I checked him over and took a blood sample. The gene was there for the transformation, so I knew it was just a matter of time. We met his grandfather, Ephraim, years ago and it stood to reason that since it was in his bloodline, that he would also be able to phase. We just had to explain that to him . . . and that took some effort", Carlisle told her.

"Bella, do you think that perhaps you could distract your Dad after dinner long enough for Edward and I to go have a chat with Jacob?", I asked.

"Sure, we were hoping you could help him", Bella replied.

Charlie came back in and Carlisle excused himself as the rest of us headed into the living room. "Charlie, Sue, I'm just going to help Bella finish getting dinner ready. Please, show Sue round and make yourselves at home", Edward said as he and Bella walked past the counter and into the kitchen.

"Well, there isn't that much to see down here, really. Just the big room, of course, the living room that feeds into the dining and kitchen area. The only other real separate room is the office over here", he said as he opened the French doors, "Guess you might call it a library. You know how Bella likes books and all and that Edward, well, he spoils her. First editions of most of her favorites", Charlie gestured to the rows of books on the wall of bookcases. "Seems the kid is some kind of financial wizard and already has earned more money than they can ever spend. And, I guess I was wrong, Sue. That boy is nuts over Bella, there is nothing he wouldn't do for her and no one he would not stand up to. Fact. Very few people have ever stood up to me, but that boy did when he thought I hurt her. Truth is, Sue . . . I have never seen her so happy. Ever", Charlie said as he hugged me to him.

"Speaking of happy . . . I'm glad you're here", he said as his arms tightened and he leaned in to kiss me, "Did you and the kids have a good Christmas?"

"We had a great Christmas, lots of gifts and food and cheer. Everyone was really trying what with Billy and Harry gone", I told him.

"Well, I'll help you lasso Jake and see if we can't get him back home, that'll be one less thing to worry about", Charlie added, kissing me again.

"Dinner", Bella called out. We walked out to find Edward just placing the last of the full glasses of tea on the table and pulling out Bella's chair for her to sit down. At least it was just the four of us, though I wished Jake was here. I was happy that I didn't have to sit at a table with six other vampires and try not to be frightened to death, but I guessed that was going to happen at some point before I left. I wasn't as frightened of Carlisle, at least. I knew he worked in the hospital and helped humans all the time. There was no indication that he had ever hurt any of them.

We all sat and ate . . . everyone ate. Amazing what that boy would do for her. I had seen him eat food before, human food that is, but it never ceased to amaze me that he could do it and in fact _would_ do it . . . for her.

"Dad, I hope you don't mind, but Edward and I kind of called off the fishing in the morning." Charlie's head popped up at the mention of not going fishing, listening for Bella to continue, "We thought you could go Thursday and Friday instead and that maybe we could sleep in a little and show Sue around town tomorrow. Hope that's alright", Bella told her Dad.

"Sure. Does Carlisle know?", Charlie asked.

"Yes Sir, he said he would go ahead and work the day at the hospital so that he could be off the other days. We won't see him till late tomorrow night, after the 7pm shift, and Rose and Esme are busy doing Mason's room at the other house, although I'm willing to bet they will be finished by the middle of the day", Edward answered. "Alice and Jasper I'm sure will be up for some hiking and sightseeing, Rose will probably force Emmett to help with moving the furniture", he laughed.

"Mason?", I asked.

"The baby. We named our son Mason Charles Cullen", Bella replied," Carlisle already confirmed that it's a boy. Esme wanted a place for the baby to sleep over at her house, so we are putting in a nursery there as well as here."

We finished dinner and Bella asked Charlie to help her with the dishes, giving Edward and I a chance to see if we could catch a minute with Jake. We went out the front door and around the side of the house to the trees in the far end of the backyard. The house was pretty much nestled in the edge of the forest, so it wasn't a far walk at all.

Edward called to Jake softly as I saw a huge russet colored wolf appear in front of us. Edward just stood there, a vampire next to a werewolf. He had his hands in his pockets no less and actually bumped shoulders with Jacob, asking him, "Everything alright, dog?"

Jake's growl must have been an answer as Edward laughed. "Jacob _hates _my translating his thoughts because I tend to clean them up a bit, but I am going to try to just tell you what he wants said exactly as he says it. I am not responsible for his use of language, I just want you to know that, Sue, and I apologize in advance for Jacob", Edward winced, apparently at something Jake thought.

_F*** you bloodsucker and no I'm not alright. I still have paws and fur._

Edward looked somewhat sheepish, but continued to translate.

_Sue, did you know this was going to happen to me, too?_

"Well Jake, Sam and I thought it would. You are a direct descendant of Ephraim Black and as chief, his bloodline had the gene to phase into wolf form", I told him, feeling rather silly that I was actually answering words that had come from Edward's mouth, not Jake's.

_How the hell do I phase back into a human?_

"I don't know what to tell you, Jacob. Leah and Seth phased, but I never discussed it with them and I have never experienced it. It kind of skipped my generation, since there were no _cold ones_ around to cause it", Sue told him.

"Wait, Sue. Are you saying that if we were not in Forks, members of the tribe would not be phasing?"

"That's right. No vampires, no phasing to werewolf."

_Hey, I hate to break up this little love fest, bloodsucker, but she is here to help me. I'm the one with the furry tail and paws!_

"Right, right. Let me think about it overnight and see if I can come up with any ideas. I understand Sam is calling tomorrow to try and help", I halfway asked.

"You got what you need out here, Jacob", Edward asked. I had to ask what Jake said in response.

Edward looked away from me at the ground as he answered, a crooked smile on his face. He said,

_"I have the damned dog bed that the other leech brought me, bloodsucker"_, then he laughed and said. _"I'm fine. Tell Bells it's okay. I'm the most frightening thing out here, not to worry. I kind of like calling you bloodsucker, though, I might just have to keep using it even when I'm human again."_

I watched as Edward bumped Jacob again with his shoulder in a friendly gesture and I would have sworn Jake laughed with him. We turned and went inside just as Charlie and Bella emerged from the house onto the back patio.

"I made us a cup of coffee, Sue. These young ones are going on to bed, well, Bella said she is going to bed and that means he will follow", Charlie laughed gesturing to Edward.

"Yes Sir. She owns me, I admit it, and that's okay with me", Edward said as he went to stand beside her. A smile crossed her face as he hugged her to him and kissed her cheek.

"Well, if you need anything, Sue, just let me know. There are fresh towels and such in your bathroom and feel free to come down and help yourself to anything in the kitchen. First one up makes coffee", Bella told me.

"That will mean you or me", Charlie teased, gesturing to Bella and Edward, "These two rarely leave their room without being prodded out".

"Dad! That is so not true", Bella laughed as she turned red, "Well, maybe it's a little true."

Bella put her hands over her face as she turned red and ducked her face it Edward's chest. He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, in any case, we are off to bed. Goodnight", Edward said as they turned and walked into the house, leaving Charlie and I on the patio.

We sat at the table, peacefully sipping coffee and chatting. It seemed strange, in a way. I was surrounded by mythical creatures, we both were, and Charlie was completely oblivious. There was a house full of vampires at the top of the hill, a vampire in bed with if not making love with a human one floor above me, and there was a werewolf sleeping on a dog bed just behind the trees that were in my sight. Huh. Wonder just how many more things were going on around me that I had no idea about?

~oooOooo~

**Alice POV**

"Any sign of her?", Jasper asked

"Nothing yet. I see this going several different ways, only one of them with us catching her. We have to hope she climbs up from the base of the tree, if she comes tree to tree, it doesn't turn out so well."

"Almost 8 am, wonder how early the bitch starts spying?", Emmett questioned, "and do you see that dude, Riley? Does he show up with her?"

"I don't see him. He is doing something else, feeding maybe. Apparently Victoria wants him to feed a lot this week so that he . . . so that he can resist Bella and leave her all to Victoria when she takes her."

"Like hell", Rose growled.

"We'll just wait. We have more patience than she has and you did well finding the tree that she has been using as a vantage point to spy on us from", Carlisle said.

"At least we're still downwind", Jasper noted, "I just don't like not having the advantage on high ground. She'll have a moment to get ahead of us if she's sharp."

"She's here", Alice whispered as we heard a slight rustling, more than just the wind in the trees.

Everything happened so fast. One minute there was a flash of red curls high in the top of the trees, and the next moment she fled, the wind having changed and she was alerted to our presence. One more second. If she had just settled into the limb instead of just being perched there, tense. She took off from tree to tree in the canopy of the forest back to where her car was probably parked. We moved like the wind through the forest floor after her, only to have to slow to human speed. A group of hikers were making their way down the trail from the road and our path took us directly by them. It was too late to stop and take to the trees, they would see us as we stopped to spring upwards and we would not be able to explain it. It was not worth exposing us in order to follow her . . . this time.

"Did you see that?", Emmett asked Carlisle, "The bitch actually laughed at us from the treetops. We should have continued full tilt, the humans would only have noticed a breeze and a flash they could never have explained."

"You know we can't risk it, Emmett. Believe me, I want to light her pyre as bad as you do, but we can't risk exposure to do it.", Rose chided.

"Let's walk on into town. There is a chance she drove there and parked. She has to be walking around the streets and shops at some point for her scent to be so strong there", Jasper suggested.

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

"Oh, you startled me", Sue said, her hand clutching her chest.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'm not sure we have ever formally met, I'm Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife", I said by way of introduction while I flipped on the coffee pot that I had just filled and moved to put the bacon in a frying pan.

"Well, nice to meet you, Esme", she said, looking kind of lost, "You didn't have to go to this trouble, really, I could have cooked breakfast for us." Poor woman, seemed scared to death of me.

"If I make you uncomfortable, I could leave and let you do the cooking, Sue. I have just been trying to help out since the kids have had all this company, what with Bella expecting and all", I explained.

"That's very nice of you, considering you don't eat any of it", Sue said, pouring herself a cup of coffee and going to sit at the kitchen table.

"No, but my new daughter does and I like doing things for her", I told her. Sue looked at me like she just did not understand. It seemed as though none of this made any sense at all to her, that we could be around humans, that we would care about Bella . . . none of it.

"You actually consider her your daughter?", Sue asked me.

I looked over my shoulder at her and replied, "Well, of course. She is Edward's wife, therefore she is my daughter. She is an absolutely amazing young woman and I am proud to have her in my family."

She scoffed. I'm not usually one to get mad or upset, but her attitude was infuriating. I turned the bacon off and went to sit at the table across from her so that we could see each other face to face on the same level, hoping that would put her at ease somewhat.

"Sue, I have feelings just exactly the same as you do, wants, desires . . . everything just the same. My diet being different than yours is not a problem because we eat the same as you do, rabbit, venison, beef . . . we just eat a different part of the animal, that's all", I tried to explain in such a way that she could relate, "You don't even know me, yet you don't like me. Do you feel that is reasonable?"

"Esme, is it?", she asked and I nodded, "Well, Esme, _your kind _have been enemies of my tribe for a centuries, as far back as our legends go. How, or why would you expect me to reject that and change my feelings now?"

"Because you have no grounds to feel that way, Sue", Bella said as she stepped into the kitchen. "The Cullen family are not the _cold ones_ of your legends, they don't feed on humans. That makes them _totally_ different. I thought you understood that."

"I'm trying to", Sue said, timidly, "I just have it so ingrained that vampires are evil, soul less devils that lurk in the night waiting to feed of of unsuspecting innocent prey, women and children even."

I just shook my head. "Sue, I had a little boy when I was a human and I would certainly _never _ harm a child, even if my diet did include human", I said indignantly.

"Mom, she's not accusing you of that", Edward soothed her as he stood behind her at the table and rubbed her shoulders, moving to pull out a chair for Bella to sit. "Tell you what, I'll make breakfast so that you ladies can have a chance to talk", he offered.

**Sue POV**

They had valid points, Bella and Esme. The Cullen's had never done anything even remotely off color, to the best of my knowledge. Well, except for Edward being with Bella. It was just difficult, if not impossible to change ways and customs that were so deeply ingrained, almost tradition with my people.


	55. Chapter 55 Calling Sam

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: ~_You were all so wonderful about my being late last week, I thought I would post this a day early! Happy Hallmark Holiday!~_**

**Chapter 55 Calling Sam**

_"Tell you what, I'll make breakfast so that you ladies can have a chance to talk," he offered._

**EPOV**

I didn't interfere. I won't say it was easy. Sue's attitude towards my wife's pregnancy was getting to me somewhat. I had hoped our conversation at Charlie's when Bella and I were visiting Forks had made a difference, but the way she was thinking, clearly Bella being pregnant had knocked that out the window. Given all the discussions I had with Carlisle about the treaty we had signed with the Ephraim Black and the Quileute tribe, I refrained from throwing her out of my house or having her for dinner, in favor of trying to give her a clear picture of our lives and bring her over to our side. We needed their permission, or at least a revision to the treaty, to change Bella. We wanted to keep our word on this if at all possible.

Esme's disclosure that she had been a mother, had a child herself did something to Sue. I suppose you could say it struck a nerve with her, gave her a common thread since she herself was also a mother. I had tried to explain to her before that none of us had _chosen _this life, it had been forced upon each and every one of us with absolutely no discussion or consent from us prior to having been bit.

"So, what happened to your little boy when you became . . . like you are . . . a vampire?" Sue timidly asked Esme. I cringed, knowing that the answer to this would cause my mother pain. I also knew that she would answer her, sharing an important part of her past with her.

"My son died, Sue. I was so distraught, I threw myself off a cliff hoping to end my pain," Esme said as she looked at the unnecessary coffee cup in front of her, fingering it in a quite human way. "I was brought to the hospital on a stretcher, but then left in a hallway to be taken to the morgue. They had thought me dead. Carlisle was a doctor working at that particular hospital and because of his enhanced abilities, heard my heart beating ever so faintly and wondered why there was a heartbeat coming from a body that was discarded in the hall with a sheet covering it. He saw that my injuries were too severe to save me, but . . . he couldn't let me die. He made the only choice left to him and changed me." Esme held her coffee cup firmly with both hands now, as though gathering herself back together.

"I'm so very sorry, Esme. I had no idea," Sue said, reaching hesitantly to touch her hand in a comforting gesture.

"Thank you, Sue," Esme said as she gently squeezed the hand Sue had offered.

"I have been with him, married to him for over 80 years now Sue, and I have never bitten a human," she told her, an absolute resolve in her tone. "I just want you to understand that though we are vampires, through no fault of our own, we refuse to live the way our nature would dictate. The Cullen family rejects the lifestyle that we were born into, the food source that our instincts crave. We choose to live differently, to coexist with humans on a daily basis," Esme explained, "Carlisle has spent over three hundred years training as a doctor and forcing himself to deny the call of human blood in an effort to help people. He feels that he should put what has happened to him to good use and take advantage of the fact that he has an extended lifetime to learn new things and become skilled beyond all human doctors in his field. His enhanced abilities have allowed him to save many that human doctors would never have been able to treat or diagnose in time to save them, not to mention his skill as a surgeon."

Sue's mind was reeling. It seemed that it would not take many more facts to sway her into not being so hostile towards us.

"Sue," I said as I came to stand behind Bella, my hands on her shoulders, "I do not normally tell someone elses story, but you already know mine. I just want you to truly understand that we were not born to this life, it truly was forced upon us. Esme and I were both too sick or injured to realize what was happening, but others had a more violent entrance. Rosalie was raped and beaten by a group of human men and left for dead and Emmett was mauled by a bear."

It worked. The truth usually did. She saw us in a different light now and though she still feared us, feared our nature, she was flooded with understanding.

"And you are all really are trying to help Jake, aren't you? You really do care about him," Sue stated.

"Sue, Edward gave Jake funds to start his own business several months ago, we have kept in touch and we are all grateful to Jake for being there for me when Edward left Forks. He is mine and Edward's best friend and of course we are trying to help him!" Bella said, a little annoyed that there was any question that we would.

"Well, I don't know how to tell him to phase back. I think we are going to need help. Sam Uley is the alpha of the pack, at least he is the acting alpha. He has been waiting on Jake to phase as Jake is the rightful Chief of the tribe now. Anyway, unless I'm mistaken, Sam will need to fly here and spend some time with Jake to get him through this. That is the way it has always been done and I can think of no reason not to do that now, if Sam is willing," Sue explained.

"Sam _hates_ us, Sue. He was hesitant to talk to me on the phone, even after he heard Jake howl to him. He would never agree to come here around all of us, he has no trust in us. If he had his way, and there was no treaty, he would have us all ripped apart and burning in a pyre," I told her quite blatantly. I was being honest and those were Sam's thoughts.

"That may be true, Edward, but Sam loves Jake, they have been friends their entire lives. He has an obligation as the acting alpha of the pack - a responsibility to him if you will. I'm not sure he has any choice but to help him," Sue added, especially if I as a tribal elder demand it.

"You would certainly know better than I what his obligations are. I am perfectly willing to have a ticket waiting for him whenever he chooses and cover any financial issues for him related to getting him here," I told her.

"Thank you Edward," Sue said with absolute sincerity, for the first time.

"By the way," she said, dropping her eyes down from starring at me to looking at Bella, "I owe you a thank you as well. Charlie said that you were responsible for my airline ticket, and I never expected first class."

"Well, I never expected to buy first class, Sue, but Edward insisted. It's a long flight and he wanted you to be comfortable," she explained as she lovingly stroked the knuckles of the hand I held her shoulder with.

Sue looked up at me and I noticed just a slight smile, "Thank you then, Edward. It was quite a treat."

Her thoughts were genuine. "Sue you are very welcome. I appreciate that you were willing to be a guest in our home as well," I added.

Sue paused for a moment, composing her thoughts. She was actually trying not to offend me at this point. "Edward, doesn't Charlie think it strange that an 18 year old is able to provide all this?" she gestured to our home, "He obviously doesn't know that you have had almost a hundred years to accumulate your wealth."

"No. He assumed at first that the money belonged to Carlisle, him being a surgeon and all, but we have explained to him my prowess in the stock market and in fact I have had that talent since the early 1900's when I was indeed a teenager, so we are sticking as close to the truth as is possible," I disclosed. Sue nodded in understanding.

"Morning all," Charlie said as he walked into the kitchen, immediately going over to where Sue sat and giving her shoulder a casual squeeze.

"Good morning, Dad," Bella said as she stood and gave Charlie a very unexpected hug, "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Well, what's all this, Bells?" he asked, holding her in front of him so that he could look at her face. He turned to sit at the table, "I would love some coffee," he responded as he pulled out a chair next to Sue. "So, kids. What do you have planned today since the fishin' has been moved till tomorrow?" he asked.

"We thought we could take Sue to see some of the sights around town, Dad. We could go take the hike to see Dry Falls or walk around the lake at Cliffside, drive past Bridalveil Falls. The ducks at Mirror Lake always need feeding," Bella told him, then gave me a sideways glance, knowing that no ducks would come near if I was with them. "There are also a lot of neat little shops in town and some beautiful gardens where we can sit and have coffee and pastries and chocolates. Oh, and there is always Sweet Treats ice cream!"

Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed at the excited way that Bella was describing various desserts and I walked over and put my arms around my wife, hugging her to me.

"I think the pregnant lady has food on her mind," I said as I kissed her neck and hugged her to me.

"Well, Bells, I think that sounds just fine. I for one am all about feeding you anything you want," Charlie laughed. "We are fishing tomorrow though, right?" he asked.

"We are fishing tomorrow, Charlie. In fact, I think Bella is coming with us as well, aren't you sweetheart?" I asked.

"I am. We all are," Bella said, looking towards Esme who was nodding enthusiastically, "picnic and all."

"Great! That's great, we can all go to the lake or out to the river together," Charlie said, "Sounds like you have everything planned, Bells. Have you planned anything for after the baby comes, I mean, will you go on to college?"

"Oh! Dad! I forgot to tell you!" Bella said almost jumping up and down. "Remember the spring of my junior year, Edward was sending in some advance applications to colleges?"

She was so excited to be telling her father this, I couldn't help but smile at her as I stood behind her with my arms around her expanding waist.

"Yea, I remember, Bells," Charlie answered, a frown crossing his face as he remembered the fall after that when I had left her.

"Well, Edward sent an application for me to Dartmouth . . . and I was accepted! Can you believe that, Dad? I was actually accepted to Dartmouth," she trilled.

"Wow! Congratulations! That's just . . . well, that's really something that is," he said, somewhat surprised. His mind was reeling with questions, but he waited for her to explain.

"Yes, congratulations, Dear," Sue added excitedly.

"Are you going to go?" Charlie finally asked. All of a sudden there was tremendous tension in the air, sort of like a questioning undercurrent.

"I don't even know yet, Dad. Edward is accepted, too, and when he came back and I had left, he received the acceptances and asked for a deferment for year while he was looking for me . . . anyway, we can go next fall if we want. I'm just not sure yet, I might just want to be a stay at home Mom," she said while she held one of my hands and rubbed her belly with the other.

"I've told her that I am happy to go if she wants to, Charlie. I bought a home near the campus just in case, so that is waiting for us if we want to use it. It's totally up to Bella. I'm happy doing anything she wants," I said as I kissed the side of her head, "as long as we're together."

"I just don't know what to say. This is all just . . . a lot. It's a lot to take in. Did you say you bought a house there, Edward?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," I admitted somewhat sheepishly, "I wanted to be prepared in case Bella would have me back. Even if she wouldn't, she could have used the house and been able to attend school. I just wanted to make sure that she had the choice."

"Edward was trying to think of what would be needed, regardless of the outcome, Charlie. Thankfully, Bella did still want to be with him and now they can choose together," Esme said as she looked lovingly at my wife. "Regardless," she continued, "Carlisle has taught at Dartmouth before and probably will again, so the house will get used one way or another."

"I told Mom that I think I want to stay home with Mason while he is little, and Edward wants to take me to Europe to see the sights, so I just don't know. We don't have to let the school know till May, so there is plenty of time for Mason to get here and see what it is like to have a new baby," Bella said.

"Huh. Your Mom already knows?" Charlie asked.

"Yea, Dad. I was kind of afraid to tell you," Bella admitted, "Sometimes you can be kind of intimidating."

That stunned him. Charlie had always enjoyed being someone that people did not question, but he had never meant to be intimidating to his own daughter. "Bells, you can always come to me, I want you to know that," he told her as he stood and put a hand on her shoulder. He collected his breakfast dishes, saying that if he was going to be in town all day, he needed to go and clean up a bit, excusing himself and heading for the stairs.

"Can we go and check on Jacob now, while Charlie is occupied?" Sue asked.

"Let's go," I said as Bella and I moved towards the back door.

"I'll just stay here and clean up after breakfast," Esme added.

We walked through the backyard and into the trees that skirted it. We didn't have to go far, I could hear Jacob's thoughts from the house. He was comfortable, appreciating the fact that he had something soft to sleep on, but he was impatient to be in his human form again.

"Jake," Sue called. Jacob stepped from behind some undergrowth about twenty feet in front of us and nodded his head at her.

"He says good morning, Sue," I told her.

_Do we really have to go through this every damned time you translate for me, bloodsucker? Stop making me sound polite and just say what I said. They know I'm rude . . . it's nothing new._

"Fine, fine, fine, Jacob," I huffed, somewhat annoyed. "Sue, Jacob actually said_ screw the formalities, Sue, do you have any damned information for me?_"

_Much better, bloodsu . . . I mean Edward. I don't mean to be an ass, I just really hate not having any control over this situation. Has Sue heard from Sam yet?_

"No, Jacob. Sam hasn't called," I answered his thoughts.

"Let me call him right now," Sue offered taking her phone from her pocket.

_Edward, I had a meal on my own last night. Fucking exciting, really, killing it on my own. Damned deer run faster than I thought, but no match for me. I don't know if I can outrun you, but the speed is awesome, isn't it?_

"I love running, Jacob. The speed is exhilarating!" I chuckled, "The first time Bella was on my back when I ran she had to lie down, it made her dizzy," I told him while Sue waited for Sam to answer. Sue stood there watching us have a conversation, understanding dawning on her. We really were friends, she saw it for herself.

_We should call her dizzy. No . . . Izzy. that's it from now on, she's Izzy._

"Ha! I wonder how well she'll take that?" I laughed.

Sue looked at me questioningly, still holding on the phone.

"Jacob wants to nickname Bella, Izzy from now on," I shared the information with her.

"Sam," Sue blurted out as I suppose he answered on the other end of the phone line, "Yes, good morning. I know it's early there, Sam, but I'm here with Edward and Jake and Jake is getting impatient to be in human form again. Any information for him? No. Yes, yes. I understand."

Jacob howled so loud that I was sure Sue could not hear Sam on the other end of the phone. I was also sure that unless Charlie was in the shower, he heard him as well.

_What the hell, are they chatting about the weather?_

"Sam says they can't just tell you. Apparently when in wolf form, the pack can communicate with each other like Edward reading your mind, and you could understand from Sam's mind . . . given time . . . how to phase back," Sue told him.

_Well let me just get in my truck and go get on a plane and go to where he is. I'll just go grab my damn wallet._

Jacob was getting angrier by the minute. "Sue, Jacob can't very well travel to La Push. See if Sam will come here," I looked at Jacob and then back to Sue, "Soon."

"Sam, we need you here. Yes, I know there are seven vampires here. I'm staying at Edward's house, Sam. No. You will not speak to me that way young man. As one of the elders of our tribe, I am requesting - Sam I'll call a meeting and demand it if I have to. Yes. Alright, alright. Fine, Saturday then. I'll call you with the details. Don't be such an ass, Sam. Yes. Good Bye", Sue clicked the phone off. She would have thrown it at something if she had not needed it for later.

"He will not come till Saturday. He insists on spending New Years eve with the tribe and the celebrations they have planned," Sue told us.

_It's only Thursday! Shit! I have to have paws for three more days?_

"Is that the best he can do? Jacob isn't interested in keeping the paws for another three days," I told Sue, not translating it the way Jacob had said it, regardless.

"Well, you better get used to the paws, Jacob. It may be days or even a week after Sam gets here before he can get it through that thick skull of yours that you have to calm down," Sue told him.

Jake huffed, pawed the ground a few times and said he was going for a run as he stormed off.

I looked at Sue who had taken a step or two after Jacob and called to him, to no avail. "Let him calm down. He just needs to have a long run. He and I do the same things when we are stressed, Sue, he'll be back tonight," I told her, trying to comfort her, "Remember, it's not as if anything out there can hurt him."

She eyed me warily, then laughed, "I suppose that's true. You are the only thing he has to fear and he seems to actually trust you."

"I hope so, Sue. Jacob has been a good friend. I only hope I can ever repay him all that I owe him," I told her. She stared at me a long moment, her mind marveling at just how human I really did seem. We walked back towards the house, and her nervousness at having me near her seemed to have faded away.

"Sam is coming on Saturday, Mom," I told Esme as we walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, dear. Not till then? Well, we will have to do something about making Jacob more comfortable. He just can't live in the woods . . . it's not as though he is used to being a wolf!" Esme reminded us.

"He's fine, Esme. Most of the pack actually prefers to be in the woods rather than human most of the time," Sue informed us. "I'm sure he will be fine. Well, I guess I'll go upstairs and get ready to go into town," she said turning to head to her room.

"Bella went upstairs to do the same," Esme said, just finishing putting the dishes away from breakfast.

"Thanks, Mom. I think I'll go join her," I said with a smile. Mom's thoughts were clear, she laughed at my use of the word _join_, and suspected I meant it the way she was thinking it. I could only hope!

I flew up the stairs at my speed, no one was in danger of noticing me as the humans were in their rooms with the doors closed. Bella, however, was in the shower, I had heard the water running from the kitchen. I was naked and quietly entering the bathroom in an instant.

"Bella," I called to her, not wanting to startle her and risk her slipping or falling in her condition.

She put her arms around me as I stepped under the warm water with her.

"Did you and Sue find Jacob?" she asked.

"We did," I told her as I ran my fingers softly down her neck, admiring the view. "Jake wants to call you _Izzy_ from now on," I told her as I nuzzled her neck and traced patterns on her back with my fingers.

"Izzy?"

"Um, yea . . . we were talking about running and I told him the story of how dizzy you got on my back the first time I ran with you, so now he has nicknamed you I_zzy_," I laughed into her hair.

"Well, we'll just see about that Edward Cullen! Right now . . . ," she kissed me softly as she caressed me with both of her soft little hands, "Ummmm, I missed you," she whispered against my lips as she kissed me softly again. "I never seem to get enough of you lately . . . enough time alone with you, much less anything else," she said as she lowered her hands down my back, grabbing my cheeks and pulling my hips toward her so that I pressed against her belly.

"You know, if I had my way my body would never leave yours, sweetheart, but I'm not sure Mason would like the intrusion into his space. He must be getting crowded in there," I told her as I rubbed her belly with both of my hands.

"Edward, I need you."

It was all she had to say. I picked her up, her legs wrapped around me. The baby bump had grown to the point that she could not put her arms around me in this position and hold on to me, so I walked us out to the counter, placing a towel on it to gather some of the water dripping off of us and to soften the seat for her, not that she would ever have even noticed.

I sat her on the counter, never loosing contact with her as she laid back, propping herself up on her elbows. I held her lower back, relishing the gloriously soft, wetness of my wife. She held onto me, her ankles crossed behind me and pulled me to her.

My control had returned after that night in Orlando when I thought I had hurt her. Something had changed . . . my attitude, my abilities . . . something. I no longer worried about hurting my wife, at least, not from being too out of control or rough. I worried that we probably should stop having sex till Masen was born. We had discussed it and Bella insisted that she _needed_ it. She _needed me_ that close to her and there was no way I could deny her when she put it like that. In reality, I could deny her nothing.

"Edward . . . Edward . . . oh . . . more . . . Edward . . . Edd . waaaaard," she screamed as she gripped the top of the counter.

It couldn't be helped. I could not get to her lips with mine in time to muffle the cry. I hadn't even kissed her properly or paid attention to her breasts. This would never do. Ever. Hell, it hadn't even been ten minutes.

I scooped her up and held her, kissing her soundly for who knows how long before I had to break away to let her breath, my lips simply moving down her throat. I noticed the familiar burn in my throat, the one that had become my normal since I was around Bella most of the time. It was a small price to pay. The urge to bite her had long since subsided, but the burn remained.

"Sweetheart, I think I can do better than that," I told her, eliciting a huge smile from her.

"I would love to see you try," she told me as she kissed me again, her tongue dancing with mine eagerly.

"Here," I said lowering her feet to the ground and turning her around. "Put your hands here, on the edge of the counter, and move your feet apart and back some." She did as I asked anxiously, always ready to try something new, or a different position now that we had to be even more inventive than normal.

I moved behind her, massaging her thighs and her belly that was hanging down somewhat in front of her legs. I rubbed her sides while I kissed down her shoulders. The intensity increased as she searched for the friction she needed. She looked to the side and our eyes met in the mirror on the wall. She gasped at the sight of us together, my body moving in and out of hers. I moved my hands to her hips and I became somewhat frenzied.

After having had myself in her most of the night as she slept and this morning when we woke up, getting to make love with her mid morning was a real treat. It made waiting till this evening somewhat less agonizing for both of us.

I wrapped my arms around her, making sure she did not fall with the water everywhere and the slippery floor. I picked up her almost limp body and stepped back into the shower under the warm water with her, setting her on her feet in front of me. I could smell strawberries and knew that she had already washed her hair, so I reached for the soap and lathered and washed the rest of her body for her while her muscles slowly regained their strength from being jello. She took the soap and insisted on washing me as well and I had no objection to the feel of her hands moving over my skin. I kissed her every time her lips came anywhere close to mine during the process, which became something of a game. We would have continued for a long time, except that everyone was now waiting on us downstairs.

"Baby, Alice is about ready to throw cold water on us if we don't get downstairs and go shopping with her. She is already annoyed that we are taking some of her shopping time this afternoon to sight see!" I laughed.

"Fine. Let's go play with the little pixie terrorist," Bella sighed, "One of these days I'm paying Armani to design an outfit for her in camouflage!"

"I heard that!" Alice yelled. We both laughed and almost stumbled our way to the closet to dress, anxious to see how the rest of the day would go.


	56. Chapter 56 Sightseeing

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: **~_You were all so wonderful about my being late last week, I thought I would post this a day early just like the chapter that was supposed to post on Tuesday was up on Monday! Let me hear from you! I want to know if you're enjoying the journey, especially before I start getting the hate mail due to all the angst!~_**_  
_**

**Chapter 56 Sightseeing**

"Fine. Let's go play with the little pixie terrorist," Bella sighed.

**BPOV**

Edward had the bathroom tidied up in seconds and we were dressed and heading downstairs to join the rest of the family in the living room.

"Ready, dear?" Esme asked Edward, exchanging knowing glances with me as small grins appeared on our faces.

"Almost, we just have to make one quick call and check a couple of numbers in the market, Mom. It opens in five minutes. Give Bella and me ten minutes, okay? In fact, why don't most of you go on to Dry Falls and Bella and I will join you there, she may not be able to go all the way down the trail anyway," he said, knowing that Alice and Jasper would wait and ride with us. I knew that he wanted Alice's input on the stock market as well as Jasper's since we dealing in the hundreds of millions at this point.

Charlie, Sue, Carlisle and Esme got into Esme's car that she had conveniently brought down with her early this morning. Emmett and Rosalie were on their bikes, so that worked out just fine.

"All right, we're off! Race you to Dry Falls, Rose," Emmett taunted as he grabbed his Hard Rock jacket and headed out the door.

"Hey! There'll be none of that going on, Emmett," Charlie fussed. "Police officer here, remember?," he said gruffly, pointing to himself.

"Sorry Chief," he said sheepishly as he opened the door for Rose. We'll meet you at Dry Falls."

"See you soon," Rose called to me. Turning to Emmett, her tone turned harsh. "I can't believe you asked me to race you in front of Bella's Dad," she said, smacking Emmett on the shoulder on the way out the door.

"You saw that, right?" Emmett said to the Chief. "That's assault! How about fussing at her?" he asked, pointing in the direction Rose had taken out the door.

"Emmett, please. Go on, get out of here before the rest of the women assault you," Charlie laughed as he prodded Emmett out the door.

Alice laughed at her brother's antics and then turned her attention to Edward. "So, are you ready to call Phil? He's about to have a heart attack over the gain last night but he is waiting for you to call and tell him that it's time to sell. Honestly, I have never seen anyone so thrilled or so intent on not pissing you off, Edward," Alice scoffed.

We all went into the office and turned on both computers, Alice quickly logging onto the family account while I logged onto Edward and my account. Edward called Phil, who answered on the first ring, as though he were sitting with the phone in hand . . . waiting.

I was taken back by the numbers in front of me, though I thought I had become accustomed to the Cullen excesses. The primary stock in question had run almost a thousand percent increase over the last three days. A thousand percent. That meant that the two million dollars that Edward had invested with Phil was now twenty million. _Twenty million dollars. _It was hard for me to even conceive of that amount of money and I knew that the family account had invested ten times that amount . . . making it a hundred million dollars, Oh My God!

Alice looked over at me, "Calm down Bella! Close your mouth, it's not very flattering to sit there with it hanging open like that." Her smile gave her away, she understood the shock I was going through and she was gently laughing at me for it.

"Phil, yes. Sell. Yes, Bella is selling ours we speak. No, just sell it at market, it'll be fine. You put half into it, right? Okay, well, a hundred thousand isn't bad for a start. No, nothing extraordinary till next week. Leave them. Yes, I'm leaving the other two invested till the end of next week, they should at least double by then. No. True. Well, doubling is nothing to sneeze at, this one going in for a thousand percent is unusual, even for me. You're welcome, Phil. Tell Renee we miss her too. Everything here is fine, Bella and the baby are doing well. We'll call. Yes, I promise. Tell Renee to call Bella when she stops screaming and wants to talk, we're headed out the door to do some sight seeing with Charlie. Okay. Bye."

"Excited much?" Jasper laughed, "I could feel his excitement even over the phone!"

"Phil will do well, Edward. Even with no more help, he will invest cautiously, but wisely. Nothing wrong with pulling out and not waiting till the last minute," Alice laughed at her unintended pun.

"Anything else you want to do with the account today, sweetheart?" I asked Edward.

"No, baby. Let's go find your Dad and show Sue a good time today. I think she she's coming around to at least sympathizing with us, if not liking us," he told me as I shut down the computer, stood and put my arms around him, going on tip toes to kiss his jaw before he bent his head and kissed me softly.

"You guys are killing me! Unless you want to see me have my wife in front of you, you need to tone it down a little! No way can I take this all day and not screw something," Jasper said in an almost pleading tone.

"Baby, you can have me whenever you want," Alice soothed him, putting her arms around him and giving his behind a squeeze.

"That's not helping darlin', unless you would like to stay here and catch up to them later." Jasper offered.

"Love to, but I'm not leaving Bella with less than two, preferable three of us with her at all times. Victoria keeps changing her plans and she is getting anxious, soon to make a move," Alice said defiantly. Edward visibly stiffened in my arms. I knew that he must be seeing what she had seen with Victoria, and his resonating growl confirmed my thoughts.

Everyone had been on edge since yesterday morning's failed attempt to end Victoria. It seems that she had taken to the trees alone, Riley waiting for her in the car on the side of the road, not bothering to even park the car. The wind had shifted as she approached her treetop perch and she had smelled the Cullens. They chased her, but starting off from beneath her on the cliff and her already being in the treetops gave her the advantage. Advantage or not, they had thought they would catch her, until a group of hikers came over the ridge into sight and they had to resume moving at human speed, letting her escape undetected through the trees.

"Come on," I said demandingly. "There is no way I'm letting a crazy red headed bitch spoil my day."

Alice's lip curled into a smile as her head tilted toward me questioningly, Jasper's face wearing a Cheshire cat grin as well. Edward just looked astounded, his jaw dropping open.

"What? I cuss sometimes, don't look so shocked! Let's go before I have to go to the bathroom or get hungry again," I said as I grabbed a jacket and headed out the door.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

Huh. Wonder if Renee ever felt that way? I was never a bully as a kid, or even a teenager. I had to be decisive, my voice commanded some amount of attention I knew, but I always tried to be soft spoken. Speak softly and carry a big stick, that was the motto I tried to model my police career by. I asked nicely, they complied. Simple.

I didn't like it that my own daughter was intimidated by me though. I certainly never tried to frighten or intimidate her. How did that even happen? I never yelled, never struck her in any way, never grabbed her or handled her roughly - ever. Even when she was little and deserved a spanking, I might have swatted at her, but she never even got spanked by me, not really. Why was I so hurt that she had told Renee first about the damned college. Maybe she just found out and Renee was around, I had no idea when that husband of hers had told her about it. That is if he ever took his lips off of her long enough to talk to her about anything.

I adjusted the water and stepped into the shower, grabbing one of the damned designer soaps that were in a basket on the shelf.

I just wanted my little girl back. She was only nineteen for God's sake. This should be her first year away at college, making new friends, learning how to deal with the world without me around her everyday. Huh . . . being away from me. Guess she wouldn't have lived at home full time this year almost no matter what, unless she hadn't chosen to go to college . . . unless she had just gotten a job and lived at home. I wouldn't have wanted that for her either, just getting a meaningless job to earn money then maybe getting an apartment on her own.

I ducked under the water and let it flow over me, washing the shampoo out of my hair, well, soap rather. Did any man actually use shampoo? I shut the water off and leaned against the shower wall for a moment, resting my arm on the shower controls.

No, I would have been parted from her regardless this year. She would have at least been home holidays and I would have been with her if she had gone away to college. I thought about that for a minute, grabbing the towel and starting to dry myself. They had invited me to her birthday, which I would have missed if she had been away at Dartmouth and they had flown home with me and spent a week at the house. They really hadn't gone out much, choosing to just stay at the house and hang around doing whatever I was doing. Huh. Though they had spent Thanksgiving in Florida with Renee, I had a feeling they would be switching off each year on that one and they had insisted that I come out here to their house for the Christmas Holidays . . . even New Years.

I stepped out of the shower and tucked the towel around my waist, reaching for the shaving cream and turning on the hot water to fill the basin. I stared at my face as I continued to consider my daughter.

She needed to grow up and learn to take care of herself. Every kid had to go through it. Edward let her do that, that's for sure . . . not that he had a choice. I chuckled to myself. Bells pretty much did as she pleased and he seemed happy to go along with it, as long as he thought it was safe for her. He was big on her safety that Edward. She absolutely owned him unless he thought that what she wanted might get her hurt, then he was hard as nails.

I lathered up and shook the razor in the water before stroking it down my face.

He was apparently teaching her how to invest in the stock market. I guessed that there were few people that could actually teach that from experience. He had apparently made millions. I laughed to myself, _billions_ they would have corrected me. Well, Bella would, Edward would never have even told me about the money if I hadn't twisted his arm. He hadn't really ever told me to this day . . . but others had. That Alice, she had said that the cost of that R8 he bought Bella wouldn't have even been noticed out of his checking account. Huh. That damned car cost more than my house and I had just managed to finish paying it off after twenty years of payments! Well, God bless. If he was that much of a whiz kid and he handled all of Carlisle's money, surely he could teach Bella to do it. She would never want for anything money could buy, that was a fact.

I rinsed my face and let the water out of the sink, rinsing my razor and returning it to my bag as I grabbed my toothbrush.

I chuckled out loud. Bought her Dad the boat of his dreams as a Christmas present. Ha! God I loved that girl. Might know she would be sure and take care of her old man. Hell, she had been the one taking care of me ever since she moved in a couple of years ago. Put an end to my going to the diner, she did. Wouldn't have it. I had to admit, she was a much better cook than the girls at the diner and even with her living with me and me feeding two of us instead of one, the grocery bill had not gone over what I normally paid just for me to eat.

I finished rinsing the toothbrush and grabbed the deodorant, cocking my head to one side.

What the hell? I must be imagining things. I would have sworn that I heard a howl like the ones coming from the woods in La Push and Forks when we were have trouble with those wolves. Huh.

Well, I thought as I walked to the closet. Hope they don't have the same kind of trouble here. I looked at the clothes hung there, deciding that while I wanted to be casual, I also wanted to look sharp for Sue's first day here. I chose a pair of khakis and slipped on the underwear, then the pants, sitting on the bed without zipping up to put on my socks.

I had to face it. I had just been fighting tooth and nail to keep her a little girl and she just . . . wasn't. Her Mom had always said she was born thirty five and that was pretty well on target. I had done all I could to keep her away from him, and it hadn't worked. She loved him . . . really loved him. Anyone could see that in one glance unless they were wearing blinders like I had been. He seemed even more in love with her, if _that _was even possible. Little shit stood right up to me when it was her feelings involved. He let me say what I wanted about him, say whatever to him, but the minute I upset her . . . it was on. He was right there in my face daring me to continue. It wasn't that I liked to be confronted, I just liked it that he would do whatever it took to keep her from being hurt . . . again. After all, he was the one that had hurt her more that anything on the planet ever had. She seemed to have totally forgiven him for it, like she understood that he was tying to protect her, but I suspected he would spend the rest of his days trying to make it up to her.

There was a knock on the door and I heard Sue call my name. "Come in Sue," I called quietly to her. She opened the door and closed it behind herself, coming to sit beside me on the foot of the bed. I put my arm around her and kissed her for a long minute, her hand running through my still damp hair.

"Ummm. I haven't really had a chance to give you a proper hello," I told her, "I missed you this last week. Did you have a good Christmas with the kids?" I ran my hand up and down her back as I held her other hand in my lap.

"I had a great Christmas, Charlie. You?"

"Great, just great. I told you about the boat they gave me, didn't I?" I checked with her, moving her hair to behind her ear so that I could kiss her neck.

"You did," she answered as I pressed her back onto the bed, kissing her lips.

There was no more talking for awhile. Our arms were around each other and my chest covered hers as we continued to kiss, her hands in my hair as I held her. It wasn't often I had her in my bedroom with no shirt on. I have no idea how long we continued, but things were heating up. Really heating up when her hand realized that I had neglected to zip or button my trousers. I'm not sure how I felt about what was happening . . . except that it felt good. Really good. I was just moving to place my body a little more on top of hers when she stiffened - a scream resounding through the house had startled her.

"Charlie!," she shrieked excitedly, "Oh my God, that's Bella! She needs you!"

I rolled off of her and laid flat of my back on the bed, my hands on my stomach and sighed, holding one of her hands as she sat stiffly beside me looking expectantly to me to jump up and go to my daughter's rescue.

"It's okay, Sue. She doesn't need me, I promise you," I told her as I stroked her knuckles with my thumb and placed my other arm around her to rub her back and try to sooth her.

"Charlie!" the look on her face was one of almost absolute terror. I had no idea why she would be so scared . . . she was almost trembling! "She's screaming Edward . . . he's hurting her!"

"Sue," I said as we heard the same scream again, only muffled somewhat. She tensed and almost sprung off the bed, ready to go and save my daughter as though she thought someone was eating her.

"He's not hurting her, Sue," I told her, realization dawning in her eyes and her mouth dropping open. "Apparently he takes _really_ good care of her several times a day, if the screams are any indication." Sue sat there, her mouth open and her eyes wide, staring at me without moving. I wasn't even sure she was breathing.

"Honey, it's hard to get used to, believe me I know," I said trying to sooth her, "The first time I heard them I had my hand on the doorknob to their room - the night of her birthday party I think it was. I was about to open the door and rush in when I heard her ask him if they could do that again."

Sue released the breath she had been holding, her eyes still wide and staring at me. "Did they make that much noise at your house, Charlie? Um, when they were visiting and you let them both stay in her room?" she asked timidly.

"No. They made no noise at my house, Sue. But this is their house and we are guests. I imagine they try to keep it down, but sometimes they just aren't successful," I told her as I half smiled.

"But she's pregnant, Charlie," Sue looked horrified. How could I explain to her that it was alright without sounding like I condoned their behavior? Condoned their behavior? Huh. They were young and in love, newly married and pregnant. I remembered how Renee and I went at it like rabbits for the first two years, especially when she was pregnant. I guess I would be more worried if they weren't all over each other, it just didn't sit well because she was my daughter. I wanted my daughter to be happy and Renee had insisted that she needed me in that way when she had been pregnant with Bella. Everyday. Sometimes more than once a day. Well, like mother like daughter I guess. I remember hoping the neighbors didn't think I was killing her. I laughed out loud in spite of myself, causing Sue to wonder if I had lost my mind, I'm sure.

"Sue, they are young and in love. She seems to be like her Mom in that she wants sex all the time now that she is pregnant . . . and if what I hear most days is what it sounds like it is, Edward is good at giving her what she wants."

"But Bella, she was . . . she had never . . . ," Sue stammered.

"Bella had never had sex till they married, that's true. Neither had he, Sue. But they seemed to have learned fast," I said with a smirk. "Now," I said sitting up and putting my arms around her, kissing her neck, "Where were we? Maybe I'm the one that doesn't remember . . ."

We kissed for a few minutes longer, but Sue's mind was elsewhere. It seemed hard for her to understand young love where Bella and Edward were concerned. It was odd, because she was the one that was always calling me a prude when something like this would come up. Huh.

"I better go get ready to go before I am the holdup," she finally said, kissing me one last time and rolling me onto my back so that she could stand. "You better finish dressing," she said, eying the obvious problem there would be in trying to zip my pants.

I dressed and headed downstairs where everyone was gathered in the living room. Carlisle and I struck up a conversation about where we would be fishing the next day, since we would have everyone with us. We debated the choices while we waited for Sue and the kids to come downstairs.

That Emmett. What a character! How dumb was it to challenge someone to a race in front of the Chief of police? On motorcycles no less! The boy had a good heart, but sometimes I wondered if he had a lick of sense.

Carlisle and Esme headed up towards town with Sue, Emmett and Rose following on those damned bikes. Bells would be along in a minute, but she really didn't need to be walking on trails in her condition anyway. I laughed to myself, the girl couldn't navigate a flat surface without tripping most of the time and she sure didn't need to be falling down as pregnant as she was.

It only took a half hour or so and we had passed through the town of Highlands, crossed Mirror Lake and come to the National Park sign telling us that the parking for Dry Falls was on the left. The forest looked a lot like back home in Forks, the canopy was high and the tree trunks had moss and likens covering them. We could hear the roar of the falls and the path down was a switchback cut into the rock, damp and slippery. I sure hoped Bells didn't try this, knowing how she was. I took Sue's hand just as Carlisle was holding onto Esme's and we headed down, following that fool Emmett and Rose that took off running and acting like they were teenagers or something. Well, I guess they weren't much older than teens themselves, come to think of it.

"It's gorgeous down here, Esme," Sue exclaimed, turning her head from side to side so that she could take it all in. The path had led us behind the waterfall and we stood looking out through the curtain of cascading water.

"Bella always says it feels like a fairytale here," Esme offered. "She and Edward came here often once her injuries healed and before she was so . . . round," she laughed.

"I can see why she would think it was a story in a book. It's so beautiful and almost dreamlike here. It feels like a mythical creature should walk up and say hello at any moment," Sue added, an odd look appearing on her face like she had said something she shouldn't have.

Alice appeared into the veil behind the water, letting us know that Edward had convinced Bella to remain at the top and look at the water from there. Jasper had chosen to remain with them, not walking down the damp path to the falls with Alice. We paused for a few minutes longer, then headed back up the switchback. I hadn't noticed on the way down, but the path had lots and lots of stair steps in it and I was struggling not to huff and puff by the time I got back up to the top. Sue must have found me out because she was giggling at me under her breath. That Carlisle and Esme both, they weren't winded in the least. Huh.

"You okay, Dad? You look a little winded." Bella said when I got back up to the top where she stood at the overlook.

"Fine, fine Bells. That path behind the falls is really somethin'. It sure is pretty up here, green and full of growth like back home," I told her. Guess I'd better start walking or jogging or something. Wouldn't want to be chasing a suspect and have them outrun me, make me look like the old man on the force!

"Well, technically, Dad, this is a temperate rain forest, so it's bound to get a lot of rain and dampness to provide for all the growth. Kind of cloudy most of the time, too, just like Forks," Bells told me.

We got back in the cars, Emmett and Rose got on their bikes and we went a little ways further away from the town of Highlands till we came to a sign for Cliffside Park. We paid the fee, or rather the first car paid for all of us, and we parked by a small lake. Apparently it was the town swimming hole, though they said it was spring fed and freezing cold all year long. Good thing it was winter, that Emmett would have challenged everyone to swim out to the dock they had built out near the middle of the lake. There was a path that led around the lake and we all decided to take the mile and a half walk, it was such a pretty day. Sue and I stayed up with Carlisle and Esme. Bella and Edward kept lagging behind, I would have suspected that they were busy making out in the woods, but Alice and Jasper as well as Emmett and Rose were back there with them most of the time. Oh well, could be just that the young people wanted to be away from the parents. It wouldn't be the first time.

We sat on the swings and watched the view for a bit, waiting on everyone to finish the walk before heading into town to do a little shopping.

Bella had some interesting shops to show Sue, including a little one that only sold Christmas items and tree ornaments. Really pretty ornaments. I bought Sue one that she kept looking at, told her it was part of her Christmas present so she'd hush about me spending money on her. Women. You spend money on them they hate it, you don't they hate you. I really had been out of the game for a very long time.

We had ice cream at the place that Bella had gone on so over, while Alice, Jasper, Rose and Esme continued to browse through the stores. I swear that Alice spent enough money to keep a small country's economy going. Sue could spend in the stores mind you. I had noticed that . . . but no one that I had ever met held a candle to Alice. Jasper had made four trips to the car just to keep from toting all the bags around for her!

While we were having ice cream and looking at the huge trout in the water in the stream beside the store, Edward walked over to talk to me, kind of quiet like.

"Charlie, is anything wrong?" he had asked. I told him no, everything was fine which it was, but he kept after me. Smart boy. Guess I was more obvious than I thought.

"Edward, I wonder if you'd mind if I took Sue out to dinner tonight? I don't want to offend anyone, but I didn't see her at Christmas and . . ."

"Charlie. Great idea! You should have some alone time, kind of a little holiday for the two of you," he suggested. "There is a great Italian restaurant on Main Street just there to the left and what I hear is a good Chinese one in the shopping area above Sweet Treats. I'll just suggest that Bella and the rest of us drive back with Carlisle," he said as he handed me the keys to his car.

"Well, thank you, son," I said taking the keys from him and slipping them into my jacket pocket, "You sure I won't be making anybody mad or offended or any of that?"

"I'm positive no one will be upset. We just want you and Sue to enjoy yourselves and she knows you a lot better than she knows us. She's undoubtedly more comfortable with just you, Charlie. I think the Cullen family is a lot to take all at once," he laughed, "She would probably really enjoy a break from us and time with just you."

I asked Sue if she would like to go to dinner just us and she near jumped at the chance. Huh. Guess Edward was right, she was a little skittery around all of them.

We said our good nights at the ice cream parlor, Bella wanting to just sit and wait till Alice was finished and Sue wanting to explore the shops on the other end of the street before dinner. I couldn't be sure, but I thought my daughter winked at me as I turned to walk off with Sue on my arm. Huh. That was a new one.

Italian it was, after another hour or two of window shopping and some small purchases. We sat down at a booth and I hadn't laughed so much in forever as she told me how crazy her kids had gotten with water and nerf guns they had gotten for Christmas and some of the repairs that now had to be made to the walls in her house because of it. Good thing she has a sense of humor. Those kids seemed to barely bump things and have the plaster falling down. Either they were just really strong, or I needed to check on how well that house of hers was put together!

The waiter told us about a hike that was just up the street, a place called Sunset rock where people went to see the sunset over the mountains. The clouds had cleared out a little this afternoon with the sun showing through from time to time so Sue and I thought that it might be something to see. It wasn't even a half mile up a trail and it was worth every step. Beautiful sunset, romantic just like women liked. Sue let me kiss her a time or two before we headed back and I sensed that she was in the same mood I was. I guessed that us staying out all night, getting a hotel room would have been a little over the top, so I decided I would just see about kidnapping her into my room for awhile when we got back to the house.

As we entered the house, I would have sworn that I heard growling. Fierce growling, the kind that sent shivers up your spine and sent you reaching for the revolver that I now felt naked without. Huh. Sue didn't seem to think anything of it, at least she said she didn't think it was anything but she didn't fool me. I felt her tremble when she heard it. It seemed to stop now that we were headed upstairs, though I could have sworn for a minute it was louder in the house than it had been outside. We reached the head of the stairs and turned to head for the other end of the house and our rooms just as we heard my daughter scream Edward's name, just before we heard him calling out her name.

I looked at Sue, "See. I told you, you hear that several times a day around here. They probably thought they still had the house to themselves to be that loud."

"Charlie, that girl would be mortified if she knew you heard that," Sue told me worriedly.

We walked to the end of the hall and stood outside both our doors. "Goodnight, Charlie," Sue said as she grasped her hand into my hair and kissed me. I reached a hand over and opened the doorknob of my room, gesturing her to go inside and I closed the door, knowing that we were not nearly as loud as my daughter.


	57. Chapter 57  Games

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 57 Games**

_"Charlie, that girl would be mortified if she knew you heard that," Sue told me worriedly._

**EPOV **

Well that just topped off a hell of a day. I was so into making love with my wife that I neglected to pay attention to Charlie and Sue approaching the house. I knew that Alice and Jasper were outside, along with Jacob, keeping an eye on the house to protect Bella in case Victoria got any ideas or made a decision. I guess I just felt safe and at home. Bella giggled as I quickly tried to control my growls once I told her they were coming into the house and could hear me. That did it. Her giggles did some amazing things to me the way our bodies were joined at the moment and to hers as well. She came almost immediately.

"Oh my God, baby. Please, please. Oh . . . don't stop . . . Edwaaaaaaardddd!"

Taking me with her as I called her name loudly for all to hear. Oh well. It seemed from what I gathered from his mind, that Charlie had grown somewhat accustomed to hearing us. We apparently were not as good at muffling our sounds as I had thought. He had heard the growling coming from me and thought it was an animal outside. I snickered to myself,

_No Charlie, that was the animal upstairs in bed with your daughter . . . _

Sue had known. Though she did not have the gene to make the change to wolf, but she knew a supernatural growl when she heard one and her body trembled instinctively. Bella's reactions were not normal. Bella absolutely loved my purring, but my growl . . . she loved my growl. Though anyone else on planet earth would have been terrified at the sound, it only served to turn her on further, no matter how fierce. Sue discounted the growling to Charlie and he soothed her when she heard us calling out each other's names in the throws of passion.

The day had started off well enough, Esme had made significant progress with Sue by telling her how she came to be an immortal I suppose the loss of a child is something all mothers can relate to and sympathize with, though I could not imagine having to endure it. Sue seemed more understanding and less nervous around us after the conversation at breakfast was over. She was going over and over the idea that none of us had chosen to be_ cold ones_, to be vampires. It had never occurred to her that we were humans who had our choices taken away. According to the legends of her tribe, we were stone hard bloodsuckers, heartless monsters with no soul that did nothing but feed on innocents. The idea that we had feelings and opinions and choices was a completely new concept to her . . . but she was coming around. It was, after all, easier to hate that which you did not understand.

The morning had improved tremendously when I found Bella in the shower after breakfast and we were able to try out something new together . . . something we would _definitely_ have to try again. I rarely took her from the back before she got pregnant, always preferring to be able to look on her face, to look into her eyes as I entered her. The mirror helped though as I was able to watch the reflection of her face and her eyes soften as I moved in her. Though I had remained connected to her all night the night before, spooning her and rocking into her from behind, it never seemed to be enough. I had refrained from sucking the fluid her breasts so readily offered, even though she encouraged me to drink from her. It was embarrassing to come all over her and her not be getting any pleasure from it. I chuckled. She had a field day with that one. I could still hear the words coming from her . . .

_. . . you listen to me Edward Anthony Cullen. I'll decide what I do and do not like and I fucking love it when you suck my breast so hard that you drink from me. It is an unbelievable turn on for me and I love that it turns you so much and you come all over me! When the baby comes he will need his milk and you might not get to do it so often, so please . . _.

I didn't have the heart to remind her that if the baby has vampire teeth, teeth sharp enough to chew his way out of her, he might not be able to nurse on her very human nipples.

My brother Emmet's untimely challenge to Rose to race to town on the bikes didn't even manage to spoil the mood of our guests, though Charlie had quite a bit to say to Emmett about it!

Phil and Renee had been almost literally bounding up and down with excitement over their gains in the market and I loved that Bella wanted to be a part of doing the finances with me. She seemed to enjoy both the buys and the sells and was learning to accept having wealth, though some of the high numbers still shocked her somewhat. I knew that the concept of millions of dollars was sometimes hard to really grasp.

Enjoying Dry Falls from the overlook gave Bella and I some alone time as Jasper drifted off from us, scouting and listening to the surrounding woods for signs of trouble. He and Alice had stayed at the house with us under the guise of helping with the finances, but they were truly there because none of us would leave Bella without at least two if not three of us to protect her at all times. Three of us could handle two other vampires without much of a problem and we wanted to be sure she was always safe. She seemed to prefer the small window of time to spend with me, to making her way down to the falls themselves with the rest of the family. The switchback trail was hazardous in that it was full of moss covered slippery steps, hewn from the natural rock. They were not even and Bella was not nimble, especially not now. I loved to come here when no one else was around, one quick jump either up or down bypassed all the back and forth walking and allowed our kind easy access to the falls. That was why only Jasper stayed at the top with Bella and I, one jump and all the rest could be with us if there was a need.

Cliffside was another story. We had not been walking long when I heard his thoughts. Jacob had followed us and was playfully ducking in and out of the undergrowth along the trail, which worked since no one else was at the lake today, it being a weekday I suppose and winter. Carlisle had heard and smelled him and was keeping Charlie way up ahead on the trail. I chuckled at their thoughts, Charlie assumed that we kids wanted to be away from the grown ups and were giving ourselves some distance.

Jacob would fly across the trail and Emmett would attempt to catch him, sometimes grabbing onto his tail and stopping him in his tracks and sometimes almost falling flat from the effort. It was hysterical and we were all in stitches. Alice took the opportunity offered by Emmett grabbing Jacob's tail to jump onto his back and tell him to be a nice boy and give her a ride. Honestly, even though Jacob was in wolf form, the look on his face was priceless. He grabbed her jean covered leg in his mouth and tossed her off, luckily missing a mud puddle but still eliciting a scowl at the thought of dirtying the designer jeans.

"Alice, why are you worried about a little dirt, you'll have to burn them to get the dog stench out of them anyway," Rose laughed and told her. Alice looked appalled when she realized that Rosalie had a point that she hadn't considered.

"Jacob wants you all to know that while he obviously can't burn his fur and there isn't a wolf salon near, that he'll probably be rolling in nasty smells and swimming for hours trying to rid himself of your sticky sweet smell, Alice," I translated, though not in Jacob's words, eliciting a growl from him.

"Just trying to perfume you up a bit, dog," Alice chimed in, cocking her head to the side to wait for his response.

_Well, at least you made yourself smell better in the process, leech! _ I translated for Jacob.

"Hey, at least he didn't call you a _bloodsucker_, Alice. It's his new favorite name for me," I told her.

_Hey, listen up bloodsucker, are you tuned into my head?_

He was literally shouting in his mind, impossible to drowned out even if I had wanted to. I nodded my head at him and he continued.

_I haven't picked up the smell of any vampires other than you guys between here and your house. _

_I did a lap or two around the town and there is nothing there either, at least not as far out as I was, it's not like I can walk the streets sniffing or anything like you guys can._

_There is the smell of a kill over by Mirror Lake, off from the trail a bit and I got the scent of two vampires there. I assume those are the two that are after Bella?_

I nodded, "There was a murder down near Mirror Lake and the scent there was Victoria and Riley, so good, you have their scent."

_Yea, I would recognize their stench anywhere now. _

_Amazing how clear smells have become._

_I'm gonna check out that stand of trees that she used as a perch and see if I can get a read on anything there, you guys said she was in the trees there and then got into her car, right?_

I nodded.

Jacob walked with us for a few more minutes, rubbing his muzzle against Bella's arm as she playfully petted him and scratched him behind his ear. I tried not to be jealous, but I was not successful.

_Well, the clearing is coming up, I better take off. Tell Chica bye for me, bloodsucker._

I shook my head as he trotted off into the forest. "Jacob says to tell you bye," I told her as I hugged my arm around her, avoiding the side that Jacob had rubbed against due to the horrible stench of dog that had permeated her hair and clothing on that side. She noticed my avoidance and smacked me on the shoulder, telling me that all of us smelled fine to her and I was just exaggerating. I couldn't wait till she was a vampire and she would be forced to eat those words!

As we headed into town to go shopping and to Sweet Treats, glimpses of Jacob's russet fur could be seen flashing in the woods along the road. He obviously enjoyed running just like I did. I was somewhat hopeful that perhaps his sensitive nose could pick up something we had missed - some trace to Victoria leading to a house or somewhere that she was staying, somewhere that we could set another trap and end her. I hated having to be on guard every minute, knowing she was out there planning to harm my wife and child.

Charlie and Sue had a good time in town, Charlie even buying Sue an ornament from the Christmas Shop where Bella and I bought our Christmas decorations. Sue and Charlie had grown much closer since Bella and I had visited Forks a few months ago, taking their relationship to the level of being intimate with each other. I chuckled wondering if I should tell Bella, but knowing that I would. I kept nothing from my wife. I hugged her reflexively, just thinking about her.

"What, sweetheart? What are you thinking?," she asked me, looking up to me with those pools of chocolate eyes of hers as she tightened her arm around my waist.

"Charlie and Sue. Their relationship has really taken off since we were there in September," I told her quietly as we walked down Main Street following behind them. She looked at me quizzically and I nodded. Her eyes rounded and got huge as her expression morphed into one of surprise, then happiness.

"Really? They . . . ", I interrupted her, my lips near her ear as I softly said yes, kissing her as I said it.

"Good. About time. He needed to get over Renee after this many years," Bella said quietly, "I wouldn't want him to be alone." She was quiet for a minute, contemplating the situation I assumed and that was confirmed when she finally spoke.

"How will that work, Edward? A werewolf's mother and a vampire's father . . . that has to be one for the records isn't it?" she mused.

_Vampire's father?_ She's really going to want to become what I am, realization continued to dawn on me. Though she had asked me to change her after Christmas, before we knew that she was pregnant, I still had a hard time accepting that she really did want me forever. I didn't know how I had gotten so lucky to have found this amazing creature that was now my wife. I pulled myself from my thoughts and answered her . . .

"I'd say. I have been around for a long time sweetheart, and I never even considered such an occurrence. It kind of brings Charlie into the mythological world though and Sue will probably tell him about the werewolves at some point . . . and he will be told the tribal legends, Bella. She's a tribal elder, there's no way around it," I told her, knowing that she would put two and two together.

She stopped on a dime, causing me to turn to face her on the sidewalk, a look of absolute shock on her face, "But he'll know . . . Edward, my Dad will know about both of us!"

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"What the hell? Get you ass back here in this bed," Riley growled, "I'm not through with you yet."

You are today you annoying little shit. I don't know how much longer I can do this, keep him strung along to help me with my plan. No choice, though. I need two of us to pull it off, but after that . . . Riley could go. If it works out right, they'll end him for me and I won't have to find some convenient way of doing it myself. I could only imagine hell being worse than appeasing that annoying boy much longer.

"So, you got us a Mercedes? Nice. I hope you dropped the Suburban off a few hundred miles from where you stole this, though," I told him as I looked out the window at the shiny black car.

"I ditched the Suburban in Asheville then ran up to that resort, um . . . Biltmore, they call it the Biltmore House and nosed around a bit. There is a resort community near there that is like here, rich assholes keeping a fully furnished house and vehicle that they use like maybe once a year for a party or something. Stupid humans. Anyway, I sniffed out one that is almost never used and took this car. It's nice, quiet but lots of get up and go to it if you need it. No way they'll trace this one, baby, stop worrying," he said as he moved to stand beside me and put his arms around me as I brushed my hair in the bathroom mirror.

"I just don't want any loose ends, baby," I said as I turned in his arms and bit his neck passionately, "I didn't like them getting so close this morning."

"Let me end the Cullens for you baby, screw this just killing the girl," he purred in my ear.

"No, I want him to suffer for eternity for what he did to my . . . friend. Right now, we need to decide how we'll coordinate my snatching her and you having the car waiting. Let's run through it a couple of times, then we can go run the route for real tomorrow . . . sort of a practice run," I told him as I loosened his grip on me.

"Let's get in that nice car you stole for us and have some lunch, shall we?" I suggested. "I need us both to be as full as possible when we take her. I don't want to be so hungry that I can't resist her blood when it spills. I want to let her suffer for as long as possible before we end her."

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

Man, I have to say that having Bella around as a little sister has spiced the hell up our lives. I thought her Dad was going to have my head on a platter for challenging Rose to a race on bikes this morning! Ha! Spunky little human thinks he could do something! Maybe that's where Bella gets it from, though her Mom is pretty outrageous as well.

I ran at a reasonable, well almost reasonable speed into town, Rose beside me in the lane. The bikes were a great idea! I had wanted one back when we were watching the drag races and Bella had her accident, but Rose had said no. Edward even confirmed that no place in her mind was there any room for doubt, she wasn't going to let me have a bike. Funny how things changed when Bella came into the picture. Unbelievable that Rose had actually gone in on buying the bike for me. Not only me, but the whole family. Well, Merry Christmas is all I had to say about that, and way to go little sister!

Dry Falls was beautiful, as always. Don't get me wrong, I loved showing the humans a good time, especially Charlie. I even enjoyed going fishing with him, but my mind was on Victoria and Riley. I was sick and tired of watching and waiting, risking her catching us off guard and something happening to Bella and my nephew. We needed to find a way . . . set a trap, something. I knew Edward wasn't going to go for any idea that used Bella as bait, but what was she now? Wasn't she just the same as bait walking around and breathing in air while Victoria tried to end her? Damned redhead. It wasn't like it was our fault that her mate had died anyway. If James hadn't gone after Bella, hadn't wanted the thrill of the chase none of this would even be happening. We would have had no reason to burn him if he hadn't tried to kill her. Whatever. She just needed to die at this point, and I was almost as determined as Edward to be the one ripping her apart.

Walking around Cliffside was a great idea. I rarely got Rose to go out sightseeing with me, much less hiking in the woods. She preferred to sit and go through her magazines or go to Europe. I didn't understand why, there were sights here in the States that rivaled anything Europe had to offer and I had been there enough times to know. Rosie and I did lie to get it on in odd places, though . . . public places. The thrill of exposure was just something that was exciting to us. We had sex on park benches, in subways, hell we had even done it in a movie theatre like a couple of hormone enraged teenagers. Just something exciting about risking getting caught I guess. My thumb was rubbing suggestively over her knuckles as I held her hand while we walked, but my mind was jerked from it's near permanent home in the gutter by the sound of Jacob approaching.

Jacob hadn't gotten the hang of being stealthy in the woods yet and I should have heard him from a few baseball fields away even if I wasn't listening for him. He trotted out into the path with us as we rounded a turn and it startled the hell out of Bella.

"Jake! You're going to give me a heart attack, or worse yet, cause me to go into labor scaring me like that," she told him, grasping onto Edward even more tightly than normal. You could _see_ my brother stiffen. I don't really know if it was Jacob's presence or the fact that he was in wolf form, or the fact that he had mentioned Bella going into labor that had gotten to him. You could see the all too familiar _broomstick shoved up his butt _expression cover his face almost instantly. He had worn that expression for decades before he met Bella, but I rarely saw it now. Well, never really. I hadn't seen it till all this tension with the whole Jacob phasing and Victoria stalking us had happened at the same time. Guess he was just on overload . . . and I understood that. Hell, he had waited for a mate for almost a hundred years and I would be damned if I was going to spend an eternity with him acting even worse than ever if something happened to her. I wasn't even sure the family would survive it cause he would probably just find a way to end himself, throw himself into a fire or something. There was no way he would stick around without her and I knew it.

Jacob was a riot, darting back and forth across the trail daring us to catch him, Alice jumping on his back to ride him like a pony and Rose telling him how bad he smelled. Fun with the Cullens, I guessed. He left such a stink on Alice and Bella's clothing though that I couldn't say I was sorry to see them head back to the house and leave just Rose and me to watch Charlie and Sue.

Apparently they were the latest item in Forks and Charlie wanted to take her to dinner in Highlands . . . alone. Charlie was trying to figure out a way to say something about going to dinner with just Sue without offending anyone else. Edward had suggested that he take Sue out alone since he had not seen her for Christmas, after he had heard Charlie's thoughts. The sun was unexpectedly starting to make an appearance and Alice warned us that we needed to get home. Charlie's desire for alone time with Sue gave us just the out that we needed.

Rose and I stayed to make sure nothing happened to them. No point in giving Victoria another way to hurt the Cullen family and it was easy enough for us to hang out in the shadows and trees near Main Street, close enough to smell any other vampires that came near. Her stench was all over town along with the other one, Riley. It was just too risky not to have someone watching out for them when we knew for a fact that she came into town fairly often. Problem was that even if we saw her in town it would be difficult to do anything about it, other than follow her. We could not risk exposure, even if they didn't care about it. Following her was perfect as far as I was concerned. All I needed was a chance. . .


	58. Chapter 58  Fishing

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 58 Fishing **

**BPOV **

"Edward, why are you up?"

I asked without opening my eyes, knowing that if he were anywhere in the house, or even in the yard for that matter, he would hear me and respond. I felt the bed give as he lay down beside me, facing me now. He had been lying with his chest pressed against my back for the entire night . . . again. I never slept better than when he was touching me and his absence woke me within minutes every time. I had explained this to him on several occasions, but he continued to try leaving me alone to rest thinking that he would be helping me. Ridiculous overprotective vampire.

"I was trying to make myself let you rest, sweetheart," he said as he softly kissed just the edge of my lips, moving a strand of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, his hand moving to softly stroke down my bare back and gently hug me to him.

Edward smelled positively delicious, he always did. Just now he smelled of soap and salt air and lust. He had apparently showered, as a damp towel was tucked around the waist of his gorgeous body, defined ridges of muscle covered in smooth perfect skin. I ran my hands through the still damp hair on his head, threading my fingers through the especially soft hair that I loved at the nape of his neck as he placed open mouthed kisses down my jaw and to the crook of my neck, pausing to nuzzle his face there for a moment. God I loved this man.

I wanted him now as much or more than I ever had, though I had him three times when we went to bed last night and had felt him with me all night long. I just could not get enough of him. He gave me so much, brought so much to the relationship . . . I never felt that I could ever do enough for him.

I was so excited when I found out that I was pregnant. Edward had told me that he could never father a child and I could see in his eyes the hurt that caused him. He wanted a family . . . children, biological children of his own and becoming a vampire had supposedly taken that from him. By some miracle, he had gotten me pregnant. Thank God he had agreed to try . . . to let me carry this baby for as long as it did not directly threaten my life. I wanted the baby, it was a part of him. He wanted it, though he barely dared to hope that it could become a reality, that I could carry Masen long enough for him to be able to survive on his own without me. Edward had been unhappy and unfulfilled for so long that I loved pleasing him in any way possible.

Edward was amazing in more ways than one, though his ability to control himself was the most apparent. He desired my blood over any other, yet he insisted that it no longer called to him as it once had, or rather he had become _desensitized _to it, having subjected himself to being close to me for long enough now that the once hot branding iron type of burn that it ignited in his throat was just mildly uncomfortable now. Other desires from his body had come into play . . . the desire of a man for a woman and an intimate relationship involving sex. He worried now that his physical strength would not be controlled and he would hurt me in a very different way than the threat of drinking my blood.

Being a vampire, he knew that blood would heightened the feelings he had during sex. What had not been known was that it would cause him to climax. He had known that it would enhance the experience, but even Edward had no idea that it would happen for as long as he was sucking and licking it from me. He never bit me, of course, simply taking advantage of the blood my body freely offered during my period. I suppose the normal for a vampire would have been draining a human, drinking all the blood and killing the woman that he had been having sex with. It wouldn't take that long to drain a human, it took Emmett just a few minutes to drain a full grown grizzly bear. Edward had told me that the seduction was just a prelude to the feast, that no human survived sex with a vampire anyway. I laughed to myself thinking of just how many times we had sex in the last few months and just how wrong that statement had been . . . when it involved Edward.

I pulled myself out of my musings, still enjoying the feel of Edward's mouth on me, his hands caressing my chest and rear. I turned slightly more onto my back, bringing my nipple close to his mouth as he continued to kiss my skin. He rested his head against my chest, still tracing nonsensical patterns on my back and hip with his fingers. His body was warm from his shower and felt amazing against mine, smooth and hard.

As I turned back more onto my side, my breasts pressed against each side of his face. He looked up with so much love in his eyes, he almost made me cry. I stroked his cheek as he held me, gently urging him to take me into his mouth. We had discovered, quite by accident, that the fluid my breasts were producing had the same effect on Edward when he was aroused as blood had. His eyes met mine, as though to make sure this was what I wanted as he massaged me with his hand, sucking the entire nipple into his mouth.

It hit me at the same time it seemed to find him. I felt the slight tickle from fluid escaping through the small ducts in my nipple and I felt my husband's every muscle tense as he moaned against me. He held me tightly, one of his legs covering mine and pinning them to the bed as he drank. His arms, became manacles holding me as though his life depended on it. One arm was around me, the other massaging the breast he drank from, but he had not seemed to feel the need to restrain my arms this time like he had every other time and his body did not cover mine as he had before, like he was immobilizing his prey. His concern for our unborn child showed itself even at his most primal moments. I writhed under him for some time, my arms free to continue to stroke his hair and hold him to me. After a few minutes, the feeling through my breast was as though he would suck my toes up into it at any moment, starting to border on being painful. I needed to get his attention and I wasn't sure how amiable he was going to be about letting go of me, his purring was border line growling at this point. I carefully reached a finger between his lips and my nipple to break the suction and he immediately stiffened his hold on me, raising his head to stare into my eyes and growl. The black eyes staring at me belonged to the hard lined face of a predator. An apex predator that had just been disturbed from his kill and his stare was threatening . . . menacing . . .

I covered my breast with my hand on his and he looked down at it for a moment as though wondering what the hell I thought I was doing, snarling at me the entire time. It should have rendered me petrified it was so fierce and surely anyone else would have been utterly terrified of him, but I slowly leaned my head close to his and whispered into his ear, "Other one, sweetheart. No more on this side." He continued to snarl and bare his teeth at me as he tilted his head to look into my eyes, then did as requested and gently licked and kissed and started massaging the other breast before he latched onto it as he had the first one. He continued to suck fluid from me and orgasm repeatedly . . . well continually, until that breast as well started to almost hurt. He seemed to sense that it was at that point this time, releasing me from his mouth and searching with his lips to find my lips. The kiss was long and soft, filled with all the love I knew he felt for me before he opened his eyes to look at me. I gazed into the soft amber eyes of my husband.

"I love you, Bella. More than anything else in the world. You know that don't you?" he said fervently.

"Yes, baby . . . I know that because I love you exactly the same way," I said as I hugged him to me.

He loosened the towel around his waist, pulling it away from him and tossing it off the bed as he rolled onto his back, pulling me to him. His lips pressed against mine roughly as his tongue demanded entrance. We kissed for a long moment before he sat up and grasped my leg, pulling me to straddle him as he lay back down.

"If I could just give you even a small part of the pleasure you give me, sweetheart," he said as his fingers held my hips, "If I could know that I pleased you half as much as you did me, then I would know that you were content."

"Edward, you make me completely happy, more than I ever imagined," I told him as I came almost instantly, his body rising to let his lips cover mine before my scream was heard throughout the house . . . again. He held me as I calmed, supporting my body and gently moved his hands over my distended belly, softly speaking to the baby it contained.

His molten gold eyes connected with mine as he asked, "Would you like to shower with me this morning?"

"Edward, I thought you just got out of the shower?" I looked down his body, "You were still wearing your towel from the shower you took earlier."

"Trust me, sweetheart, I really need another shower, unless you want my scent to drive my brothers absolutely wild," he declared, realization dawning on me.

~oooOooo~

"Everyone has already left, we're just waiting on you two," Alice told us the second we emerged from our doorway, barely giving us time to get down the stairs to the living room.

"Good morning to you, too, Alice," I told her, eying her questioningly.

"Yes, I sent them on after Sue cooked breakfast for herself and Charlie. I told them the family was waiting for them at the other house and that Bella wasn't feeling that well and would be a little late getting ready this morning," she stared at me with her shining eyes and her spiky black hair.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, we were . . ."

Jasper cut him off. "We know what you were doing, Edward. Carlisle told Emmett about your reaction to Bella's . . . fluids. You are officially now Emmett's hero and Alice may murder you if she has to endure many more days at a time of sex because the lust rolling off of you two."

I know that my skin was an unhealthy shade of red because it actually felt hot to me without my even touching it and Edward looked at the floor sheepishly, not meeting his brother's gaze.

"Okay, so there are no secrets in this family and you guys are just jealous," I said to both of them as we headed towards the car.

"Damn right I'm jealous, darlin'. Any man would be, vampire or human," Jasper assured me as Edward snickered.

We found the rest of the family at the fishing and hiking store in town, Carlisle encouraging Charlie to get whatever supplies he felt we could use for the day. The store owner had become something of a friend to Carlisle and he was thrilled to have all of them in again purchasing more in a day than he normally sold in a week or more. Once they had made all the decisions and purchases they wanted, we headed off to the lake.

Esme had brought several blankets, one for each couple actually, and we spread them on the grassy slopes near the water. Charlie, Sue, Emmett and Carlisle went immediately to get their poles ready and start fishing, as did Jasper, leaving the rest of the ladies siting alone on their blankets, except for me. Edward had spread our blanket between the ones shared by Charlie and Sue on one side and Esme and Carlisle on the other, knowing that the food basket only really needed to be there between Charlie's and my blanket. The rest of the Cullens had taken turns going hunting to feed last night, knowing they would be around humans all day again today.

I sat on the blanket and Edward moved to lie down with his head in my lap, his arm circled behind me and his fingers running up and down my lower back and butt. He was humming my lullaby, his cheek against my belly where Masen was.

Esme looked over at us and I had never seen her look so happy. "You two are so cute together," Alice said as she came over to sit with Esme, Rose following behind her, "I never thought I'd see my brother this happy. He has been an uptight pain in the ass for so long it seemed it would never change."

"Well, Alice," I replied to her as I ran my fingers through my husbands hair, causing him to purr loudly in spite of his attempts not to, "I appreciate that you think we're cute, but I'm sure Edward was never a _pain in the ass_."

"Oh, I was," Edward admitted, laughing under his breath as he said it.

"You," I said playfully swatting at his chest, "Here I am defending you and you're admitting to what they accuse you of! Stop it! He reached to tickle me and I jumped hard to one side, then screamed and grabbed my side in pain. He was immediately up, kneeling over me, running his hands gently up my sides to see what was wrong.

"It's alright, sweetheart," I assured him, holding my side as Carlisle approached. He had heard, of course and had apparently made some excuse to walk back to this side of the lake and check on me. He lifted up my t shirt to expose the already forming bruise. "Another rib," Carlisle announced.

"This has happened before?" Edward asked, floored. I hadn't seen Edward look this scared since James was attacking me on the floor in the Ballet studio.

"Masen has kicked me and left bruises, yes. You know that, baby," I said staring at Edward, caressing his cheek softly with my hand. "There is no proof that he broke a rib before now . . . or even now," I said, my eyes pleading for Carlisle to confirm that what I was saying was true. Edward and I had agreed that I would carry this baby as long as possible, as long as there was no danger to my life. I couldn't get this close to having the baby, having Masen living and breathing on his own with us and loose him because I was wasn't strong enough to fight for him, to give him a chance.

"Let's get you to x-ray to make sure, Bella. I wouldn't want a splintered rib to give us a problem with one of your lungs. It's probably just as you say, a bruise, but there is no harm in checking to be sure," Carlisle insisted. He knew I would have to give in to him this time with Edward right there, I would have to agree to the x-ray. Edward had me in his arms and headed toward the car telling Alice to continue on with the day, that Carlisle, Esme and I would meet them back at the house in time for dinner.

Edward held me on his lap all the way to the hospital, unwilling to put me down for a second. I continued to gently stroke his face, his chest, the soft hair on the nape of his neck and anything else I could think of that would serve to calm him down . . . to no avail. He carried me into x-ray, following Carlisle.

"Bella, this is one of my assistants , Benjamin. Ben, this is my daughter in law Bella, and my son Edward. You've met my wife, Esme before of course," Carlisle said.

"Yes, Doctor. Nice to see you Mrs. Cullen and nice to meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen", he said awkwardly to us.

"No emergency, Ben. Bella here may just have had the baby kick a rib and crack it, I just want to be sure of what we are dealing with," Carlisle told him, calming the young doctor significantly. He obviously was out to make a good impression on the Chief of Staff. He helped Carlisle by getting the lead shields to use where I could and setting the films and machines correctly while Carlisle positioned me on the table, then dismissed the young man.

Proper precautions were made and Edward took his arms from around me long enough to take the picture. When they put the film up on the lighted board, Edward winced perceivable as Carlisle only continued to look at the picture with no expression showing. He was in doctor mode now and his poker face was impeccable. Esme stood waiting with us, her hand on Edward's shoulder trying to comfort him.

"Bella," Carlisle finally spoke, "it seems Masen has been kicking a lot harder than we thought for the last few weeks. Perhaps I should have thought to take an x-ray earlier, not just the sonograms, but I didn't realize that I had a reason . . . till now."

Edward stood motionless, stone still looking at the film before him. Without looking at me, he turned to Carlisle. "Is the baby viable, Carlisle . . . if we take him today, does he have a chance at surviving?" Edward asked, his face blank but his eyes showing his pain. I didn't wait for Carlisle to answer.

"No!" I said moving to sit up and insist that they explain to me what was on that damned film that had Edward so upset. I had seen lots of x-rays of me in the past, always falling and hurting myself, but I still had no idea how to read the stupid things, "Tell me."

"Bella, it appears that the fetus has broken ribs on several occasions. There is evidence of four fairly recent breaks in varying stages of mending, today being the freshest," Carlisle said quietly. We were back to fetus now . . . distancing himself from the fact that it was his grandson, Masen we were talking about.

"Masen," I corrected him, "it isn't just a fetus, Carlisle, it's my son, Masen." I felt bad about the pained look that crossed his gentle features, but I had to make my point.

"So? How bad can it be if I didn't even know it?" I asked.

"Dear, she has a point. I don't think she has been hiding anything from you and certainly not from Edward," Esme added. Edward's face softened somewhat, realization dawning on him. Of course I had hidden nothing from him, I would never.

"Baby, didn't you even notice? Haven't you been in pain, sweetheart?" Edward asked softly. I needed to be blunt and direct about this. I knew where it could go if I wasn't careful and I was going to give Masen every possible chance at survival.

"Edward, if it hurt, don't you think you would have noticed when we were making love several times a day for the last few months? Think. I haven't lied to you or hidden anything and I wish you just knew that instinctively," I told Edward, somewhat hurt. Turning to Carlisle, I asked, "Will the ribs cause any problem now, since they haven't seemed to so far?"

"Well . . . no. No, they seem to be mending just fine and if they aren't bothering you, Bella . . ."

Edward cut him off. "You can not continue a pregnancy where the baby is breaking bones, Bella. It isn't reasonable."

"We're a week or two away from having him with us, Edward," I said stroking his cheek and holding him as he put his head on my shoulder and his arms around me as I sat on the exam table.

"I can't loose you, Bella. We agreed. Please, baby . . . I can't live without you," he said ever so quietly as I felt tears stream down his face.

"Oh My God! Carlisle . . . he's crying tears," Esme barely murmured as she saw the moisture I was wiping from Edward's cheeks. Carlisle put a hand on her shoulder and led her from the room, giving us some privacy.

"Sweetheart, this morning . . . when I held you so tightly while I was . . . overcome . . . did I . . . "

"Edward. You did not hurt me this morning. I promised you that I would always tell you and I always have. I stopped you this morning when you started to hurt me . . . remember? And this morning you were not holding me too tight, it was just the feeling of that breast being empty and I let you know right away when it became uncomfortable . . . and even in _that _state, you listened and stopped. You have never hurt me. We'll talk to Masen, ask him to be really careful about stretching, Edward. I won't make any sudden moves . . . and I won't try and tickle you again," I said teasing him to try and lighten the mood though we both knew he blamed himself for my getting hurt while he was tickling me. This mood was not going to lighten any time soon.

"Bella . . . as much as I love this baby . . . and I want to be a father, believe me, I do . . . but none of it is worth risking you. Nothing, Bella. Nothing and no one is worth it to me," he said, his teary wet face staring directly into my eyes as he held me. "I don't want you to think I'm a monster . . .and I don't want to hurt our son. I've already gotten to know him, Bella, and he's amazing . . . but . . . I will not loose you."

I just held him. He knew. We both knew that no decision was going to be made today. He would not force me and I would not let him loose me if he truly believed that there was no way I could have the baby and survive . . . even as a vampire.

We walked out to the office to find Carlisle and Esme, Carlisle trying to reassure Edward by reminding him that even human babies broke their mother's ribs sometimes. He reminded him that I was small and had a petite built and that there was a good chance that any baby I carried would have done the same thing. Reminding Edward of just how petite and small I was did anything but reassure him. Carlisle advised caution and to be watchful, but Edward was scared. He was truly just scared and he was not listening to anything other than the beating of the two hearts next to him.

Carlisle drove us to his house. We had planned to have dinner there so that Sue could see the mountain sunset from the back porch, above the treeline that got in the way at our home slightly down the hill. I insisted that we go there. I hadn't noticed the other ribs, why should I act any differently this time just because Edward knew that ribs were broken. I refused to behave differently with the new knowledge, except perhaps to be more careful not to make sudden movements that caused Masen to shift positions quickly. My husband had talked to the baby the entire way home, explaining to him what had happened and that he needed to be even more careful not to flail his arms and legs when he was startled. Edward had suggested to him that if he was startled again, he should curl up into a ball, hug himself for comfort . . . that it would help him as well as his Mom. He also tried to assess whether Masen could breath on his own and be separated from me yet . . .

I insisted on walking into the house and not being carried. I was determined to help with dinner. "Sweetheart, if you want to help me, play something on the piano for me. It soothes Masen as well," I insisted, reaching up to kiss him. He begrudgingly complied and I was grateful that Esme had purchased a replacement for the piano Edward had moved to out house. She had insisted that she needed one here in case he was over and willing to play for her. He had composed a special song for her years ago and she dearly loved hearing him play it for her. Music filled the room as we pulled the ingredients for dinner from the cabinets and refrigerator.

"He's only thinking of you," Esme said as she looked up from the counter and her eyes met mine.

"I know," I agreed softly.

"Bella, the effect you have on my son is nothing short of a miracle. I was so worried for so long that he would never find anyone. No one ever appealed to him before . . . it's obvious he was waiting to find you," Esme smiled as she revealed her thoughts to me. "I'm the lucky one, Esme. He is an amazing man and more thoughtful than anyone I have ever met," I told her as I watched his lean form sway and move at the piano.

Questions about our having left the lake early abounded at dinner, as did family concerns about me. We told Charlie about the broken rib . . . it wasn't _that_ unheard of for a human baby to break ribs and I was built rather small. Charlie eyed Edward's towering 6'2" form and I knew that the thoughts Edward would be getting from him would not be pleasant. He would obviously blame the child's supposedly large size on Edward's being a large man. It gave Carlisle an opening to explain to my Dad that we would probably deliver the baby through the use of a Cesarean section, rather than my attempting a natural birth. It seemed to comfort Charlie that we were already thinking along those lines. He knew how stubborn I could be and was glad I was being reasonable about this. Edward eyed me like a hawk the entire evening. Not that he didn't normally, but this was different. He was consciously looking for any flinch, any passing emotion across my face that would tell him something was wrong, that something was causing me discomfort.

"Sweetheart, would you play more for me, I asked Edward as the sun began to set and the colors filled the sky over the valley. He played several beautiful pieces before morphing into my lullaby as the music both his and my raw nerves after the days events.

As we got ready to leave, I sat on the parsons bench by the front door to retie my tennis shoe and he was kneeling in front of me in an instant. "You're going to need to say goodbye to your feet till after Masen is born," he said, forcing a smile. I knew what he was trying to tell me. _No more bending down . . . the baby needs all the space he can get and it disappears when you reach down for things. _I knew without him saying it.

"Well," I laughed, "then it's a good thing I have you to take care of them for me till then."

That got a laugh all round as everyone either witnessed or heard our little display of affection. Charlie smiled at me, obviously glad that Edward was making sure that I was careful. We left out the front door, Edward insisting that we drive and that I not walk down the path to the house. I gave in, not wanting to argue. It had been a long day. I wondered if the days seemed long to Edward, well, to vampires that is. Their day never really ended . . .


	59. Chapter 59  Fireworks

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** _Okay, so, I get a little excited about this story, especially where we are about to go. I haven't been this excited since Isle Esme, or maybe even the wreck when Edward found her! Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I know this is early, and I just added a chapter yesterday, but I am not a patient person and I like to share. To all of those who constantly share with me (you know who you are, you review and give me honest opinions every chapter on whether or not I suck and I would probably stop posting these chapters without you!), and my amazing melanieintn, here is an extra this week . . ._

**Chapter 59 Fireworks**

_I wondered if the days seemed long to Edward, well, to vampires that is. Their day never really ended . . ._

**BPOV**

Edward parked the car in front of our house and came around to open my door for me, insisting he be allowed to carry me into the house so that I did not walk up the stairs myself. Charlie and Sue went in before us and opened the door, flipping on the lights as they went.

"Put me down, sweetheart," I said as I kissed his cheek. "I'm making some tea if you would like some, Sue. Dad, anything for you?" I asked as I put the water on to heat.

"No. No thanks, Bells. I'm going to go ahead and get my shower, I still smell like lake water and fish," he said happily as he headed up the stairs. Edward was moving some logs into the fireplace to start a fire and Sue came to sit in the kitchen and keep me company.

"He is scared to death for you, isn't he?" Sue said, nodding toward Edward.

"Yes. He's a bit overprotective, Sue," I told her as I looked over the counter to glance at Edward who was still tending the fireplace.

Sue seemed to be struggling with something and I continued making tea for us, bringing her a cup and offering her milk and sugar to put in it, as I did mine. I sat at the table with her and passed her a cup of steaming deliciousness, hoping it would sooth whatever was going on with her.

"Bella," she gestured towards Edward and continued in a whisper, "He really is one of the nicest most caring young men I have ever met . . . if he wasn't . . ."

I stopped her right there. "Sue, he _is_ the most caring, considerate and wonderful man ever."

She looked at me with a confused expression as I continued, "Sue, he functions in this world, this _human_ world just the same as you or I. He's stronger, never gets sick, eats a different part of animals than we do and will out live us all. Is any of that really so bad? You think of vampires as murderers, Godless, soulless creatures, yet you acknowledge what a kind, generous being he is. He insisted on us being married, Sue, before he would even try to take me to his bed - did you know that? His morals are more old fashioned than anyone I have ever met. Humans can be murderers Sue, horrible, mean, selfish creatures . . . even cannibals. He is none of those things, yet you hate him and his kind. It would be like hating people for being Jewish or midgets or Asian, Sue. It's wrong, and you know it."

She acknowledged my point by nodding her head, seeming to really think about what I had told her. I noticed Edward smiling from near the fire, and realized he was probably reading her thoughts. I would have to remember to ask him about it later.

"Are you sure you are alright, Bella?" Sue asked as she finished her tea and put the cup in the dishwasher. "This . . . baby, how much longer will you carry it?" she asked. "By the way," she offered, "Charlie is pretty convinced that you are more than four months pregnant, which would be from when you said you and Edward moved into this house and started being intimate."

"I know," I told her. He's having a hard time believing me and it's only going to get worse. Sue looked at me expectantly and I continued, "Edward and I spent out first time together, in that way, in our room at this house, Sue, and it was barely four months ago. You see, the baby is growing almost twice as fast as a full human baby would," I took a breath and continued, "Masen will undoubtedly be born before the month of January is over, and likely within the next two weeks."

Sue smiled. "Well then, we will have less time to worry about his strength hurting you. That's good. As for Charlie, well, I'll think of something to tell him. If the baby grows that quickly, he'll know that something is up eventually anyway, won't he!"

"Sue, Dad will know a lot of things in time, as your relationship with him continues. Please don't let him hate me for choosing this life, Sue. I want this . . . I want Edward. He left me last time to keep me human, to not allow me to become what he is and it has taken me this long to convince him. If you are with my Dad and he is brought in on the mythological world that exists around us, then I can see him on occasion . . . keep somewhat in touch with him," I told her.

I heard her inhale deeply . . . realization and shock setting in. "Bella, what are you saying?" she exclaimed.

I sat down in the chair beside her and reaching to hold her hand in mine. "Sue, I don't want to ever be parted from Edward. He's my husband and I love him more than anything . . . and now there is a child to consider. Think about it, in years to come I will turn grey and get wrinkles, he will remain in his 17 year old form looking amazing forever. I want that, Sue. I want forever with him. Every girls dream, forever young and with the man she loves and I am lucky enough to have found it."

She stared at me for a long time, then quietly stood and headed upstairs. Edward walked into the kitchen and placed his hands on my shoulders, gently rubbing them

"It's a lot for her to take in, sweetheart. She's trying. She is really conflicted right now, teetering between what she had been raised with as legends and what she sees before her. Give her time."

"You're right, I know it takes time to adjust your way of thinking," I told him as I scooted sideways in my chair and hugged my arms around his hips. He was just such a sweet, adorable man. I rested my forehead on the button of his jeans, incidentally breathing warm air out across his crotch. I felt his hands tense on my shoulders, so I purposefully forced warm air into the material by his zipper. Nothing. Huh. He continued to gently rub my shoulders and hug me to him, but his body did not have it's normal response to me. He was still upset and worried and I needed to address it and try to comfort him.

"Let's go sit in front of the fire, sweetheart," I said as I stood and kissed his chest and neck, leading him by the hand as I turned off the lights and headed to the sofa, "I like that you thought of having a fire tonight."

"I just thought it might be relaxing," he said as he sat down, putting a pillow on his lap and motioning for me to put my head there and lie down. I did as requested and snuggled into him, tossing the pillow aside and resting my head on his thigh, my hand massaging it lightly. We watched the fire for quite a while, his hand running up and down my arm and side, stopping occasionally to play with my hair. I turned over to face the back of the sofa so that I could face my husband, my front toasty warm from having been exposed to the heat from the blazing logs.

"Are you okay?" I asked, staring up into his eyes as I softly stroked his jaw. He took my hand in his, the hand that wasn't still running up and down my side, and kissed it softly, "I'm fine as long as I know you're safe, Bella."

He released my hand and I ran it over his firm shoulder and down his chest to his tight abs while I nuzzled into his crotch with my cheek. I unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the zipper down as he started to protest. It took only a look from me to stop him from saying a word. Not one word. I reached my hand inside his boxers and started caressing him. He had been like this rarely, only when he was afraid and always something to do with me. I closed my eyes and snuggled into him, letting my breath just happen to blow towards his open jeans as I continued to lazily fiddle with him, kneading and stroking the flesh that I was so familiar with.

Edward needed to relax. _Desperately_ needed to relax. I remembered the girls in high school and even the ones that hung around Dale's shop in Calgary used to talk about giving their boyfriends and husbands blow jobs to settle them down, get them to relax. It had worked before with Edward and I needed it to work now. I knew there was no way he would give in and make love with me tonight after what happened with my rib this afternoon and his concerns about my remaining pregnant. He was probably not going to do anything at all that he thought had any chance of getting Masen excited or riled up in any way, causing him to stretch or kick me. Though he was a vampire, he was also a man and he had needs just like I did. If I couldn't have him tonight, at least I could relieve some of the tension he was feeling.

His body seemed to agree with me and his length began to harden somewhat. Some was better than none and at least it was a start. I continued to seem casual, not hurried or determined or even intent on a desired outcome as I lazily began to place kisses on him as he watched me. I took him into my mouth, my eyes closed, and sucked on him as though I were sleeping and had my thumb in my mouth, scratching the soft curls that surrounded it on his groin and lower stomach, just beneath those delicious abs.

Edward continued to stroke and play with my hair, tracing patterns on my back and sometimes letting his hand slip down to caress my belly where Mason lay sleeping. He seemed deep in thought . . . and he seemed to be relaxing, enjoying the attention I was giving him, the quiet of our home, and the fact that we were spending time alone, just enjoying each other and the fireplace in our very own living room. I knew that every other time I had my mouth on him he had ripped whatever was around him to shreds - the headboard in our guest room, the black sofa in his room in Forks, the headboard on Isle Esme, the rocks of the jetty in Jacksonville when we were at my Mom's . . . and I hoped this time would be different, though I could not honestly say I cared. I just didn't want to have to explain the destruction.

He was purring now, though not to its normal hardness and his muscles moved slightly as I moved against him. He kept one hand on my head, absorbed in the motions and the other was holding onto my shoulder as he began to rock into me ever so slightly. My breathing increased as I became more and more turned on by my husbands arousal and purring and the soft moans coming from him as he dropped his head back to rest it on the back of the sofa. He came very quietly, none of the roars or ripping of fabric or screaming my name that usually accompanied it. He was staring at me again, a soft look on his face as he bent down to kiss my temple and hold me to him. He buttoned his jeans and slipped his arms under me, lifting me and heading up the stairs to our bedroom.

Our clothes were gone before I even noticed he was removing them and we we both tucked naked into the middle of our very big, very comfortable bed. I fell asleep holding my husband as he quietly continued to trace patterns on my back and hold me to him, safe for the moment.

**EPOV**

Morning came and I had left her embrace only long enough to call Esme and speak briefly with Jacob. It was Friday, New Year's Eve, and we had all planned to go into town to visit Sweet Treats and to watch the fireworks display. I had called Esme and asked her to come down and make breakfast for Charlie and Sue as I wanted Bella to sleep as long as she possibly would. I had closed the blinds in the middle of the night and turned the heat so that I could hold her close with nothing between us and she would stay warm. I had no intention of letting her go.

My wife was everything to me. Everything. She knew me better than I knew myself and she always knew exactly what I needed and how to give it to me . . . even if I was unwilling in the beginning, she always won. Always. She had not pressed me to make love to her last night, the first time since we became intimate that we had gone to bed without making love, other than the time we were at the Hard Rock in Orlando and I just stayed up, out of bed all night so that she couldn't say we went to bed without making love . . . it wasn't as though I needed to sleep anyway.

I had gone out on the balcony last night and checked on Jacob. He was anxious for Sam to arrive tomorrow, hopeful that he could immediately learn how to phase back into his human form. His time was being spent being useful, though, circling Highlands and trying to track down Victoria and Riley. His senses were as acute as mine and his sense of smell might even be better. It was somewhat comforting to know that he was just outside, ready to defend Bella in an instant. The combination of Charlie and Sue being here, Bella being pregnant and Victoria trying to harm her was just too much. There was just too damned much going on around me that I had little or no control over and it was unsettling.

I remembered the last day of last year, unfortunately, just as though it had been yesterday. I had been unable to be around my family here in Highlands, though God knows I had really tried to stay. The pain was just too great. New Years Eve last year found me curled up in an attic, having not fed for days and not intending to ever move again. Thank God I did. I wouldn't trade my time with Bella for anything in the world and I thanked God every day for making this beautiful creature that had agreed to be my wife.

It was as though she was able to give me everything I ever wanted. I wanted to be with her but was unable to resist the call of her blood, I wanted to hold her but was scared of physically hurting her, I missed sleeping and I could now almost sleep at will. I had wanted to give her a family, to be a father and now, yesterday, I had cried real tears. Tears - a thing I hadn't done in almost a hundred years. I was beginning to put two and two together and I had started seriously considering that Bella had a talent even though she was not an immortal yet. I was starting to believe that somehow, it was her that was allowing me to achieve the things I wanted or missed the most . . . that somehow, she was causing these things to happen. It made no sense, yet it absolutely made sense.

Then there was Masen. Dear God, Masen was amazing. I had prayed long and hard for most of the night for God to spare both him and Bella and allow him to survive. His thoughts were so gentle, so loving and he was incredibly intelligent. He had learned the language from listening to us for these last couple of months and his command of it was astounding. Masen understood what was said to him when we talked and he understood that I could discern his thoughts. The part that I needed to discuss with Carlisle was the fact that not only was Masen capable of intelligent thought and answered me in his mind, he was able to put thoughts into my mind. I needed to figure out how to phrase it when I tried to explain what it was that he did, but it was difficult. He not only answered me, but seemed to place independent thoughts into my head as though they were my own and have me act on them. Because of my total recall, being a vampire, I was aware of the changes he caused, but I wondered if he would be able to do the same with a human. Their brains would never realize anything other than the thought he had given them.

And he was definitely Bella's son. His fierce protective attitude towards her was already apparent. He was angry at himself for reaching out when her sudden movement at the lake yesterday had startled him and he was upset about hurting her. His attitude gave me hope that she could carry him long enough for him to survive and I had spent half the night communicating with him and trying to explain to him what it meant to survive outside of his Mom. He couldn't really help me with this one, he had no frame of reference to go by. He had spent the last half hour telling me that Bella needed me close, that whatever it was that made her have that feeling of euphoria that he felt as well, that she actually needed it. He felt as well? That was a hard one to try and digest.

I had decided, quite adamantly last night that I would not make love with my wife till after Masen was born and quite possibly not till after she had been changed. Bella realized my resolve and had not pushed me in the least last night, though I knew that she wanted to, but now . . . it was as though my mind had been _changed for me_ somehow, the _thought had been placed there_ and the _opposing thought removed_, though I had no idea how.

I would have to find time to discuss all of this with Bella and Carlisle . . . and soon.

Bella stirred in my arms, her sleepy face nuzzling into my neck and her lips searching for mine though her eyes had not even opened yet. I gave her what she sought, kissing her several times softly before tracing my tongue on her lips to ask for entry. Her mouth tasted so sweet and soft and warm, and our tongues danced and caressed against each other while still managing to avoid the razor sharpness of my teeth. She needed to feel close, to feel that I was accessible to her and that she alone was allowed that level of intimacy with me. I understood that, hell I needed the same thing from her.

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

"Yes, yes I will, son. No, it's no trouble. I'm glad she's getting some rest. Good. See you soon."

I hung up the phone and turned to Carlisle, hugging him to me. "She's sleeping, and he didn't mention anything more about terminating the pregnancy," I told him. Carlisle only nodded and held me tighter. I knew where his thoughts were, he wanted this to happen, to work out so that their child was born safely and Bella was unharmed. It was all just so tenuous, balancing on a knife edge.

We continued to take the Christmas decorations down, the children that were not watching Edward's house helped us so that it would only take a small amount of time for us to be done. Carlisle and I took the ornaments off the tree, and I could not help remembering last Christmas. It had been the first time we had not all been together for the holiday. Edward had left, unable to endure the slight slips in our thoughts when we thought of Bella, and the pain it caused him to see three happily mated couples showing affection for each other. He simply could not endure the pain . . . and it wasn't fair to ask him to, I knew that.

Sue was already up when we got to Edwards. Carlisle had come with me so that Emmett and Jasper could go home for a bit, Alice and Rose would want some help to store all the decorations that we had taken down during the night.

"Good morning! You're up early," I said to Sue as Carlisle and I walked in to find her already having what looked like a second pot of coffee. Carlisle took the paper from under his arm and headed towards the living room.

"Carlisle," Sue called to him when she realized he was not going to sit with us, "will Bella be alright, and the baby?"

"We are going to do everything in our power to see to it that they are fine, Sue. It's just that there are no guidelines. It's not like this has happened often before," Carlisle told her.

"It has happened before?" Sue asked, astounded. Carlisle looked at the floor, and slowly met her gaze.

"There are legends, rumors really of vampires having gotten humans pregnant. Nothing firm, and nothing with any kind of good result for the mother. That's why the ultrasounds every Sunday and the constant monitoring," he informed her.

"The baby . . . is it human, Carlisle?" Sue asked timidly.

"It is some part human, Sue. He has a heartbeat and thoughts that Edward can communicate with and he seems to be extremely intelligent. The accelerated growth rate would indicate that there are also some vampire qualities that he has received from his father, though we won't know the extent of those until he is born," he added.

"Well, I just don't like to see her in pain, though I'm sure that the loss of the baby would devastate them both at this point," Sue mused.

Carlisle turned and continued on to the sofa and his paper. I opened the refrigerator and took out the eggs, bacon, butter and cheese to make breakfast as Sue sat and stared at her coffee cup, turning it slightly in her hands as it sat on the table.

"Esme, I'd like to stay for a few days when Sam gets here, if you think that would be alright with Edward and Bella. Sam is going to be extremely hostile and I think I can help . . . manage him. Edward flying him here to help Jake just amazes me and I would like to help things to go more smoothly," Sue asked.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Sue. Carlisle and I have both been worried about how Sam would react to being around all of us . . . especially once he finds out that Bella is pregnant," I added.

"Yes. I know. Esme, Sam is not above trying to harm Edward, you do know that don't you?" Sue asked quietly, "He may feel as though the treaty doesn't apply this far from home and as one of the tribal elders, I can remind him that it does."

"I suspected as much, Sue, and none of us wants it to come to a fight, that's not a good outcome for anyone. Perhaps you can tell Charlie that a relative or friend in another state is ill and instead of flying out with him to Forks tomorrow, we can make it seem as though you are flying to them to help for a few days. It would be good for you to be in the car returning here from the airport anyway. Sam would probably be calmer than if he was alone in the car with one of us", I told her, "I'll speak to Edward and have him make the arrangements. Just let us know where you would be flying to, so that we can check the flights. Charlie is smart, we will have to actually purchase the ticket and make it look real or he will never buy it."

Charlie appeared at the door, greeting us with good mornings all around and came over to kiss Sue on the cheek and grab a cup of coffee. She told him about her cousin in Denver that was ill and how she had gotten a call during the night and had been up worrying about it. I told Charlie that we had offered to change her flight and he thought that was a great idea, seeing as how she was all the way across the country already and Denver was on the way back towards Forks. It would just be like a stop over of sorts on her way home. Well. I was glad we had gotten that out of the way.

After Charlie had finished eating breakfast, apologising profusely for being so late coming downstairs, we all went out to sit on the porch and enjoy the view.

"I just don't know what's gotten into me lately, Esme. I sleep so well here, I just don't seem to wake up with any sort of internal alarm at all," he laughed. I smiled. He had no way of knowing that I could smell Sue all over him.

Bella and Edward came down the stairs mid morning, Edward carrying her bridal style at his insistence, I was certain. I came inside to see if I could help with her breakfast, I had leftovers from breakfast still warm on the stove and I thought she might like to have some. It surprised me to find that, along with what was warming on the stove, Edward had cut a steak into small, bite size pieces and placed a bowl full on the table in front of her. She was eating her eggs and bacon with the toast that had just come fresh from the toaster, intermingled with bites of steak. Raw. Edward looked up at me, understandingoo the question in my mind without my having to voice it.

"Bella has craved blood for some time now, Mom. Steak seems to be the best way to give it to her, the least disagreeable anyway," he explained, "She has at least one steak a day, sometimes more." Bella looked at me like she was caught in the process of killing the neighbors cat, so I tried to comfort her. "Well, dear, at least we know that you are not immune to cravings," I told her as I laughed and patted her shoulder.

When she finished, we joined the others on the porch. Emmett and Jasper had started a contest with bow and arrow, adapting the range that Edward had set up for rifles by moving the target in closer. Still, they were shooting all the way across the lake and it did look like fun. Charlie joined in, having never shot arrows, and he was determined to learn so that Emmett was not outdoing him. Edward and Carlisle laughed themselves silly at his antics with Emmett. Charlie even resorted to _accidentally_ bumping into Emmet's elbow when he drew back to shoot, causing the arrow to fall into the lake, far short of its target and a round of laughter to ensue.

"Damn it, Charlie," Emmett said, turning to face Charlie with an annoyed glare.

"Emmett! Language!" the immediate response from me as he nodded sheepishly in compliance.

My kids were just so very funny to watch, and the humor continued as we watched Alice and Rosalie appear on their Harleys after having ridden into town this morning. Alice had a large bag for Bella, clothing that had arrived that she wanted Bella to see and probably wear today.

"Bella," Alice called to her as she stepped onto the landing, "those jeans have not even gotten here yet - Monday! Monday! I had to rethink what you would wear today, but I have come up with some things that I think will work."

"Alice, you really think I need more of these huge clothes?" Bella asked her, astounded. "My other clothes are going to fit again in the not too distant future, you know that, right?"

"Bella . . .style. You have to have things now, not next week or the week after. Stop embarrassing me and let's go see if you like these," Alice told her.

"Edward . . . save me," Bella pleaded, giving him a pouty face and rising to stand behind his chair, separating her from Alice.

"There is no saving any of us from the little pixie, sweetheart. Sorry," he laughed.

They left for a short time, Rose with them, and returned with Bella in a new pair of jeans and a gorgeous white lace over cream top that made her look almost angelic. She went to sit in Edward's lap and he told her how beautiful she was, as he always did.

Since most of the humans had a late breakfast, they opted to have only sandwiches mid afternoon, then head into town for some dessert at Sweet Treats ice cream shop. It was a favorite and I suppose the rest of us could buy more of Bella's favorite chocolates for her, Sue and Charlie thinking we were making purchases for ourselves.

We walked around town, the kids having ridden their bikes in and Carlisle having driven the rest of us in his Mercedes. It was cloudy, but not cold, especially considering it was the dead of winter and the town was filled with people anxious to see the fireworks display.

Though none of us minded standing, we found a place where the humans had a half wall that they could sit on, especially Bella, when they tired of standing. We were just settling in to wait for the big display of lights when I felt us all almost simultaneously stiffen . . . Victoria. We could not yet see her in the crowd, but we could smell her and she was close . . . really really close.


	60. Chapter 60  Encounter

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** _Okay, so, I am absolutely hopeless at holding back chapters. I remember how upset I always got when kismetan used to take more than a day to update - and her stories are my absolute favorite - all of them - , or savage7289 when I was reading Hide and Drink, or bettygale when she was in the middle of the drama on the Pattinson Project. Let's not even talk about how anxious I get to read MOTU by snowqueen icedragon! Anyway, here it is . . . let me know what you think. Soon, chapters aren't really going to relieve the stress - it will take awhile . . .  
_

**Chapter 60 Encounter**

. . . Victoria. We could not yet see her in the crowd, but we could smell her and she was close . . . really really close.

**Jasper POV**

We all seemed to simultaneously notice the smell, the scent was unmistakably the same that I had smelled down by Mirror Lake where the recent murder/feeding had occurred. I knew Victoria's scent myself, having been there on the baseball field when we first met her and the other scent that had been with hers at Mirror Lake was here as well.

I immediately evaluated the direction the wind was coming from and the intensity of the smell. She was near, very near. My military training always kicking in, I looked for a vantage point, somewhere that I could get a good look at the crowd without making a spectacle of myself, like climbing up the tree just down from us or something else not exactly humanly possible. The hotel just up the block had a roof observation deck and it was about three stories above us, high for anything built in the town of Highlands and I glanced over to it.

She was there. On the observation deck . . . smiling down towards us. The redheaded bitch was staring at us and smiling. Edward picked up on my thoughts instantly and looked towards her as well. Humans would not have been able to pick her form out of the crowd, there were tall trees partially obscuring the view and it was getting quite dark out, the time for fireworks approaching.

"We're just going to go check on the bikes," Jasper said as he took Alice by the hand.

"Hold up and we'll come with you," Emmett added, Rose moving to go with him.

It wasn't a coincidence, of course, we had spoken to each other so rapidly that the humans had not heard. It was decided that Esme and Carlisle would stay with Edward so that there were three of them to protect her, while the rest of us would go after Victoria and Riley, using checking on the bikes as an excuse. We had only spoken words loud enough for everyone to hear that would explain to Charlie and Sue why we were leaving them for a few minutes.

Edward's reaction had been immediate, moving even closer to Bella, his arm protectively around her while Esme stood to her other side and Carlisle stood behind her. Charlie and Sue were facing her, still chatting about town, the fireworks that were about to start and how Billy had never really liked fireworks when he was alive, too loud he had always said.

She saw us approach. There was no way to conceal our movements in the crowd and no way to nonchalantly drift away from the rest of the family. I had made direct eye contact and the only way to handle it was to head straight for her and hope that we got there before she could get down the stairs and out of the building. She would have to move at human speed as well, as there were just too many eyes everywhere.

We stole through the crowd fairly quickly as we approached the hotel. There were many ways down from the top floor and she could have gone East or West on Main Street when she got to the ground floor. It was infuriating, like looking for a needle in a haystack.

As vampires, our sense of smell was probably the most acute of our senses, so we all stood in front of the hotel, trying to get a read on which way she had gone. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Her scent went both ways on the street like she had been roaming around town all damned day. Alice saw a flash of something, a vision of Victoria passing the pet store which would mean she had gone West, down the street. We hurried off, anxious to find her and determined to make it a surprise this time, giving us the advantage. I just wasn't sure how much fight they were going to put up if there happened to be humans around. We would have to lead them off to a secluded area to rip them into pieces and burn them. Perhaps the fireworks would muffle their screams, I mused.

We continued on, having the scent now as we tracked her. Rounding the parking lot, we saw them get into a late model Mercedes and pull out into traffic, heading towards the road that would take them down the mountain to Franklin. We ducked behind the buildings and ran, crossing the street to where we had the cover of woods, heading out of town. We waited just outside town in the center of the road around a deep almost switchback curve, the road virtually clear of cars as everyone was waiting to see the fireworks show light up the sky in town.

The sound of the Mercedes could be heard approaching as Emmett, Rose and I braced for impact, determined not to let the car pass. Alice perched in a nearby tree, making sure that it was indeed the car containing Victoria that we were about to smash. Victoria saw us, just as she came around the bend in the road and the force of the car hitting us, virtually immovable objects when we wanted to be, hurled it off the road and down the ravine to the right.

We leaped from the road and down the ravine, intent on reaching them while they were still trapped in the car, but they had already ripped the doors off and escaped the confines of the mangled metal.

He was a bit faster than she was, but Victoria had taken to the trees to make her escape. Moving at top speed since we were in the woods and not directly where anyone could see us, well, see anything but a blur, as we gave chase. Alice took to the trees to follow Victoria as the rest of us stayed on the ground, keeping both of them in sight.

When we came to the bottom of the hill, Mirror Lake loomed in the darkness. Riley jumped over the narrower portion with no problem, continuing his escape with Emmett close behind but since Victoria had been in the trees, she had to jump down first before she stepped back a few paces to have enough start to clear the lake. It was just enough time for Rosalie to grab hold of her foot, tossing her to the ground. Alice and I were there in an instant, trying to get her cornered and cut off any idea of escape.

"You should have just let go of it, Victoria, after we ended James," Rosalie told her, "We did you a favor getting rid of that piece of scum for you."

"That _piece of scum_ as you called him was my mate, bitch. We had been together longer than you have walked this earth and I would be with him still if not for your piece of shit brother and your family's inane need to protect a human," Victoria told us, almost spitting the last word as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.

"We told you she was with us. There was no good reason for James to go after her, she had done nothing to him, nor had any of us," Alice told her. "I didn't enjoy ripping your mate's head off, but he left us no choice but to burn him, you two just wouldn't leave it alone, go your own way and leave us in peace," Alice stated, her teeth clenched as she tried to control her rage.

We kept circling, jockeying for position, teeth bared, crouched and ready to spring in an instant as Alice distracted her, trying to gain her full attention and unsettle her.

"No, and I will never leave you in peace till at least that little human bitch is dead and that halfbreed baby, if you can call the mutant a baby. An eye for an eye as they say. You think you're so much better than I am with your houses and your cars, openly mingling among humans every day. I might just hang around to end more of you for the extra trouble and effort you have caused me as well," she snarled. "I ended that dog, the head of the pack in La Push for killing Laurent and I never really cared for Laurent," she boasted, her teeth glistening in the moonlight.

"You will never hurt her, do you understand . . . never," I said defiantly as I lunged for her. She jumped backwards into the lake, my hand still grasping the long coat she had been wearing. "We'll get her, Jasper, you keep watch to see that she doesn't get out of the lake," Alice said as she disappeared into the water, having nodded to the area of the lake near the bridge.

I stood on the bridge for the longest time, no cars passing and few noises coming from the forest around the lake. There were several houses in the distance whose lights could be seen reflecting off the lake water and my hearing was acute enough to pick up voices in the houses. There were no noises from our chase, though. No ripples of water, no sounds of Emmett or Riley to be heard in the distance. Alice stepped out of the water at the edge of the bridge to tell me that the lake was so murky and filled with pond lilies or their stems waiting for next year to grow, that it was impossible to see anything. I asked her to wait on the bridge as it was the best vantage point for most of the lake as I did a lap around the lake to see if there were any signs that Victoria had left the water.

I found nothing.

I went back to the bridge where Alice and now Rosalie were standing and we decided to find and follow Emmet's trail on the other side of the lake, perhaps he had gotten a hold on Riley. Though I knew that the young vampire would be no match for Emmett, we went to check none the less to make sure everything was alright. As we got to the lake and picked up the scent where Emmett had jumped across, we heard him approach.

"He jumped in the window of a car passing on the road about seven miles down the mountain, threw the driver out and took off. I waited to see the guy stand up and walk off so that I knew he could get help, then I headed back here," Emmett said as he stomped the ground in his outrage, that Riley had gotten away.

"Yea, the redhead jumped into the lake and Alice and I swam around the whole thing looking for her but nothing. Murky, duck shit filled water all over me and nothing to show for it," Rosalie snapped, wringing her clothes in disgust.

No sooner than she had finished speaking, we heard a car approaching the bridge and saw a figure run from the water and jump, grabbing onto the trunk of the car and getting away down the road, just as Riley had.

"Damn, they must have rehearsed that move, or planned it just in case," Emmett speculated as we turned to head back to the house for dry clothes. We couldn't very well show up in town with Charlie there dripping wet and not be shivering in the middle of winter. No use in explaining some stupid story about falling in the water if we didn't have to and our leather jackets would dry on the run home.

Alice had the same idea I did, "Just put on something similar to what you were wearing, same colors . . . Charlie is not apt to notice clothing unless there is some major change! Leave on the riding boots, though. You know what a stickler he is for safety."

Jacob had heard our voices and we were not attempting to disguise the noise of our rapid approach as we neared the house. It took only moments to explain what had happened and where Jacob could pick up the trail. He had nothing better to do the last couple of days and had occupied himself following trails and trying to pick up her scent out away from town. Here was his chance and he was not about to let it pass. We didn't need Edward there to know that Jacob was headed to try his hand at tracking Victoria.

We were all changed and running back to town in no time, the fireworks just having started over the hill. We would barely have missed any of the show by the time we got back to the rest of the family and at least Jacob would still be trying to discover if there was a place on the road where Victoria and Riley's scents crossed, or any other trace of them.

I could hear Charlie as we approached where the family was standing, Edward still scanning the area protectively as were Esme and Carlisle, tension thick in the air.

"Wow, would you just look at that! That's really something that is," Charlie went on about the fireworks display that the town of Highlands was putting on. "Well, it is the end of a year, after all, and we all have a lot to celebrate in our lives," he said as he eyed Sue as well as Bella.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"Well, it's about time! I was beginning to think you all got lost and I would have to put out an APB on you!" Charlie roared as my siblings joined us.

"Wow! Did you miss me that much? What the hell is an APB, Charlie?" Emmett asked, absorbing the nudge Esme gave him for language.

"All Points Bulletin, Emmett. Police jargon for getting the authorities to actively search for you," Charlie laughed. Bella just shook her head laughing. I guess, being a Police Chief's daughter, she could not imagine anyone not knowing what that was.

My siblings were covering it well, adept at hiding things from humans, but they had indeed caught up to Victoria. Rose and Jasper had actually managed to get their hands on her at one point and they had confronted her. The words they had exchanged made me bristle as I fought to stifle a growl. _ Bitch_ indeed, where did she get off calling my wife a bitch and my child a . . . _mutant? _She called my unborn child a _halfbreed mutant_ and threatened him? . . . and she expected not to die in the most painful way I could come up with? Stupid, stupid woman.

She and the boy Riley had obviously discussed scenarios though, they were prepared. We would have to come up with something ingenious to trap them . . . and soon.

I tried to calm myself, Bella's small hand tracing circles on my lower back, her arm around me helped. She knew something had happened, though she had no idea what it was yet, Charlie had remained to close to us for me to be able to tell her.

Everyone enjoyed the fireworks display and the brilliant light from some of them lighting up the shadows of the mountains looming behind them added a magnificence to them that would not have been noticed on flat ground. Had the danger from the redhead not existed, it would have been a thoroughly enjoyable evening . . . for everyone.

We headed back to the bikes and the car, the huge crowd all milling towards their respective vehicles or hotels, or perhaps to go and grab a bite to eat in one of the local restaurants that had uncharacteristically stayed open late, the lure of additional customers too much for them to close their doors at the normal time this evening. As a whole, the town of Highlands normally rolled up the sidewalks and locked everything by six or seven pm, the epitome of a sleepy little mountain town.

"Now that was just a nice display for New Years, wasn't it Sue?" Charlie asked as he held the car door open for Sue to get in. Esme had slipped in from the other side so that Bella could sit between Carlisle and I in the front seat.

"It was beautiful, Charlie. Edward, Bella, thank you so much for inviting me to come for a visit. I really appreciate the ticket and the opportunity to spend time with your family, Edward," Sue said as Carlisle started the car.

"I appreciate it, too. Much as I would have liked to unload my revolver in your direction this time last year, I have to admit Bella chose well. You're a good boy, son," Charlie said as he grabbed my shoulder and shook it slightly. Bella looked up at me with a smile, gripping me tighter with the hand that held onto my thigh.

"You're both welcome," I told them, looking back over my shoulder to where they sat, "We'll have to have you both back soon. Are you looking forward to getting home tomorrow, Charlie?"

"Yea, yea, back to the grind. Hope the town hasn't fallen apart without me!" he laughed. "Of course I'll be missing Sue again. Just when I'm going home and she's not going to be there, stopping in Denver and all," Charlie added.

"Denver?" I asked, turning slightly to look at Sue. Her mind and Charlie's already told me everything I needed to know and Esme had already handled all the arrangements, but it seemed normal to them that I was yet uninformed, so I had to ask.

"Oh, Edward! Bella! . . . I guess I thought . . .," Sue stammered.

"Not to worry, Sue. I handled all the flight changes and arrangements. Edward and Bella have had so much going on, I guess I neglected to mention it to them. Everything is taken care of and it was no trouble. Your flight leaves less than an hour after Charlie's, so there is only one trip to the airport," Esme told her.

"Excellent. Thanks for taking care of that, Mom," I said.

"You are very welcome, son. Sue, we have all enjoyed your visit. I hope you really do come back to see us and I hope your friend makes a speedy recovery," Esme told her.

"Cousin," Sue corrected, "It's a cousin that's ill."

I had to laugh, Esme was so in on all of this and so good at it. She knew full well that the story was that it was a cousin, she just made it more believable and normal to Charlie by having Sue correct her. Brilliant, God I admired my Mom.

The bikes made it home before we did. We heard them roaring through the still night air as we descended the road around Satulah, headed for our homes that were slightly down in the valley. I knew that we all needed to talk together, but I was uncertain as to how that would happen with Sue and Charlie with us. I listened in on Charlie and Sue's thoughts for a moment, then it came to me.

"Dad, are we still toasting the New Year at your house this evening?" I asked. Carlisle looked at me like I had lost my mind, but picked up on where I was going with it, replying, "Yes, of course son. Every New Year!"

"Carlisle," Charlie said as he exchanged glances with Sue.

Bingo.

"Would you mind if Sue and I bowed out and just went to the house, we both have to pack and your family needs to do some things just as a family," Charlie told us.

"You are always welcome, Charlie, you know that," Carlisle said to him, "Tell you what, let's make use of that new gazebo that the kids built for Bella. There is a path to it cut in the woods from our house as well. I'll drop you all off at Edward and Bella's and we'll meet you there in say, twenty minutes? That way you can walk down if you want to."

Brilliant. We could keep an eye on the house where Sue and Charlie were from the gazebo and it was far enough away from the house that they would not be able to see the large wolf that would undoubtedly like to attend this meeting!

We walked into the house, Bella asking if Charlie or Sue needed anything before going to pack. They thanked her, wishing us a Happy New Year and heading upstairs.

I turned to my wife, stopping to hug her to me, her arms around me as well. "Happy New Year, love," I said as I kissed her.

"A very Happy New Year, sweetheart. I love you," She told me softly, he lips moving against mine as she spoke. I dropped my hands to her belly, rubbing circles on each side of it.

She looked at me with such longing, she wanted the baby so badly and I knew that it was in part that she wanted to give me a child. Bella was scared, she didn't know if I was going to let her carry the baby longer or not, though she would have put up one hell of an argument had I wanted to terminate the pregnancy, I was sure of that. I didn't want her to worry when I had information that would calm her, calm us both, really.

"Happy New Year to you, too Masen," I said as she looked at me. I couldn't tell if she thought it was cute or she thought I was genuinely loosing it and I had to tell her. It just could not wait any longer.

"Bella, I spoke to Masen last night and . . ."

"Edward, you _spoke_ to him?" she asked with a look of amazement on her face.

"Yes. I spent most of the night communicating with him. Bella he has a tremendous vocabulary and use of the language. He hears us as we speak right now and he understands us," I told her, cocking my head to pick up on something Masen was thinking.

"Bella . . . he wants you to know he's sorry he hurt you. He didn't mean to and he will try not to stretch or move suddenly anymore . . . oh," I laughed, "and he says he promises he won't bite you either, just like Daddy doesn't bite you."

Her jaw dropped as she grasped her belly, her hands on top of mine. "Edward, you're serious?" she asked, an incredulous look on her face.

I gave her the hundred watt crooked smile that I knew she loved as I answered, "Yes. I'm perfectly serious. He can't seem to help me know if he is physically able to be delivered yet, but his ability to control his movements and his understanding that he needs to, is a huge factor in your being able to carry him longer."

I paused . . . "It might just be okay, love," I whispered in her ear.

"You mean if I talk to him, he understands?" she asked.

"Yes. He understands, Bella," I reassured her.

"Oh my sweet little baby boy," she said rubbing her stomach, tears flowing down her cheeks, "I guess I never thought about talking out loud to you, but I will now. Daddy and I love you so much and I know you don't mean to hurt me. You have the best Daddy and the best family in the world waiting for you. Just get bigger for us so we can have you out here to play with, okay?"

There were tears in both our eyes as we hugged, realizing that we just might be able to do this.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

Twenty minutes, I heard the bloodsucker say twenty minutes. Damned doctors, even leech doctors can't fucking be on time. I continued to pace back and forth at the edge of the trees by the gazebo as I saw them finally approaching.

Edward and Bella were heading out the door of their house on their way here as well, I smelled her tears from here . . . bloodsucker had better not have done anything to upset her . . . unless . . . she probably knew about Victoria. I knew her, no matter how brave she tried to play, she had to be scared. I walked out to meet them and rubbed my muzzle against her face in an attempt to wipe the tears away.

"I'm okay, Jacob. I'll explain later, okay?" she said to me. I nodded up and down, not wanting the leech to have to answer for me.

Everyone gathered in the gazebo and Carlisle started.

"Alright, what happened?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper told the story -

"Victoria and Riley were on the top of the hotel, by the time we got to the front entrance, they had headed West down Main Street and we followed them. They got into a black Mercedes and headed down the road to Franklin, We ran ahead and blocked their car as they came around the hair bend curve, causing the car to crash down the hill. They escaped the car and we gave chase, Victoria in the trees. Riley jumped Mirror Lake and Emmett followed him till he jumped through the window of a moving car, threw the driver out and got away. When Victoria jumped down from the trees to get her footing and jump the lake, Rose grabbed her. The three of us circled her and when she jumped into the lake. I grabbed, getting only her coat. Rose and Alice swam the lake while I watched to see that she didn't surface. They met me back on the bridge after realizing the lake was too murky to see anything, we started to walk the shore to see if we could pick up on Emmett's trail and saw her run out of the water as a car crossed the bridge, jumping onto the trunk and getting away."

"Tell everyone what she said, Jasper," Edward requested.

Jasper recalled it for them -

_I will never leave you in peace till at least that little human bitch is dead and that halfbreed baby, if you can call the mutant a baby. An eye for an eye as they say. I might just hang around to end more of you for the extra trouble and effort you have caused me as well._

"That's what she said, in addition to a few other repeats of the same threats," Jasper said.

I couldn't stifle the growl that erupted from me and I heard Edward growling fiercely as well as I turned to him, getting him to listen to me at that moment.

"Jacob has somethings to add," Edward told them.

"When you guys came running back and told me what had happened, I headed down to the lake and got her scent where she jumped on the car. I was lucky that no other cars had passed and I could follow the scent of the car she was on, her smell lingered in the air with her blowing in the breeze as she must have been on the back of the car," Edward told them for me.

"Damn it, of course!" Jasper exclaimed, "I should have realized with her out in the wind we could follow her scent! Shit!"

"Anyway," Edward interrupted for me, "She must have hung onto the damned car quite awhile because her scent turned off the road just before the car got to the town of Franklin, all the way down the mountain and her trail appeared to head into the Huddle House restaurant there."

Edward stopped in almost mid sentence, "Jacob. Esme is here you know, language."

"Don't give it a second thought, son. Just say it the way Jacob is thinking it. I would like to end the bitch myself," Esme said. All eyes turned to stare at her. "What?" she said, "I curse occasionally, when the situation warrants it."

"Anyway," Edward continued for me, "I couldn't exactly sniff my way all the way to the door and shit, there were people there and I would have been seen. I sniffed around and found another fresh trail leading in a different direction and I followed it up to the Walmart parking lot where I saw her and the guy I presumed to be Riley opening the door of a silver late model Volvo and heading towards the expressway. I had to go the back way to keep from starting a riot and having one of the shotgun toting rednecks that were hanging out there take a free shot at me and by then they were gone."

"So they have rendezvous points set up. Bitch is thorough," Emmett added.

"Good work, Jacob. All of you. At least we have a better idea of how she functions and what she is capable of," Carlisle said, "We just have to all be on our guard, she is obviously growing impatient to make a move."

"I know that Charlie flying home and being away from here and out of danger will be one less thing to think about, but will Sam arriving tomorrow complicate this, Carlisle?" Edward asked. I snorted, knowing the answer to that one.

"Sam hates vampires and vampires that feed on humans would be on top of the list, probably way above us, wouldn't you agree, Jacob?" Carlisle asked, I think he might be inclined to help us find her, if Jacob and Sue ask him."

Edward just shook his head. He was having a hard time with my language and I really could care less. _Just tell them what I'm telling you, bloodsucker. _

"Fine, fine, Jacob," Edward sighed, exasperated. Jacob says, "Hell yea, he would hate the bitch and her friend. Sam may not like you leeches, but he knows how Billy felt about Bella and he would shit to know that the bloodsucking bitch is after Bella!"

I looked at Esme, not having remembered to watch my mouth. They didn't all know that I used the _bloodsucker_ word as a friendly term, a joke between me and Edward. Leech, too. I must have looked sorry because she nodded and mouthed, "Don't worry about it" towards me.

"Jacob, there is something else," Jasper said slowly, something you should know. You have a right to know. Something that Victoria admitted to when she was taunting us at the lake . . . "

I looked at him, wondering what the hell was so hard to say to me after all the shit he had just told us she said about Bella and the baby. I saw Edward wince, knowing he was reading Jasper's thoughts as well as everyone else's.

"Jacob would like you to just say it, whatever it is," Edward translated, cleaning up my language as usual. Jasper still hesitated, glancing from Alice to Edward and back to me. Patience had never been my strong suite, so I repeated my thoughts to Edward.

This time he translated verbatim, "Jacob would like you to just say whatever the hell is and be done with it."

"Jacob, Victoria bragged about killing Billy," Alice finally blurted out.

Jasper just looked at the ground, "I'm sorry, Jacob. You had a right to know that your Dad was murdered and who did it."

I was stunned. I didn't know what to think or feel at the moment, all I knew was that it was time to step up and handle things. This was going to get interesting . . .

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

Sue and I headed upstairs to pack and get ready to make our planes tomorrow, but it digressed into kissing . . . and more. We would not be seeing each other for a few days and I had wanted to give her a proper goodbye. She was just dozing off as was I, my arms around her, when we heard the most blood curdling howl . . . loud, like it was right outside the house in the woods nearby.

She stroked my cheek softly and told me to go to sleep, not to worry about it. I could only wonder if they were going to have the same trouble here as we had down near La Push last year with those wild animals . . .


	61. Chapter 61  Insurance

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 61 Insurance**

_Well, time to step up and handle things. This was going to get interesting . . ._

**Victoria POV**

What the fuck. Dumb stupid little asshole. I swear, I think I'll end him myself instead of letting the Cullen's have the pleasure if he does anything, and I mean _any one stupid thing more_ to mess this up. Asshole. I give him a simple task and he makes it so unbelievably difficult, I could lite his pyre myself right now.

I had to get a hold on myself. If I fought with him in public it would draw unwanted attention and I didn't need that. All I could do was sit here and wait. I didn't even know if he had gotten away, but I supposed I would find out sooner or later. It might just be easier to do the job alone if the little fucker keeps this up . . .

"More coffee, dear?" the waitress asked.

"No, no thank you," I answered, trying to keep the acid out of my voice.

"Are you warming up a little dear, can I do anything for you?" she continued to bother me.

"No, no thank you. My friend will be here to get me soon. I just needed to warm up, it's kind of cold out there with no coat and being wet and all," I told her. God I hated to have to play human. I just didn't understand the need to be bothered, other than keeping the secret that is.

"Alright, if you're sure," the old lady continued, "Too bad you lost your coat when you fell in the river. You really have to be more careful, dear, it could have gone badly."

"Yes ma'am, thank you. I'll just wait here for my friend to come and get me, if that's alright," I told her with my best _believe me_ voice. Stupid human. Leave me the hell alone and just let me hide out here till I see the little shit or you're the one it's going to go badly for.

I didn't have long to wait till I saw him out standing by the garden entrance of Walmart, just like we agreed. If we were ever separated, this is where we would meet. Private enough, in it's own way, but too public for anyone following us to do anything.

I crossed the street and parking lot towards him, and he moved towards me, motioning towards a silver Volvo that was sitting under one of the lights.

"I disconnected this security camera earlier, they won't see who took the car, Victoria. I knew you would be anxious to get out of here," he smiled. Stupid little shit smiled, I had a good mind to rip his head off as we stood there.

"You know, it's not like you can really still claim to be a newborn you know," I told him. "You are going to have to learn to control your thirst," I looked at him in disgust, "Did you already feed?"

"Yes, I had a snack one town over before I came here, tossed the body in the river. Who knows where it'll turn up," he smiled.

"Damn it, Riley! If I hadn't had to drag you to that observation deck for some fresh air to keep you from attacking the humans we would never have been seen. Now we've shown our hand and we have to be even more careful. We could have had her tonight but instead they can add knowing what you look like to their bag of goodies instead", I explained.

"Just get in the damned car", he said as he unlocked our new ride. We would have to ditch this one and run to another, but not before I took care of this with Riley. I would get us a little human and keep her prisoner at the house, keep him around her . . . that way if he had to drain someone, it wouldn't be the girl. I wanted my time with the girl . . . she had to suffer.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

Morning. It was the time of day just as the first rays of the sun illuminated the landscape when everything took on a kind of magical appearance. New. The Smoky Mountains that we now lived in were aptly named - the fog that lays in the valleys in the early morning gave it a surreal appearance.

I had been gazing out the balcony of my bedroom for hours, literally, pausing only to stroke Bella's arm or hold her for a moment. She had told me time and time again that my touching her while she slept, stroking her arm, her hair, her body . . . even having my body within hers, did not keep her from sleeping but rather, the connection _allowed_ her to sleep. I guess I finally got that. She had fallen asleep happily, snuggled in to me after making love last night and she was sleeping soundly. Every time I moved off the bed to come to the balcony and keep watch she became somewhat restless. It didn't take long till I had to rub her arm, squeeze a shoulder . . . something to let her know I was near. She would then sleep for a little while until the process repeated itself . . . and it had been that way all night long.

Yes, we had made love last night. I had resolved not to until Masen was born, but strangely it was Masen that convinced me that she needed to feel that closeness to me, the connection between us. I had been convinced that the positives of making love with my wife outweighed the potential harm . . . and since it was the baby himself that was agreeing not to kick her, no matter what, there were few objections I could voice. I wanted my wife . . . I wanted to feel close to her, physically, now as much as I ever had.

It was not the driving, frenzied lovemaking that we usually participated in. I had simply laid down behind her, pulling her back to my chest and spooning with her, telling her I loved her.

"I love you, sweetheart," she had answered and twisted her neck to reach me, her lips hunting for mine as they always did. I kissed her for long minutes, not wanting to pull away from her as I held her to me, cupping and kneading her breast with the arm that her head rested on and stroking up and down her thigh to her shoulder with the other. She was not wearing clothing, she never did in our bedroom . . . and she never allowed me to. She moved her hand to my thigh and butt, holding onto me as she gently rocked back and forth creating friction against my length.

"Bella . . . sweetheart, I . . . , " I tried to discuss it with her but she just continued what she was doing and held the hand I had on her breast, her hand over mine, squeezing me tightly to her continuing to rock gently. She was so damned wet and warm and wanting me . . . and I wanted her. I knew I could not resist her . . . and so did she

The light was filtering into our room now, illuminating the gossamer curtains that draped our canopied bed causing it to truly take on the appearance of a fairytale with a princess asleep. I chuckled to myself. Bella would laugh if she heard my thoughts. She had always referred to us in a fairytale like manner and I had always insisted it must have been a horror story she was thinking of, as I had always considered myself a monster.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

We had said our goodbye's, Bells and I. I couldn't handle her tears now more than ever. I knew she was happy here and I knew Edward would take real good care of her . . . he had proved that over and over. I just hated the idea of being so damned far away from her. Her and the baby.

I know she kept insisting that she conceived the baby in September, but she was just too damn big to only be four months pregnant and it her first child, the girl must think I'm an idiot. She looked and acted like she was about to have the baby. They had been married in the summer, so she could be over six months pregnant from him - I knew for sure that he had not found her before the accident, he had been too distraught and desperately looking for her. I was pretty sure that she was too hurt, what with the broken ribs and all for them to have been intimate the first few months he had her with him. They were married then, I knew that, and from what I had learned about Edward . . . he was as old fashioned as they come. Hell, his morals were probably higher than mine, given the fact that I had slept with Sue and we were as yet not married.

I guess I just had to wonder if that Edward was not protecting her again. She had been with Jacob for several months and I had not thought of it much, but this could be just another example of Edward looking after her. Maybe he was protecting her reputation by claiming a child that was not his. Huh. It would be just like him. Carlisle had sworn that Edward was indeed a virgin when he married Bells, but I wondered . . . was she? They both sure had an appetite for it now, sex I mean. It especially seemed like she was all over him. Huh.

Well, if that baby was Jacob's, it would sure show itself when we saw the child. Edward was as fair skinned as they come, amber eyes and copper hair and Jacob . . . well he was Native American. His heritage would come through in the dark brown eyes, dark skin and black straight hair, almost without a doubt. Guess we would just have to wait and see. He sure was still attached to Bells and Edward permitted it . . . he was even nice to Jacob.

I was loosing it. I shook my head and came back to the present. Sue was holding my hand in the back seat of Carlisle's Mercedes as Esme and Carlisle drove us to the airport. Apparently there was a convention of some sort going on in Atlanta and Carlisle was going to one of the lectures tomorrow afternoon, speaking at one if I had heard right, so the timing was perfect on he and Esme driving us in. Sue's flight left about an hour after mine, so she would not have to be alone in the airport for long, though I suspected that Esme and Carlisle were planning to wait with her.

It was good that Carlisle and Esme were staying the night in Atlanta, that was it didn't make sense for Bella to come with them to take me to the airport. I had a feeling the tears would have flowed even more if we were standing in the terminal and I hated public displays . . . she knew that. Anyway, from the look of her to me, she needn't be riding that far in a car or be that far from the hospital. I felt like she could have that baby anytime now and I didn't give a damn what they said about when it was due.

We got to the airport and parked without much fuss and I checked my bag. Sue checked in as well, but insisted she was going to keep her bag and do the carry on thing. I told her I thought the bag was a little big and she would be better off checking it, but she was a stubborn woman.

"Well, thank you for the hospitality," I said to Carlisle and Esme as I shook his hand. "I appreciate you looking after my daughter."

"You're very welcome, Charlie, but as far as taking care of Bella . . . Edward is all over that," he laughed, "He's too busy taking care of her to let anyone else near her," he said with a laugh.

"Well that's right, I know that's right. That boy of yours is a bit overprotective of her," I agreed with him, "But she's just as protective of him. I tell you what, she even reads me the riot act if I get out of line where he's concerned."

"Don't feel singled out. She's that way with all of us, Charlie. They really are good together though, and we all love your daughter. Don't worry, she is in good hands and we will keep in touch," Esme promised.

I said my goodbye's and Sue walked a little piece down with me to the security line. I knew she wanted a kiss and I was going to oblige her. I just hated to do these things in public.

"Bye sweetheart," I told her, shocking her by using an endearment.

"Bye, Charlie. I'll be home soon and I'll keep in touch, okay?" she offered as she kissed my lips.

I hugged her to me for a moment, not really wanting to let go, then I said okay and got in line to leave, my mind turning to things I had to do at home and hoping she would be there soon.

~oooOoo~

**Sam POV**

"What kind of shit is this anyway, Sam? You're actually going to use the ticket the bloodsucker sent you and go to _their house_?" Paul asked, totally disbelieving the information he had been given.

I continued packing. I was only taking a carry on and Emily had put in lots of shorts and sweats, not knowing when and how often I would need to phase. I took an extra band or two to keep things tied to my ankle, just in case I needed them. I looked up to answer Paul as he stood staring, hands on hips in my bedroom.

"Paul, it's Jacob."

"But it was the tall crazy haired one that called you!" Paul spat.

"Yes, it was the one they call Edward that called me the first time. Jake had just phased and he wanted to talk to me," I told him.

"Now you see right there, that had to be a lie. How the hell could Jake talk to you? He was in wolf form, right?" Paul said smugly.

"He reads minds," I told him. He looked at me like I had lost my fucking mind. I recognized the look because Emily had given me a similar look earlier when I explained it to her. I began zipping my duffel, "The leech reads minds. I'm totally serious. Edward, the one that was in town with Bella the night that car ran into the Pizza Parlor, he's the one."

"You're shitting me. What's that all about?" Embry continued, having walked in on the conversation.

"Look, I don't know how the bloodsucker does it, but after the questions he asked and the way he asked them, I'm convinced it was Jake asking and when Sue called, she confirmed it. Jake needs me and I'm going. As far as using the leeches ticket, hell yea I'll do it on his dime. He probably has me stuffed into the back of a freight plane anyway," I told them.

I headed downstairs and put my bag by the door. Emily was driving me and I at least wanted breakfast before I left. God knows what food I would get once I got there. I was anxious to get to Jake for lots of reasons . . . reasons that might or might not work to my advantage.

"So are you going to talk Jake into coming back? Now that he's phased, he's the alpha . . . right?" Paul asked timidly. I knew Paul wanted Jake back because he was his brother in law now, since Paul had married Jake's older sister and Jake leaving right after their father's funeral had stunned us all, but it had really hurt her. She needed her brother.

"Hell yea he better come back here and take over you pack of mutts! Although, if he wants to just be in the pack and not the leader, maybe we can get rid of a leech or two before we fly back . . . that would make it a good trip," I smiled, my lips straight to conceal my smirk. I had every intention of getting to end at least the one that had been interested in Charlie's daughter. Billy would have wanted us to protect her and I was hall bent on doing what I thought would be best for everyone.

"Sam, Charlie and Sue were there visiting for Christmas, staying with the Cullens. They seem fond of them and Sue knows full well what they are. Ending them when they haven't technically violated the treaty might cause a war between us and I don't think the elders would go for it. . .especially Sue," Embry spoke with some amount of knowledge on their feelings.

"We'll see. If a reason comes up, they will have to see it my way. If something happened to Bella because of him it might change their minds, if only for a minute . . . that's all I need to take his head off and set fire to him. Then they can change their minds all they want," I chuckled to myself.

We had a quiet breakfast and Embry stayed behind to clean up for us while Emily drove me to Seattle.

"Please be careful all the way across the country, Sam. I know Sue is there and Bella, but there are a lot of vampires there and you probably shouldn't start anything while you are so outnumbered," Emily said worriedly. I sat quietly and listened to her. "You know, Bella is a really nice girl, Sam . . . and she loves that boy," my mate whispered.

"Boy? _ Boy_? Emily, he is a vampire. They're not even _alive,_ Emily. How can she love him?" I asked, outraged.

"I love you and you aren't exactly human, Sam," she said shushing me as I became more and more furious and I'm sure turned all shades of red. "Hear me out. You being a werewolf and him being a vampire, you are both actually mythological creatures . . . things that aren't supposed to exist. If she loves him and he is good to her, why do you have a problem with that? She has always been nice enough to me about my being with you . . ."

"_NO_! You can't seriously be comparing me to something that is _dead_, Emily. Hard, cold stone. He has no beating heart - he is the cursed undead that walk the earth praying on the innocent!" I yelled.

"Excuse me, Sam. You are wrong! They only eat animals, remember . . . just like you and I do! They do not kill humans, why can't you accept that?" she yelled right back, determined as always to make her point.

I had imprinted on her, she was my mate. I was bound by some undefinable spell to give her what she wanted, to be whatever she wanted or needed me to be. Damn it. I would have to try and see this the way she was looking at it, I had no choice but to listen and try to understand. If I could just make her see . . .

She took my phone and called Sue before I realized what she was doing. "Sue, hi it's Emily. Fine, fine. Yes, we're on the way to the airport now. Here's the thing, Emily. Can you have a ticket there for me as well?" I asked. She totally ignored my protests and the harsh words that were spewing from me, the least of which were, "Hell no you are not going anywhere near the bloodsuckers!"

"Yes. I'm not packed, this was a last minute decision, Sue, but I think it would be safer for everyone if I come with Sam. No. No, I'm insisting. No, he isn't happy and he says he isn't coming if I come, but I . . . sure if there is a ticket there for me and I get on the plane he will come too if only to protect me from the Cullens. Yes. I know . . . men. Doesn't matter what else they are, men are men when it comes to stubborn. Okay. Well, ask them and I'll check with the ticket agent when we get there. Thanks," she said as she clicked the phone shut. You could have heard a pin drop except for the sound of the car engine and the road passing under us.

She pulled into long term parking and gathered what things she had in the car, stuffing them into her purse. Shit. I knew that look. Why had I run my mouth about taking out that leech? Damn damn damn, I never expected this reaction from her. Why was it so hard for women to see this for what it was, Bella liking that bloodsucker was unnatural, it was absurd, it was . . . sick. She needed our help to get out from under whatever dazzle or spell he had on her . . . they supposedly had a way of attracting their prey, making the kill easier. Maybe that was it, "Emily, we just need to break whatever spell he has on Bella . . . she can't voluntarily be wanting to be with him." I told her.

"Well, that must be a hell of a spell then, Sam. She is _married _to him. Married, as in _I do before God and these witnesses_!" She said as we walked toward the terminal.

"Emily, how can they be married? It can't be legitimate, they can't consummate it! There is no way that filthy bloodsucker could stick cold stone into her, be that close to her and not either rip her apart physically or drain her. No way. Do you even realize how strong he is, how hard his skin is? Emily, he feels ice cold to the touch. Would you go to bed with a cold stone?" I asked her, incredulous.

"I wouldn't. I go to bed with fire, Sam. You run at a hundred and nine degrees all the time, remember? If I manage to scratch you with my nails, you heal instantly. None of that qualifies as _normal_ either, yet I love you!" she insisted. We were next in line at the counter, and I walked up and gave them my name and the flight that Sue had said they booked me on.

"Yes, reservations for Sam and Emily Uley heading to Atlanta, Georgia. Is that correct, Sir?" the reservation agent asked.

Shit. Sue had made it happen.

"Yes, that's correct," I answered her, catching a glance at the smile that Emily was trying to keep off of her face.

"Here you are, Sir. Will you be checking baggage?" she asked.

"No. No bag checked, thank you," I told her.

"In that case," she motioned to a gentleman behind the desk and handed him our tickets. "If you will follow me, please," the man said, gesturing for me to allow him to carry my duffel. What the fuck.

Figures. They weren't putting me on a freighter, they were going the opposite route . . . first class seats and VIP lounge. Must be nice to have limitless funds, filthy century old parasites.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

"It will be alright, Petal," I told my wife as i sat in the terminal with my arm around her. Sue had walked off to say a private goodbye to Charlie and we had a moment alone.

"Sweetie, I'm worried about having Sam here. From what you've told me of your encounters with him, he's hostile to us all, but especially towards Edward," she said, her brow furrowing. I smoothed it with my thumb, tracing the line of her cheekbone as well.

"It was Edward's idea, Petal. Jake needs someone and he wants Sam. Our son is a good enough friend to him to make that happen, with Sue's help, of course," I tried to sooth her.

Sue was approaching us now and she had a concerned look on her face, her cell phone to her ear. I overheard the conversation and it sounded as though she was agreeing with the woman on the other end of the line. Well, I would find out soon enough what that was all about.

"Sue, Sam's flight doesn't get in for quite some time. Would you like to sit and have lunch while we wait?" I asked her.

"I would love that, thank you, Carlisle. Right now we have a bit of a situation. Emily just called me, Emily Uley, Sam's wife. She is worried about him coming here alone . . . worried about how he will act around," she stammered, looking for the right word.

"Us", I filled in for her.

"Yes. To be blunt, she feels that he will try and take Edward's head off because of having seen him with Bella. Carlisle, if he feels that way because of the limited amount he knows, how will he act when he finds out that she is expecting and that Edward is the father?" Sue asked, concerned.

"I suspected as much," Esme said, her lips drawn into a thin line.

"At any rate, Emily is fond of Bella and seems to feel some empathy for her . . . feelings for creatures that are other than human, since she's with Sam. The thing is, Carlisle, she asked if she could come with Sam - if a ticket could be sent for her. She is driving him to the airport as we speak. She is unprepared and has packed nothing, apparently something was said that made her call me. Sam refuses to allow her to come, but she is willing to take the ticket and get on the plane, knowing that he would never allow her to come unprotected to meet us here," Sue explained.

"Carlisle . . . ," Esme said, looking at him questioningly.

"I'll take care of it right away. If she is willing to come, she would be a great help at calming Sam," I said as I stood to go to the ticket counter, "We are fortunate to have people like you, Sue, that are so gracious with regard to our kind. I appreciate all of your help. This is just about helping Jacob, and nothing more and I want us all to remain as friendly as possible and have the treaty between our people remain intact. My word given to Ephraim Black is important to me and I don't want to break faith with it," I told her.

"Nor do I, Carlisle . . . nor do I . . ."


	62. Chapter 62  A Winter Afternoon

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** **If you aren't in the mood for a very long lemon, skip this chapter and you will miss nothing, plot wise that is. **_My Thursday needed a little brightening up, so I thought I'd share this with you a day early. Brighten my day an let me know if you like it - To those of you that correspond with me and continue to enjoy the story, this chapter is for you . . . I think you'll enjoy it . . ._

_**Warning: This chapter is almost completely a lemon, you miss nothing that you don't already have in the plot if you wish to skip it. It is fairly intimate.**  
_

**Chapter 62 A Winter Afternoon**

**BPOV**

I slipped on a light jacket and walked to the back patio. I knew that Edwards four siblings were surrounding the house, keeping watch. Since it was a vampire that was after me, I didn't see the harm in sitting in the sun and enjoying myself for a few minutes. The structure of the house would hardly stop them anyway and they would be able to smell and hear exactly where I was in the house, so hiding was out of the question. It wasn't as though I could just lock the door and not worry about it!

I heard him before I saw him, the huge russet colored wolf that came loping up to me and sat down next to my chair on the patio. He crooked his head at me, his tongue lolling out between his teeth, and I scratched the top of his head and behind one ear.

"I wish I could know what you were thinking, like Edward can. Are you okay like this . . . as a wolf I mean? I know it must suck sleeping in the woods, but you can sleep in comfort if you want to, you know. Charlie has gone and you can come in and have your room just like you did before you phased into a wolf, Jake."

He shook his head and sneezed, wiping his paw over his muzzle and looking back at my face again. I had to laugh. "I know, I know. They smell bad to you and you smell bad to them. You know, you both smell just fine to me," I said as I took my hand from his fur and placed it back in my lap, tilting my head back in the rocker and closing my eyes. Stupid ridiculous natural enemy bullshit if you asked me, as well as each of them detesting the smell of the other.

It was the first time in over two weeks that there was no one here that my new family had to hide anything from, no one we had to pretend for. Edward felt free to move through the house at his speed, not having to slow everything down. He had cooked me lunch, Edward being Edward and not wanting me to do much of anything. Maybe it was just that he loved me and liked to do things for me . . . I shouldn't be so hard on him. He was so sweet to me, especially right now with the baby coming soon.

"Edward," I called to him in just a normal speaking voice. He was instantly sitting in the rocker next to me, holding my hand. I hadn't even closed my lips from uttering his name. God I loved vampires. It was a fairly sunny afternoon for mid winter and I opened my eyes to see his skin throwing rainbows and sparkling in the faint sunshine. He looked amazing and I couldn't help but stare, my hand moved of its own accord to brush against his cheeks.

"Yes, I know, Jacob. I know," Edward nodded his head.

"What? What did he say, Edward?" I asked.

He shook his head as he told me, "He said that it was hard for him to think of me as a fierce scary vampire while I sparkled." I had to smile, I agreed with him. To look at him now, the soft smile on his beautiful face, it was hard indeed to consider that he was a fierce predator . . . but he was.

Edward paused for a moment, reaching to my neck to pick up the necklace he had designed for me as a birthday gift. He held it in his palm, the diamonds that encrusted the E were sparkling much like the flesh on the hand that held the jewels.

"You really like it, love?" he asked.

"I love it, sweetheart. Haven't you noticed, I almost never take it off. Kind of like you almost never take off the swan ring I gave you," I told him, staring into his other worldly face as it reflected points of light in all directions.

Jake huffed. It was an obvious move to show how obnoxious he thought our being so sickeningly sweet to each other was. I needed no translation for that one.

"Too bad, Jake . . . and we needn't get a room, we have a whole house . . . ," Edward smirked at him.

He huffed again and nudged me as he got up and started back into the forest.

"Jake," Edward called to him. He turned around and walked back to us questioningly. "Carlisle just called. It seems that Emily is insisting on coming with Sam, something about understanding being in love with mythological creatures," he said shaking his head. "He seemed to feel like she was coming because Sam was so hostile towards us," he told both Jake and I.

Edward appeared to be listening to Jake's thoughts in what was to me, a silent conversation . . .

"You guys quit leaving me out! Edward, what did he say just then?" I demanded, sitting up straight in my chair to emphasize my point. Edward took one of my hands in both of his.

"He said, '_You knew that before you called him, bloodsucker. You've talked to him back in Forks even before that. He hates you . . . all of you'." _He looked up at Jake.

"It's alright, Jacob. Having Emily here as well as Sue is probably a good idea, though I hate putting another human in danger with rogue vampires around," Edward told him.

"_Yea, Sam can be a little overbearing. Emily can handle him though,_" Edward translated for Jake, "_I'm gonna go get some lunch and do a couple of laps around town to see if the bloodsuckers have been there today. I'll be back before they get here from Atlanta, hopefully Sam will be helpful quickly and I can learn how to control this shit."_

"Thanks, Jake. I'm sure Sam can help," I said as he loped off into the cover of the trees.

"He really is a good friend to you, Bella. He cares for you more than he lets on," Edward said, staring at my hands.

"Yes he is a great friend. I know he loves me, sweetheart. I love him," I stated quietly, hoping Edward would understand.

He looked up at me, starring completely into my soul. I watched in wonder as the gentle, loving face and amber eyes of my husband changed. Edward's eyes became molten, the amber color starting to almost swirl, black mixing in the edges as his jawline seemed to become more angular, more rigid. His lips lost their soft shape and became hard lines. Any hint of my gently husband was fast disappearing as his eyes darkened to black.

I was standing before I realized that he had moved. My arms were crossed over my chest with his holding them there, encircling me from behind as one of his legs forced my legs to spread wider, his legs bent and his erection grinding into me from behind.

"Mine," he growled into my ear.

His reaction startled but did not frighten me. My gently, loving husband was also a vampire, and something I had said set him off. His need to claim me was obvious by the growls as well as the hardened length that he pressed against my backside. I felt myself being pushed up against the patio table and bent forward over it for a split second, then we were in the living room, my jeans gone and my body bent over the arm at the end of the sofa, allowing my belly to drop down in front of the cushioned arm of the sofa and my elbows to rest on the cushions to keep pressure off the baby. Edward had spread my legs with his, holding my hips from behind.

"Mine," he growled, even more fiercely than before. His continual growl was almost deafening and the ferocity was incomprehensible. I would have thought him completely out of control except for the fact that he had reconsidered laying me over the table outside. Laying on my belly was no longer an option with Masen as large as he was. Though my husband was roughly having his way with me from behind, with me bent over the furniture, he had chosen his location carefully - perfect to insure that he did not hurt me or the baby.

No kisses, no caressing, no gentle touches . . . just the driving need to claim me, his pants still around his waist but unzipped. He never slowed his pace. The second time he paused, growling "You are mine," as he sat me facing him on the small table that stood behind the sofa. I held his shoulders, my body leaned back to allow space for the baby as he stood between my open legs and scooted my rear slightly out over the edge of the table, his hands holding each of my thighs as close to my center as possible, his grip almost painful. He was absolutely feral, his unblinking eyes piercing me as he held me in place. Edward's teeth were bared to me and he was snarling as he came, roaring loudly and seeming to blur slightly his movements in and out were so rapid. I called out his name, my hands tangled in his hair and staring into the eyes of my vampire. He bent his head and leaned over slightly to rest his forehead on my shoulder as he stilled, releasing his iron grip from the inside of my thighs and putting his hands behind my back to support me as he leaned in.

He lifted me easily, one arm under my bottom and the other holding me to him and walked to the other side of the sofa, bending to sit me on the sofa with him kneeling in front of me. His eyes left mine and moved down the front of me, starring at me opened to him before they moved back up my body to my chest. I stroked his soft hair with one hand and held his jaw in the other as he stared. Taking the time to unzip my hoodie, he shredded the sweater under it, removing the bra in pieces as his hands caressed my breasts, me leaning back on the sofa in a sitting position and him still kneeling in front of it. He leaned slightly and brought both of his hands to the sides of my belly, bending to kiss my baby bump before his hands found their way to my breasts. He leaned into my neck nuzzling close as he inhaled deeply and paused there for a minute before he and kissed and licked his way down to my breasts. He looked up at me for a moment, his eyes meeting mine as he snarled again, teeth glistening.

"I love you, Edward, more than anything. I'm only yours," I said softly, still stroking his hair and moving stray locks off of his forehead.

He latched on to one nipple and gently started sucking and massaging my breast. My nipples wee so sensitive. I screamed his name over and over again as he rocked into me with more force and sucked harder.

The instant he managed to start fluid flowing from my breast several things happened at once. His body became completely rigid, muscles tensing to the point of being stone as his length grew impossibly larger, stretching me like never before as he released continually into me. He had drank from me before on several occasions, but we had never been connected in this way when he did.

Oh my God!

I screamed. I couldn't help it, the pleasure was more than I could bear. It felt as though he was consuming me and I would burst from his efforts. Had he been human, blood would have been pouring from the trenches my fingernails were making in his shoulders and back, ripping his shirt in the process. I was coming unglued as he continued to drink from me.

As it had happened last time, his actions became almost painful as he consumed all the fluid my breast had to offer him. It felt as though he would suck my toes up through my breast and once again I found myself in need of stopping him. I combed my fingers through his hair a few times before I slowly moved my palm around to cup his cheek, a growl emanating from him as he continued to suck. I thrust a single finger into the very corner of his lips, effectively breaking his suction and garnering a loud growl from him as he lifted his head to snarl at me, threatening. I covered the nipple of that breast with my hand, inches from his teeth as he snarled, moving his head side to side in the process as a predator would before he struck.

"It hurts, sweetheart," I told him and the look crossing his face was as though I crushed him. He immediately dropped his head to rest his ear against my heart for a moment while I continued to stroke his face and hair. I instantly realized my mistake. He thought he hurt me, I had said that it hurt. Damn. I needed to fix this fast.

"I had no idea it was possible to feel this good, Edward," I almost moaned. He raised his head and stared into my eyes. I gestured to the other breast and turned slightly, bringing the nipple closer to his face. His smile was blinding as he licked and kissed the other nipple causing it to pebble as he took it into his mouth and sucked. His eyes never left mine and we gazed at each other this time as he once again grew to a size I was unaccustomed to, stretching me once again as he filled me with his release. It wasn't but a moment before I was screaming his name, still staring into his coal black eyes as they looked up at me through his impossibly thick lashes. His lips released me this time when he sensed the fluid was gone from me, resting his head once again against my chest. He held me to him, his body in mine till he felt me shaking.

Looking up with his chin still on my chest, I heard, "I love you, Bella. You are everything to me . . . everything. Are you alright?"

"I'm better than alright, sweetheart. I am a little cold, though . . . from the inside out," I added shyly. I suspected the chills were caused by the large volume of cold liquid now contained within me from his continual releases. I hardly noticed him gone when I felt him lift me, placing me in front of our fireplace onto the soft futon he had retrieved from our bedroom upstairs and covering me with the down comforter. He had a roaring fire going in front of us in no time as he laid behind me on top of the covers, insisting that I get warm before he join me. He was still fully clothed, other than the rips in the shoulders of his shirt that I had made.

I pulled the comforter off me and turned my back to the warm fire, hugging him to me. He continued to tell me how much he loved me, how happy he was that he had found me and I had married him, and how sorry he was that he had ever left me. He gently started removing my clothing, what was left of it, as I unbuttoned his shirt.

His eyes were amber now, his lips full and the lines of his face softened. This was my gentle husband with me now, and he wanted to make love to me. He removed my socks, pausing to massage my feet for a moment. He kissed his way up my body till I could reach the buttons of his shirt, undoing them and sliding it off his shoulders to expose the muscled chest of my husband.

"Stand up for me, sweetheart," I asked. He complied instantly and I sat in front of him and unzipped his already unbuttoned jeans, pulling them and his boxer briefs down for him to step out of, his shoes already off. I ran my hands up and down the inside of his thighs, scratching lightly like I knew he loved and he sat down in front of me on the futon, one foot beside my butt and his knee bent up with his elbow propped on it and the other leg tucked in front of him touching my crossed legs. The fire was roaring and I was toasty warm in spite of being completely naked.

He had not kissed me when he had claimed me earlier and I loved his kisses. His lips consumed mine, gently moving with them and his tongue traced along the line between my lips, asking for entry. I opened my mouth to him and his tongue entered and caressed mine slowly, passionately. He held me to him and deepened the kiss even more, all the love he had for me flowing readily to me through his kiss. He dropped his raised leg down and pulled me to his lap, my legs dangling on either side of his lap as we continued to kiss, his hands in my hair and holding me to him tracing patterns on my back as my hand grasped the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

We stared into each others eyes as I scooted back and then moved forward, my belly forced him to lie back on the futon. He felt impossibly good inside me and I moaned almost continually, telling him how good it felt and how much I loved him and how I wanted him. . . . how happy I was to be his wife and how much I wanted to be with him forever. He reached for my breasts, cupping them gently and running his thumbs over the nipples and I screamed out in pleasure, his name on my lips over and over again as my passion consumed me, taking him with me as he screamed my name as well. Every muscle in his body tensed and his hands clutched my hips in an effort to hold me to him or to keep me from falling off of him . . . it didn't matter as long as he held tightly. I loved him beyond all reason, as he loved me.

He lifted me off of him and laid me beside him in front of the fire, enveloping us in the softness of the down comforter as we both drifted off to sleep, our arms around each other holding tightly the one thing we each could not live without.

A knock at the door woke me, the fire had died down and it was dark outside. Edward stirred as well, looking up at me sleepily as I propped myself up on an elbow to kiss his lips.

"Come in, Alice," he said in a normal voice, turning his attention to me as the pixie danced into the room and sat on the sofa beside us.

"I just came to let you know that Carlisle will be back with Emily and Sam in a few hours and it would be better if this place didn't reek of sex when they arrived," she snickered, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she sat on the sofa and stared at us.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. I didn't know if it was simple irritation at her calmly sitting there with us lying not three feet away naked and sated in front of the fire or if it was from something he read from her thoughts.

"Thanks for waking us, Alice. I would have hated for Sam to walk in and find us still sleeping here," I laughed. Edward growled loudly at the thought, but kept his eyes closed, his body turned towards me.

"I admit, I also wanted to make sure you weren't hurt. No visions with blood like when I sent Carlisle down here, but they probably heard Edward growling all the way in town," she said with a grin, " . . . and you screaming." She rose from the sofa and danced towards the door, turning to say, "I must admit you've brought out a side of Edward that we never knew existed."

"Alice, as much as I love you and I know you see us in your visions, but I would rather you didn't see Edward naked in the flesh, brother or not. If you expect us to get up and air out the place, you need to leave so that we can," I said with a smile, Edward chuckled, snuggling into me and kissing my chest. He was hidden from her view under the covers, one arm was thrown over me, his hand holding my butt.

I paused, my head thrown back in reaction to his efforts and a moan escaped my lips. I regained control of my thoughts momentarily, and with great difficulty told Alice that unless she wanted to see us making love she really needed to leave, now . . . promising that the room would be aired out and we would be dressed, showered and fresh long before they arrived.

"Good," she said coyly as she peeked back in from the porch, "Three hours. That's all you have. Oh, and you're killing Jasper out here. It's hard to keep alert and be watchful while having sex, you know, even for us clairvoyant vampires!" She shut the door just as Edward hurled a cushion from the sofa at her. Edward's family certainly makes life interesting.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

I just stood there. I knew I shouldn't, but I just couldn't help myself. She was so damned beautiful. He was lying in front of the fireplace in the living room and she sat astride him, her head thrown back and her hair so long it brushed against the top of his legs, stretched out behind her. How many times had I dreamed of her riding me like that . . .

As I looked at her, I noticed that her skin was flawless. I had stared at her before in the tank tops she wore to bed when we shared an apartment . . . shared a bed, but this was different. She was completely naked and I could see all of her from her long neck, the tendons strained from her exertions, down over her breasts, larger now that she was pregnant. Her belly was round and distended, not the taunt flat line from hip bone to hip bone that used to peak out from under her t shirts, just above the line of her jeans, but her body was still toned.

He held her hips as she leaned back, her hands on his thighs to hold herself up as she writhed above him, unobservant of anything other than him. She told him how much she loved him, how happy he made her, how glad she was to be his wife and how she never ever wanted to be parted from him. As she sat back up on him he reached up, cupping her breasts in each of his hands. She screamed his name, Bella fucking screamed as the bloodsucker growled and roared beneath her. It was her choice . . . and clearly she had chosen him.

I had come running nearly from town when I had heard her scream before, my hearing now magnified well beyond anything a human could hear. I stopped dead in my tracks when I got to the house and saw through the window the reason for the scream.

He was completely gentle with her though . . . and loving. His movements were obviously controlled, letting her set the pace she was comfortable with given her condition. He was a stone cold piece of granite with almost unfathomable strength, capable of crushing stone as easily as a child would squeeze play dough in their hand . . . yet he did not hurt her. As a matter of fact, he was obviously giving her a great deal of pleasure.

She loved him. I had known that all along . . . and he loved her, any fool could see it clearly whenever they were together. I had never seen a look like the one on her face now though, her features soft and her eyes molten chocolate. She was consumed with the feelings she had for him, totally blissed. She appeared almost dreamlike, a vision of all things womanly as she rode him, her belly round with his child and her body filled with his. She was absolutely beautiful . . . like pictures or artists renditions of princesses and faeries of long ago.

I loved her so much, I had to protect her. I had to allow her this life with him if it gave her that much happiness. I left through the woods back towards town, to make sure my girl got everything she wanted. I would not quit till I ended Victoria . . . for Billy and Bella.


	63. Chapter 63  Sam Arrives

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 63 Sam Arrives**

_Hell yea Jake better come back here and take over you pack of mutts! Although, if he wants to just be in the pack and not the leader, maybe we can get rid of a leech or two before we fly back . . . that would make it a good trip . . _.

**Emily POV**

"Doesn't look like they put us on a freighter, Sam," I said as we walked through unmarked doors near the terminal gate and into a luxurious lounge filled with comfortable leather sofas and chairs, flat screen TVs and a wall of coffees and lattes and snacks, all served by the staff that was there waiting.

"Damned bloodsuckers. It doesn't matter. It's not like they can buy my cooperation. Let them spend their money, it doesn't change anything," he spat.

I chose a sofa near the television and sat down, the attendant scurrying off to get me a latte and a pastry. I was certainly willing to enjoy this, even if Sam wasn't. I had no idea that these types of lounges existed, I had always just sat in the row of plastic seats waiting outside the gate in the terminal for my flight. There were vending machines at a point in the terminal, and an occasional restaurant or coffee shop . . . but never anything like this.

Maybe, just maybe the Cullens were trying to be nice, trying to show Sam that they appreciated his help.

I had spent time with Bella in the months before she and Jake left . . . quite a bit of time. She had been so broken, so devastated after that boy left her. She sat, staring into space most of the time. Jake would bring her over and hang out at our house with the rest of the guys, but she never joined in, never seemed to take notice even of where she was.

It took me weeks to get her to talk to me, to open up a little. She spoke of Carlisle and how kind and compassionate he was. I had always heard that about him in his dealings with the people at Forks hospital. Though we Quilletes were not supposed to go there, again a stupid prejudice because of the Cullens, some of us did and always found him to be both an excellent doctor and a kind man, gentle in his dealings with his patients. He treated things that bled, bled right in front of him and showed no interest in the blood. How could vampires be so ruthless, such cold blooded killers and yet one of them was a respected surgeon working in a hospital? Carlisle existed in direct conflict with all the things our legends taught about their nature, and you couldn't just discount it.

She spoke kindly about the rest of the family as well, but Edward she would never mention . . . it was as if she could not bear to say his name. Jake and everyone else figured it was because he hurt her so badly, and I thought the same. The difference was that I began to realize that the hurt she felt was from his absence. She loved him beyond all reason, of that I was sure.

I understood. I was with Sam. Sam had been engaged to my cousin Leah when we met, but it hadn't mattered. We loved each other. Had he left me, for whatever reason, I would have been in exactly the same condition I saw Bella in. I began to understand . . . she had to be with him, she loved him and for some reasons that seemed to only be known to her, he had left.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by Sam's grumbling.

"Em, please," he said turning to me and putting an arm around the back of the sofa where I sat and taking my hand in his, "Please don't do this. Please don't put yourself in this kind of danger. I couldn't take it if something happened to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Sam. Sue has been there for days, nothing has happened to her," I reminded him.

"Emily, I need to phase and be with Jake. I need to be gone for hours, days at a time in the woods with him . . . I can't do that if you're there, I can't leave you unprotected with them!" he said as though the idea disgusted him.

"Sam, I trust Sue. She's an elder of the tribe and our friend. If she feels safe there, I'm sure I will be fine as well. Anyway, you have no choice. I'm going. I know how Bella feels about Edward and you are not gong to hurt her by taking him away from her again. She's my friend and if someone were going to try and hurt you I would want her to stop them. I'm going to do the same thing for her," I said as adamantly as I possibly could.

"Emily! It's not the same thing!" he almost shouted. Thankfully the attendant walked over to inform us that we could board.

"This way, please," he told us as he gestured towards the door and picked up Sam's bag.

Sam stopped dead right at the gate entrance, turning to me and putting both his hands on my shoulders, "Emily. If I promise not to harm the bloo . . .Edward, will you stay here?" His eyes were pleading with me. He had never broken a promise to me but somehow this felt different It wasn't as though I thought he would intentionally or purposefully directly harm Edward if he made me a promise not to, it's just that . . . something didn't feel right. Something about this went deeper than a promise . . . ingrained somehow, like it was an inevitability.

"No, Sam. there is just too much temptation here. Too many things could happen that could change things. If I'm there, you'll be much more careful not to make mistakes around the Cullen's because you won't want to endanger me," I told him. I thought hard about it for a moment longer, his eyes still pleading, "No . . . I think I'm coming with you regardless."

My husband's chin dropped as I turned to walk down the gate in the direction the attendant had taken with Sams' bag and was shown to wide comfy seats in first class. I hadn't realized that I really hadn't eaten this morning, being to intent on listening to Sam with Embry and Paul. It had taken awhile for me to face reality, that Sam was truly intending and planning to kill Edward while he was there helping Jake . . . and even longer to decide what I was going to do about it.

I slept most of the flight. The first class seats were spacious and the attendants considerate of our every need. I was avoiding anymore conflict and useless words till Sam settled down. I knew that he was anxious about the ride to wherever Jake was and hopefully Sue would be there to meet us. I could only imagine how tense it would be if it were only us and the Cullens in the car driving for however long it would be.

As I came up the escalator at the Atlanta airport, Sue was there smiling and happy to see me. Sam greeted her warmly as well, until he noticed the Cullens standing by the exit doors, waiting for us. His back stiffened immediately and his face set in a hard line.

"Sam, ready to go or did you check a bag?" Sue asked.

"All set. Are we riding with them?" he gestured toward Carlisle and Esme.

"Yes, Sam. They have been real friends to Jake and you will not disrespect them. Do you understand?" she said sternly.

"I understand, Sue. You need to understand that we do not associate with _their kind._ They are not friends, Sue. It's not possible," he spat through gritted teeth.

"Never the less, you will be civil Sam Uley. I mean it," I told him as firmly as possible without yelling, "I would think you would respect my request because I have known you all your life, but if that isn't enough, consider it a request from an elder of your tribe . . . one you are bound to abide by it."

Sue turned to leave and we followed her. "Carlisle, Esme, this is Emily. Emily, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen," I said by way of introduction, "and you know Sam of course."

"No Sue, Sam and I have never met, though I have heard his name mentioned before," Esme said. She extended her hand towards Sam and greeted him, "Nice to meet you, Sam."

He looked down at her small hand as though it were a snake, never offering to shake it or be polite. "How far is it to Jake?" he asked stiffly, seeming to have real difficulty even managing to stay somewhat civil.

Esme looked at Carlisle, who put his arm around her and answered Sam, "It's about a two hour drive from here to the house, Sam. It's only a hundred and thirty miles or so but the last is over small winding mountain roads."

"And to Jake?" Sam continued.

"Jacob is at Edward's house. When I last spoke with them, they were out on the patio waiting for us, Sam," Sue told him.

Sam huffed as if the very idea disgusted him. Sue shook her head and turned to Carlisle, "Well, we might as well get on the road." I put an arm around Sue as we walked, leaving Sam to follow by himself.

Carlisle and Esme got into the front of the black Mercedes that we were apparently riding in and Sue climbed in behind Carlisle, leaving me to sit in the middle and Sam to sit behind Esme. Sue thought of everything, even the most comfortable seating arrangement under the circumstances and still Sam hesitated to get into the car. He had been reluctant to even put his duffel in the trunk when Carlisle had opened it. I had taken it from his shoulder and tossed it in, shutting the trunk and moving swiftly to get into the back set, leaving him to follow.

"Jake phased last Wednesday?" Sam asked to no one in particular.

"Yes," Carlisle answered, "Three days ago. He had been running a fever for a week or so before hand and Edward and I tried to explain to him what we thought was the cause late in the evening on Christmas Eve."

"How in the hell would you know anything about it, bloodsucker?" Sam spat.

"Sam!" Sue spat right back.

"I did a blood test on Jacob because of the fever, Sam. His blood showed no infection but his chromosomal count was all wrong. If the ability to transform into a wolf is genetic, then I assumed that the extra gene he had was just that. He didn't believe me, of course. It seems that Jacob has never believed the tribal legends," Carlisle told him.

Sam chuckled at that. He was quite smug. "I bet you didn't explain them to him in detail either, did you, bloodsucker, not that you would know anything about it. You would have had to tell him what you were," Sam almost snarled, the disgust in his speech so strong.

"Edward did tell him that we were the _cold ones _mentioned in your legends, Sam. He also explained that we do not feed on humans, as you well know. He explained it all," Carlisle continued making an obvious effort to remain calm and polite.

"And Bella," Sam started.

"Sam, Bella already knows everything about Edward and his family, you know that from talking to them yourself when you and I ran into them in Forks last fall," Sue reminded him.

"Bella was there on Christmas when Edward was explaining it to Jacob . . . as I was. He is aware that Bella knows she is married to a vampire, Sam, if that's what you're getting at," Carlisle told him, hitting the nail on the head.

"How is Bella?" I asked, "I can't wait to see her!"

"She is well, Emily, and I'm sure she'll he glad to see you as well. I appreciate you're coming with Sam," Carlisle answered me, and his emotion seemed genuine

"It was kind of you to supply the ticket, Carlisle. And I have never been in first class, I enjoyed it," I said by way of thanking him.

"No thanks needed, Emily, and Edward took care of the tickets. He's the one that is trying so hard to help Jacob," Carlisle told me.

"Well I am not happy about her coming and if Jake were anything other than the next in line to be Chief of our tribe, I wouldn't be here either," Sam spat, his revulsion at being here obvious, " I want some guarantees that my wife will be safe with you bloodsuckers around. Where the hell is she supposed to stay, anyway? I planned to be out in the woods with Jake, but Emily . . . "

"Bella and Edward have a beautiful guest room waiting for you both, the one Charlie has used the last week while he was here, Sam. It's across the hall from my room," Sue told him.

"You actually expect me to let her stay in the fucking bloodsuckers house?" Sam virtually yelled, "Aren't there any damned hotels close by?"

I have never been as embarrassed by my husband than I was in that moment. I could not control his actions and the venom coming from him, but I could react independently from him, and I chose to.

"I would love to stay wherever you are staying, Sue. I'm sure that it's lovely and very nice of Bella and Edward to have me as a guest. Sam can sleep wherever he sees fit," I pointedly said directly to Sue as I stared at Sam. His jaw was hanging open. Apparently he did not expect this from me, but he needed to be more accommodating. They had flown both of us across the country to help Jake, they at least deserved some consideration for that.

The rest of the drive was spent in relative silence, except for the occasional sentence or two between Sue and I. We turned up a long winding drive and pulled in front of a two story house at the edge of the woods with a large lake in front of it. It was lovely, as was the area. We all got out of the car and I noticed two other members of the Cullen family emerge from what appeared to be a trail in the woods and the other two stood on the front porch.

Carlisle parked and opened the trunk for Sam to retrieve his bag. As we turned to enter the house, Sue stopped us.

"Sam, I need your word that there will be no violence toward the Cullens," Sue demanded.

Sam dropped his bag and stared at her, incredulous.

"You are here as Bella and Edward's guest, Sam. You are here to help Jacob and only because Edward was worried enough about him and a good enough friend of his to call and ask for your help. Do you understand? Jake and Edward are friends, Sam," Sue insisted.

"That's messed up and you know it," Sam said, pacing back and forth, "They are our enemies, our natural enemies. Hell it's instinctual, Sue!"

"Calm down. There is more and you need to hear it now. I need your word, Sam," Sue continued.

"There is more? What the hell else could there be?" he asked.

"Sam, you should know ahead of time so that you aren't shocked. I don't want Bella upset by you, she's . . . ," Sue was interrupted from behind us on the porch. We all turned to see Bella in the doorway, half hidden behind Edward.

"They are wanting you to know that I'm pregnant, Sam. Edward and I are having a baby and Sue is apparently thinking that you are going to be upset by that news," Bella told him.

I walked toward her, taking the few steps up to the porch to hug her with both arms. Edward stepped to one side to allow me near her, but stood protectively between Bella and where Sam was still standing in the yard.

"Bella! You look great! I'm so glad to see you again," I told her as I hugged her. I turned and greeted Edward as well.

Sam's fists were clinched and I noticed Edward stiffen and sink into what looked like a crouch. The rest of his family followed his lead as Sam started to shake uncontrollably.

"Sam," I yelled to him, "Calm down, Sam. You don't have to act this way."

It was too late, I had seen it too many times before, and the scars on my face bore witness to it. Sam blurred for a moment, shreds of clothing flying in small pieces in all directions as he ruined yet again another outfit. He had quickly phased into a large black wolf who stood snarling at the vampires who surrounded him on two sides. There were seven vampires and he chose to act like this. Maybe he just couldn't help it, I didn't know. What I did know is that I needed to protect him.

I ran down the steps and stood in front of Sam, between him and the Cullens.

"No one wants to hurt you, Sam, but we will protect our family," Edward said calmly.

Just then a russet wolf came around the corner of the house. He walked over to where Sam stood and pushed him with his head against Sam's shoulder. He continued shoving him till Sam apparently got the idea and they both took off into the woods. Everyone let out the breath they had been holding, including me. This was exactly why I felt I had to come.

"Well, Emily, won't you come in?" Bella asked and I walked back up the steps onto the porch and entered the house. Edward, Carlisle and Esme followed us in, the others staying outside on the porch.

"Let's go have a cup of tea and let all the testosterone settle down. We can talk, okay?" Bella suggested.

I nodded and followed Bella to the kitchen. "The Cullen's have a beautiful home, Bella," I told her, as I sat down.

"Actually, Emily, the rest of the Cullens live at the top of the hill, just next door. This is mine and Edward's house," Bella told me. I must have looked surprised because she continued, "Since we were just newly married after the accident, Edward wanted us to have some privacy from the rest of the family, so he built this home for me for my birthday last year."

"Well the privacy must have worked," I snickered, gesturing to her belly. She laughed and nodded with one hand resting on her belly as she poured our tea and sat at the counter with me.

"I'm so sorry about Sam's reaction, Bella. He's going to need some time to adjust," I told her, "In truth, I'm surprised as well. I wouldn't have thought it possible for you two to have a child. Sam just spent most of the way here telling me that you two couldn't be really married because Edward would be unable to control . . . well he would never be able to be that close to you, according to Sam, or able to contain his inhuman strength."

"Edward is amazing, Emily. He controls his thirst for my blood as well as his strength when he's with me. I'm sure it does take great effort on his part at times, but he is one of the most gentle and loving men I have ever met, vampire or not," I told her quietly, though I knew all my family could hear even a whisper.

"We had no idea that it was possible either, Emily . . . the baby that is," Bella said as Edward appeared and put an arm around her and kissed her cheek, "But we are thrilled beyond belief.

I really do thank you for coming, Emily. Jacob is my friend as well as Bella's, and we want to help him through this, but my wife's safety is more important than anything else," Edward insisted in earnest, "I won't allow anything to upset her, especially this close to our son being born."

Edward kissed Bella, right there in front of me. Not a passionate kiss, but certainly more than just a peck, before hugging her and walking back to the living room to join Sue and the rest of his family.

We finished the tea and Bella took me on a tour of her home. It was absolutely beautiful. The library was amazing and she seemed so thrilled that Edward had remembered her love of books and incorporated it into their home. We headed upstairs and the room she called theirs was the most amazing bedroom I had ever seen. The beamed cathedral ceiling gave way to large airy windows and a stone fireplace . . . and the bed. The bed was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, wrought iron vines with rose buds holding up a canopy of gossamer cloud like material.

"Bella, this room looks like something out of a fairytale! You say that Edward picked this canopied bed and these curtains?" I asked in amazement.

"He did. He is just the most amazing person, Emily. I can't wait for you to get to know him," she said, "He always thinks that he belongs in a horror story, not a fairytale but I think he's coming around. He's starting to see what I see in him." The painting of them over their fireplace reflected the same look in her eyes . . . they sparkled at the mention of his name. I knew that look, I felt the exact same way about Sam. Bella was in love with a vampire and I was in love with a werewolf. Both creatures weren't exactly human, but they functioned just fine in the human world . . . with care. Both belonged to the mythological world and they were both the love of our lives. We just had to somehow manage to get them not to kill each other.

We walked to the other end of the hall, passing a room that looked as though it was being redone, and Bella explained that Rosalie was making it into a nursery for her. She gestured to Sue's room on the right and the door facing it on the left was to be Sam's and my room. It was beautifully done in blue and cream with a huge king sized bed. I couldn't believe the hospitality that she and Edward were showing us and the concern that they both obviously felt for Jake.

"As soon as you're ready, I thought we could go into town and get you some changes of clothes . . . Sue said that you made a last minute decision to come and you have nothing with you. Alice loves to shop and there are some cute shops in town, I have to admit," Bella explained. Her thoughtfulness struck home. I hadn't given much thought to what I would do without a change of clothes. "Thank you. I don't know what to say. You have always been a good friend to Jake and he has always defended you to us. I'm beginning to see even more clearly why that is."

Bella turned to leave and I saw Edward meet her in the hall, their arms immediately around each other as he pulled her close to kiss her before they headed downstairs. I knew that Jake needed Sam's help, but I also knew that Sam would need to learn a great many things about acceptance from Jacob . . . I only hoped that it was possible.


	64. Chapter 64  Dinner & A Movie

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** I am in Daytona Beach for the start of Bike Week. Yes, I'm a grandma and yes, I ride Harleys! - can't miss the annual **_run to the sun_**! Had this chapter ready for next Tuesday, but, like Christmas, I can never wait . . .

**Chapter 64 Dinner & A Movie**

_I knew that Jake needed Sam's help, but I also knew that Sam would need to learn a great many things about acceptance from Jacob . . . I only hoped that it was possible._

**BPOV**

When Emily came back downstairs, I insisted we go into town to get some things for her. Edward had a fit. He didn't want me anywhere near town again and it was under protest that he finally realized that I was going and he could just come with me if he wanted.

We walked to the garage and got in the Volvo; Emily, Edward, Sue and I. Rosalie, Alice, Carlisle and Esme followed in the Mercedes leaving Emmett and Jasper to go hunt. They were going to need patience and it was easier when they were not thirsty. Edward needed to hunt as well and promised he would when we got back home, but he insisted on going into town with me. I couldn't blame him. Though I knew his family would protect me, I always felt safer with Edward.

My family stayed on pins and needles while we were in town, apparently smelling Victoria everywhere but never hearing her. Alice made quick work of gathering items for Emily to try on and soon we had a few outfits that she was thrilled over and looked great on her. I helped her to choose some sleep wear and insisted she get some comfy sweats and t shirts, as well as socks, a change of shoes and some undergarments. We had the girl at the register put things in bags so that Emily wouldn't notice just how many things Alice was gathering and I had already swiped my credit card, paying for all the charges. Emily stepped to the register to pay for her purchases only to find, much to he distress, that they were already paid for and in bags, ready to go. She had done enough simply by coming with Sam and there was no way I was letting her pay for anything. Unlimited funs made some things much easier.

Edward and I went with Alice to the maternity shop just next door to see if Alice's order had arrived, but we were told it should be on their shipment arriving Monday. With the shopping out of the way, we took Emily by Sweet Treats on the way home to get ice cream. No one in the Cullen family minded this trip to my favorite shop because both Emily and Sue knew they didn't eat. They had no need of making a purchase or acting like they were consuming what to them was a vile concoction and were free to just enjoy sitting outside on the patio and enjoying the scenery and the afternoon.

Neither Sam nor Jacob had returned when we got back to the house, so Carlisle and Edward decided to go hunting and then look for them. Everyone else stayed quite close to home, still on the lookout for Victoria. I had explained to Emily that a couple of vampires that did not adhere to the diet favored by the Cullens were roaming about with a vendetta against me and she seemed to then appreciate the presence of all of Edward's siblings even more.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else, love?" Edward asked again as he unloaded and put away the groceries for me.

"No, sweetheart, you go grab some dinner. You haven't hunted since you were out with Jake on Wednesday . . . now go," I said kissing his soft lips and pushing him towards the door where Carlisle was standing, waiting for him. He put his arms around me and really kissed me, making me hate for him to leave as much as he was reluctant to go. "I won't be long, unless we run into Jacob. I'll call if we do," he said as they left.

"Is he always that overprotective?" Emily asked. She was taken back by the fact that Esme, Sue and I all said "yes" at the same time, and with the same exasperated tone in our voice. I couldn't help but laugh, which caused laughter all the way around. "Edward tends to go overboard, especially on being protective, Emily. He is getting better about it, but the fact that there is someone trying to hurt me right now brings it all to the forefront again," I told her, "Edward is kind of known for over reacting to things."

"Yes, dar, he has always gone for overkill in everything he does. Enough about Edward, He's out getting his dinner, meanwhile dinner for four, coming up!" Esme said as she started taking things from the refrigerator.

"I can do that for you, Esme. Bella doesn't have to cook and I know you don't eat," Sue offered.

"Oh, it's fine, Sue. I cook for Bella all the time . . . I rather like it to tell you the truth. It makes me feel like I'm taking care of her. It's not like I can fix dinner for my children," Esme said laughing, "I can't serve up a live mountain lion or deer on a plate!"

I almost doubled over at the vision that came to my head of her trying, though. I actually had to sit down I was laughing so hard. Esme looked smug that she had made me laugh but Emily looked shocked. I could only imagine that she was surprised about how flippant I was over my new family's _diet_.

We all helped prepare a wonderful meal of baked chicken, rice and fresh steamed vegetables. Esme was so cute, always insisting that I eat well, now that I was pregnant. It was only an excuse, she tried to stuff food in me well before she knew anything about the baby.

"Anyone up for a chick flick?" Rosalie asked, holding several new DVDs in her hand and gesturing to the living room.

"Great idea! I love watching movies and Sam never just wants to sit and pay attention when it's a love story and there is no fighting or action in it!" Emily declared.

"Emmett is the same way," complained Rosalie. I swear I don't know how Bella and Esme get Edward and Carlisle to watch with them, but they always do.

"Oh you do so, dear. It's all in the incentive," Esme grinned and winked at us.

"Mom! Please! That's just gross," Rosalie cringed. Apparently Esme promising Carlisle something sexual was more than she wanted to think about.

Rosalie and Sue sat on the sofa with Emily while Alice leaned her back against it, sitting on the floor. Esme sat on the love seat and I chose to sit in the chair to one side . . . much easier to get up from! The evening passed with the six of us laughing and some of us crying at the film we were watching. I had never really had slumber parties growing up, but it seemed as though if I had, it would have been similar to this . . .

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"Just put her in the damn car, Riley," I told him as he shoved her down across the back seat and slammed the car door.

"Why the hell do you want to take her home with us, Victoria? It's just stupid," he ranted.

"She is not dinner, Riley," I told him for the hundredth time as he stared at the mousy little brunette. He had hit her so hard that I could only hope she would wake up. Idiot. "You have to learn some control and having her around to tempt you will help you to learn to be around humans, baby, without always having to drain them," I said in my most sickeningly sweet voice. I needed the little prick for just a few more days, then I could be rid of him. Thank God! He drove me crazy.

I sat in the passenger seat as Riley drove us back to South Carolina and to the house we had been staying in for the last month or so. It was a really nice house, complete with flat screens in every room and jacuzzi tubs to indulge in. I could not wait till I could afford to live like that all the time with no danger of the owner coming home and becoming a problem.

The basement had a sort of root cellar. I guess the owners thought it was cool or environmentally sound or some such shit, because there were two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom build down there with no windows. Perfect. It was the perfect place to keep this girl. Riley had to learn to control himself or I would never be able to keep Edward's girl alive long enough to convince him to do as I said, or to make her suffer.

The long brown hair on her head was matted against her face, undoubtedly from the blood flowing from the cut on her head, which only made it harder for him to control himself. Good. Served him right for hitting her d=so damned hard. "Take her down stairs and lay her on the bed in the room on the left, Riley, and bolt the door. Do not hurt her, do you understand?" I asked him.

"Yea, I got it," he said as he flung her limp body over his shoulder and headed into the house. Luckily we had parked in the garage so that there was no way his little display was seen by anyone, even if we had been in site of any other house near there . . . or the highway for that matter. I had chosen the house well. It accommodated our needs inside with the rooms in the basement making escape even less likely, even while we were away from the house and there was no other house for at least two miles in each direction. Perfect.

"Let's go make a run into town and walk around while she's still out. I need to keep our scents on all the walkways and paths there to confuse them when I take her," I said, more to myself than to anyone else as I grabbed the keys and Riley followed me to the car.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV **

I pushed against Sam's shoulder, shoved him really, repeatedly until he got the message to run into the woods and leave the vampires be. Even Bella had been there watching and she didn't need to get upset about anything if it could be helped.

Damn it. I knew that Sam had a short fuse, but he had just gotten here and there he was, phased into wolf form with Edward crouched ready to spring and six other vampires there to back him up. Idiot. Here I thought that Sam was here to help me, to teach me how to regain my human form whenever I wanted to. Shit.

We were a few miles back in the forest when Sam stopped and turned to me.

"So how the hell did this happen, you associating with leeches?" Sam asked.

I looked around, but there was no one there. Edward was no where around to have translated Sam's thoughts for me. Nothing made sense . . . until I saw the smile on Sam's mutt face and heard his voice in my head again.

"That's right, Jake. The pack can hear each others thoughts when we're in wolf form. I don't have to phase back to help you figure this out," Sam told me.

"What the hell" I thought, "You can hear what I'm thinking?"

"That's right, and you can hear me can't you?" Sam asked.

"Hell yea, I can hear you. At least there is one cool thing about this wolf shit. I was beginning to think the vampires had all the cool skills like Edward reading minds and shit," I told him.

Sam immediately stiffened and growled at me, "Never, _ever_ compare anything about us to those bloodsucking parasites . . . understand, _never_! I'm going to have to calm down before I can even talk to you about why the hell you are here with them, _staying with them,_ Jake. Have you lost your mind?"

"Edward is my friend, Sam. My best friend next to Bella and I intend to continue to be friends with both of them. Hell, Sam, they are even funding me starting my own racing company. I have never met more generous, caring people," I told him.

"People? People, Jake. They are _not_ people, they are the _living dead_. Cold stones that walk and talk and feed off of innocent humans in the night. They're vampires, Jake. Vampires. _Godless heathens_ that deserve only to be ripped apart and burned. What the hell has gotten into you? Do you remember none of the legends, none of your heritage?" Sam spat at me while he paced back and forth along the forest floor, wearing a path there as he continued to seethe and fume at my choice of words.

"Alright, alright, Sam. Look, I'm a lot more used to talking about things when I have two legs and two hands, not paws. How about helping me learn how to phase back into human and then we can talk about all this," I said as I sat down and stared at him. I wanted his help to learn how to control this wolf thing, but his attitude about the Cullens was pissing me off. I knew he didn't like them, but he was taking it too far. Edward and Bella had been nothing but good friends to me . . . the best friends you could ask for and I was lucky to have them.

"Fine. But you bet we're going to talk about all this, this, friends with vampires and staying at their house and . . . shit I can hardly think it . . . Bella having his spawn!" Sam threw the thoughts angrily out there. That was it . . . the final straw. I enjoyed harassing Edward by calling him a bloodsucker and maybe I invaded their privacy by intruding while they were busy in front of the fireplace earlier . . . but the thoughts I was now privy to in his head were violent, murderous even.

"Tell you what, Sam. You phase back or what ever it is you do to be human again. I'm gonna go find Edward and get him to arrange a flight out of here for you tonight. Fuck you and your attitude. I left La Push for a reason and this just adds to it. I'm not dealing with you anymore, I'd rather just figure out this wolf thing on my own. You did it alone I hear and if you can fucking do it, I sure as hell can do it without your help," I said as I turned and started to run back to the house. I didn't need his shit. Edward and Bella had been good to me and they were my best friends. He had no right to talk about people that he didn't even know . . . asshole.

"Jacob, come back here," I heard Sam bellow at me. My paws seemed to just stop on their own, like I didn't control them any more. I had no idea what the fuck was going on. Sam loped up to me and looked me in the eye, "I came all this way to help you deal with the changes into wolf form and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Emily even came with me, risking everything by being around the Cullens and you can damn well be grateful. With her here, I'm going to have to sleep in the house with her, so we don't have that long today to work on this. Come on, I'll tell you what worked for me . . ."

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"I just don't know, Carlisle. Bringing him here might not have been the right decision," I said out loud as we finished off a small herd that we had sought, "He may cause more problems than he is able to solve. Even Emily knew not to let him come here alone."

"Well, thank goodness for that," Carlisle thought. I was usually the only one speaking when Carlisle and I had conversations and today seemed to be no different than any other day.

"From what Bella has told me about her and what we saw today, I'd say that Emily is quite level headed and experienced at keeping Sam in check, at least let's hope so," I said.

"It would seem so, son. He _imprinted_ on her, is that correct?" Carlisle asked silently.

"Yes. He was engaged to another when he saw her and knew that she was the one, at least that's how Bella describes it and how Jacob thinks about it," I replied, "Though I have no idea how imprinting works, it seems to give her somewhat of a large influence over him."

"It seems that way. In any case, let's hope so. Jacob may need him to learn to control his phasing, but Bella needs not to be upset any more before she has this baby. It's too close," Carlisle thought.

"I agree. Jacob inadvertently came back to the house today while Bella and I were making love in the living room. He didn't peek or try and look on purpose, but once he saw us he sat there and watched for some time. I didn't mention it to Bella for fear of upsetting her but I have given her my word that I would keep nothing from her. I have to tell her at some point, I just need to pick an opportune moment, maybe tonight when she is otherwise engaged and might not care," I mused.

"Well, son, right now you can use doctor's orders as an alibi. I do not want her upset . . . at all. If you can abstain from other activities, that would probably be good as well till Masen is born."

I laughed to myself, then realized that I had laughed out loud. "Dad, Masen is the one that insists that Bella _needs _me that close to her. He has promised to hug himself instead of fling his arms and legs out if he is startled and he even told me to tell Bella that he won't bite her, just like Daddy doesn't bite her," I said to my Dad, hoping he would not think I had lost my mind.

My father dropped the carcass that he had been drinking from and stared at me. His mind was absolutely blank, he was startled into complete absence of thought as he slowly came around.

"You're serious, son?" He asked out loud, "Masen talks to you about such things?"

"Yes. I have been working with him for a few weeks now and he has an excellent command of the language, though for him it is only thoughts and sounds. He is amazing, an absolutely amazing little creature, Carlisle. He is intelligent beyond all reason and he is already fiercely protective of his Mom . . . even insisting that his Dad make love to her because she _needs_ that feeling," I said, "Though I'm not at all sure how I feel about him realizing what we are doing."

Carlisle was stunned. Absolutely stunned. We had no more time to discuss it at the moment, as I heard Jake in the distance.

"Finish your food, bloodsucker, I'm heading in for leftovers," he was thinking loudly, almost shouting it at me in his mind.

I shook my head. "Carlisle, Jacob is heading to us to have his dinner. It seems he prefers our leftovers to killing his own prey, though I'm pretty sure Sam won't go near these," I gestured to our kills, "He's yelling at me to make sure we are finished before he gets here."

Carlisle just stood and shook his head thinking about all the changes that had occurred in the last year and how odd it was to have a werewolf devouring the deer we had drained of blood . . . no different I guess than bringing the kill home to Charlie last week, having faked killing it with a gun.

Jacob came into the clearing followed by a larger black wolf that was Sam.

"Hello Sam, Jacob." Carlisle said nodding to both of them as they came into view.

"Hi there, pup," I greeted Jacob as he came into the clearing. He loped over, nodding hello and helping himself to one of the doe's we had just finished draining, making several foul comments about my having called him a _pup_.

Sam was irate, he was furious that I had called Jacob a pup and that I had not reacted like I cared that Jake called me a bloodsucker. He was having a hard time accepting that we were just standing there and Jacob was eating our kill, while we did nothing about it. I wondered why he thought we would care if Jacob helped himself, it's not like we ate the animals flesh anyway . . . at least it would not go to waste and it saved Jacob the trouble of killing another animal.

It was then that I realized fully that Sam was privy to Jacob's thoughts, otherwise he would not have known about Jacob calling me a bloodsucker. Jacob continued to talk to me with his thoughts, regardless of the fact that his mouth was full.

"So, Sam here needs a ticket home . . . today," Jacob told me, "He is going to cause more trouble than he will help and I don't want him upsetting Bella. He's an asshole, just like I thought he was when I was in La Push. He's too busy trying to talk me into coming back there with him to be the Chief and trying to get me to turn on you guys and take a couple of you out before we go. Especially you, leech."

I couldn't stifle the growl that came from within me at that idea. "I'll take care of getting Sam and Emily a flight home tonight as soon as I get to my computer, Jacob. I'm sorry it didn't help you. I had hoped . . . "

"Who the hell said I was going home?" Sam shouted at me mentally. I turned toward him and answered, "Jacob seems to think you should leave and Jacob's opinion is the one that matters here, Sam." He looked floored, completely taken off guard in his mind as well. He wasn't used to being dismissed and he was determined that was not going to happen this time.

"Fine, fine. I'll just help Jacob. You bloodsuckers just stay the hell away and I'll finish teaching him how to control his wolf," Sam thought.

"That will be entirely up to Jacob," I said to Sam. "Right now, I'll get the flights arranged unless you tell me different," I said turning to deliver the sentence directly to Jacob.

Carlisle and I waited for Jacob to eat his fill, then we all helped to bury the remaining carcasses before heading home together. Sam had paced back and forth at the edge of the meadow the entire time Jacob had been eating, refusing to join him. In his words, "There was no way he was eating fucking bloodsucker leftovers." Jacob had simply told him to _suit yourself_ and eaten his fill as Sam watched and grumbled from a distance.

As we walked in the back door, we saw the girls all sitting around the television watching a movie in the living room. Some of them were crying. I was beside Bella at vampire speed, my arms around her with her sitting in my lap, asking her what was wrong. The other women seemed a mixture of sad and happy but all mentally crying . . . and the humans faces were all tear stained. It was the most confusing damn thing I had ever tried to decipher.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" I asked her, anxiously brushing her tears away with my thumbs as I held her face. I knew it wasn't Sam this time, I could hear his thoughts outside in the woods.

"I'm fine," she sobbed as she buried her face in my shirt.

"Bella, you're scaring me. Please explain," I asked her calmly, though every muscle in me was tensed and all of my senses were scanning everything possible for an answer to what was happening.

"The movie was just so good and it was so sad . . . they were so in love and they got to live happily ever after," she told me as she continued to sob, drenching my shirt. I had no idea what to do . . . I was dumbfounded. Was she alright or not? Did I need to end someone, or were they having fun? I have never in my life been so perplexed or so at a loss as to how I was supposed to be reacting. I went on the only thing that mattered to me. Bella was in my lap, her vital signs were fine and she had told me that she was alright. I would just have to wait for an explanation so that I could understand the rest.

Carlisle started laughing and I was sure the laughter was directed at me and my reactions. "Son, you just haven't been mated long enough to recognize the combination of a _chick flick_ and _girls night_. The results of combining the two can be dire, as we're seeing," he laughed.

Esme got up and put one arm around him and slapped his chest with the other, burying her face in his shirt as well, though there were no tears falling down her cheeks. "Take me home, I need you to hold me," she said as she led him to the door, the both of them murmuring goodnight to all.

"Emily, Sam would appreciate it if you would bring some of his shorts outside to the trees in back of the house so that he can dress," I conveyed the message that Jacob was screaming at me. Apparently Sam was going to behave himself and come inside, at least for now and probably because Emily was in here with all of us and that made him nervous.

"I should refuse and just make him walk his bare ass in here after the way he acted," Emily said.

"Emily," Alice laughed, "For the love of all that is holy, don't make me see your husband naked. There is way too much naked involved in this family as it is!"

"Alright Alice," Emily snickered, "But only for the benefit of protecting the innocence of your eyes."

"Ha! Like you could make that happen," Rosalie chimed in.

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

What the fuck. Who turned the entire fucking world upside down and stuck me in it? Vampires married to humans, having babies together, werewolves eating vampire leftovers and being best friends . . . what the hell was going on around here?

From what I could gather, on top of it all, there were two vampires that we _apparently all agreed_ on that were worth killing, that were trying to kill Bella! I needed to go home. This place was fucked up. Jake could keep his bloodsucking leech friends and their rogue enemies for all I cared. If Bella was stupid enough to mate with a vampire . . . let him put his hands all over her and God knows what else, then she deserved what she got. Fuck her. Fuck all of them. I just wanted to get Emily and get the hell out of here, the rest be damned.

Sue could tell the council whatever the hell she wanted, I was done. They could throw me out for refusing to help Jake and Em and I would move somewhere and have our own lives . . . hell that's what Jake had done and it apparently was working for him. He was starting his own business and racing bikes that he loved, that wasn't a bad life.

Thank God. Here she comes, now we can get our things and leave this madness . . . they can have it!

"Sam, where are you?" Emily called to me. She had my shorts in her hand and she looked as though she had been crying. Shit. I couldn't take her tears and she knew it. I walked up to her and nuzzled her face in my fur, drying her tears and trying to comfort her. Her I did care about. Her I would do anything for . . . anything.


	65. Chapter 65 New Years Weekend

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 65 New Years Weekend**

_What the hell. Who turned the entire world upside down and stuck me in it? Vampires married to humans, having babies together, werewolves eating vampire leftovers and being best friends . . . what the hell was going on around here?_

_Emily . . . I walked up to her and nuzzled her face in my fur, drying her tears and trying to comfort her. Her I did care about. Her I would do anything for . . . anything._

**Sam POV**

I backed up a bit and called to Jake to pay attention to the feelings I had and what went on when I phased back to human. I had tried several times today to explain it to him, but showing him seemed to work the best. As I phased back for the third time today, he seemed to grasp a thread of something in it . . . I sure hoped so. I was out of here just as soon as I could get Emily and I on a plane back home, unless I found out that her crying was the result of something I needed to tend to. It didn't seem like it though, knowing Emily it seemed like she was crying from being happy. I had never understood it, but I was used to it by now and it no longer alarmed me like it once did.

I slid my shorts on, anxious to make sure she was alright and to let her know that we were leaving.

"You okay, babe?" I asked, putting my hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes as she hugged her arms around me.

"I'm good. Just a movie we were watching," she said as she used one hand to wipe her face dry.

"Hi, Jake," she said as she noticed him walking from the woods toward us, "Guess you didn't quite calm down enough yet, huh. Don't worry, it took Sam a couple of weeks but with his help I'm sure you'll get it sooner, Paul and the others did it in a week or so," she told him as she scratched his head.

"Well, he'll get it on his own. We're going home," I told her as Jake shook his head up and down.

"Why would we go when clearly he's still in wolf form and you came to help him learn how to control it?" she asked.

"I'm not staying here. Vampires for friends? Jake can damn well learn on his own if that's the life he wants. Edward and Carlisle killed a few deer out in the woods today, the fucking parasites drained the blood from the animals and Jake here walked up to them and finished off some of their kill . . . ate after them, Emily!" I told her, almost yelling. She looked at me, then smiled at Jake, who had the stupidest grin on his face. Even in wolf form it was obvious he was laughing.

"Well that just makes good sense. Good thinking, Jake. No point in wasting food is there?" Emily said, laughing with Jake.

"Fuck that!" I said, incredulous, my agitation showing clearly in my erratic movements, "They're _vampires_, Emily!" She stood looking at me like I was two and she was explaining potty training to me . . .

". . . and you're a werewolf, Sam! This natural enemies thing is ridiculous. You have a responsibility to help Jake. I'm going inside. You can come with me and sleep indoors . . . or stay here. Suit yourself," she said as she turned and headed back into the fucking house. Damn it. I was going to have to go in, I couldn't let her stay there alone and unprotected.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," I said as Jake walked toward the house with me.

**EPOV**

I turned my attention back to Bella. I still didn't understand all the tears, but Carlisle seemed to and I supposed it would be explained to me at some point. Regardless, it seemed as though everyone was alright and there was no need to harm anyone for upsetting my family.

Carlisle and Esme headed home and Emily was outside with Sam and Jake and Sue had joined them. Rosalie and Alice were about to go and grab themselves some dinner, leaving Jasper and Emmett to fight over who got to play which video game. I couldn't argue with them, they were doing me a favor hanging around to help protect Bella and they couldn't always just stay outside and watch.

I helped Bella clear away the snacks that she and Emily had been eating while the movie was on and we tidied up the kitchen in the process. I was just finishing at the sink when Bella came over and put her arms around me. I turned to face her and leaned against the counter, her body leaning against mine as I hugged her to me.

"Sorry I scared you with the tears," she said quietly.

"It's okay. I didn't mean to overreact, I just want you safe and happy, love," I told her as I kissed the top of her head, hugging her to me.

Emily opened the patio door and she and Sue came into the kitchen followed by a very tense Sam with Jacob sticking his head in as well. Neither Bella nor myself made any move to stand, but continued to rest against the counter, Bella hugged closely to me.

"Yes, Jake. Rosalie put the biggest one she could buy on the patio. Yes. You can come in if you want, you know. No, I just got back and we were straightening up from the girls dinner. I haven't made the flight arrangements yet, but I will shortly," I answered Jake's mental questions. I turned to Bella, "Jake says good night, Chica."

"Night, Jake," she said without letting go of me as we leaned against the sink.

"Emily, Sam, do you have everything you need?" Bella asked our guests.

"I do, Bella, and thanks again for the clothes and the hospitality. The bedroom you have us in is just gorgeous. I'm sure Sam will agree if he ever makes it there," she said laughing as she turned to stare at her tensed, tight lipped husband.

Sam's mind was running a hundred miles an hour, though he was trying to control his thoughts. He didn't really believe that I could read minds, but he had no other explanation for some of the things that had happened today.

I took my time, starring at him, then answered some of his concerns -

"Jake has a thick mattress on the patio that Rosalie got for him, Sam. He prefers it, to sleeping in the woods or sleeping in the house. Yes, of course I hug and kiss and make love to my wife . . . it is indeed my baby she's carrying and yes I will arrange the very first flight out for you both, as soon as I get to my computer."

Emily looked at me like I was nuts, and Sue kind of laughed to herself, ducking her head to hide her amusement.

"He can read minds, Emily," Sue explained, "You get used to it after awhile. He answers questions before you verbalize them all the time. Except for Bella, he can't read her mind."

"What's this about plane tickets, are they leaving, Edward?" Bella asked.

"Jacob asked me to arrange the first flights out for them, love. Jacob wants Sam to leave," I told her, returning my gaze to Sam.

Emily's jaw was set and her face reflected what was going on in her mind - she was frustrated with Sam and determined to help Jake. "If you don't mind, Edward, I'd like to stay. Apparently Sam has been an ass and I'm not saying I can help like Sam can, but I have talked to the guys extensively about a lot of this and I could tell him what I know. It might help," Emily offered and Sue nodded in agreement.

"There is no way I am leaving and you staying here unprotected, Emily," Sam roared at her, astounded that she would suggest such as thing.

Jacob howled, insisting I translate.

Jacob says to tell you that she isn't unprotected. "Fine, fine, Jacob. Apparently he isn't happy with my translation. I saw no reason to be rude. His exact words were-"

_"She won't be unprotected, asshole . . . what am I, chopped liver? Edward is here as well and the other bloodsuckers. Emily is safer here than at your house."_

Sam started to shake and I read from his mind that he was remembering an incident where he phased too close to Emily and put those scars on her face. He needed to calm down. I would have to explain the thoughts they could not hear.

"Sam, Jacob didn't know that you hurt Emily," I gestured to the scars on her face. "His comment had nothing to do with that. He's right though, we are perfectly capable of protecting her and assuring her safety," I told him. He seemed to realize that Jacob did indeed have no way of knowing about the scars, the public story had been that she was mauled by a bear and Jacob, not having phased at that time, was not privy to anything to do with the wolf pack. He was, however, tremendously embarrassed knowing that I knew that he had hurt her himself.

"You, leech, are what she needs protecting from. I'm not leaving my wife here without me," Sam insisted.

"This is Jacob's call completely, Sam. Why don't you go outside and settle with him and he'll let me know what I need to do. If Jacob feels that you need to leave, you will need to leave, Sam. Simple as that. I trust his judgment on this and it's his word I'm taking that you will behave. My wife's safety is at stake here and you are the threat to her," I said and Sam huffed out the door with Sue and Emily following.

"Emily is really a neat person, Edward. She is so logical about all this," Bella explained, gesturing around her. I took it to mean all this between vampires and werewolves. She went to the refrigerator and took out one of the steaks that were kept there for her, taking it to the cutting board. I walked over and took the knife from her, cutting the meat into bite sizes for her.

"You're hungry again. Do you need anything else, love?" I asked her, kissing down her neck and hugging her to me.

"No, just this," she said as I handed her the bowl of cubes that I had cut. "Let's go up to bed, sweetheart," she suggested quietly.

"Of course, you must be sleepy, love, it's late," I said lifting her easily into my arms and closing the door to our room before she realized what had happened.

"Vampire, remember," I said in answer to the quizzical look on her face at how she had gotten upstairs in the blink of an eye. I turned on the light in the bathroom for her and told her I'd turn on the electric blanket so that she would be warm to sleep.

"Edward," she said coyly as she peeped from around the bathroom door, "I said I wanted to go to bed . . . not that I was sleepy . . ."

**Emily POV**

I walked outside with Jake and Sam, Sam phasing back to wolf almost immediately so that he could talk to Jake. After a few minutes of what looked like snarling and pawing at each other, Sam's human form walked towards us.

"Fine. I'll behave around them," he said, gesturing toward the house. "Only because you're here and I won't leave you alone with them."

"Whatever it takes to have you act civil, however you want to justify it in your mind, I don't care. Bella is my friend and I imagine there are quite a few complications to having a baby with Edward and being pregnant with his child. I like Bella . . . she's my friend, Sam, and I won't have you upsetting her in her own home," I said firmly, "I mean it."

"She's right, Sam. I've asked you to behave as well and consider the request as coming from the council, not just me personally," Sue added.

"Why the hell everyone is so worried about her and that spawn she's carrying . . . I have no idea. The thing is an abomination and it should be stopped before it's born and hurts someone," Sam said callously.

"You are sleeping in the tub, on the chair . . . anywhere but with me. Why you think Jake or Edward or me for that matter will put up with you calling the child she's carrying a _spawn _or an _abomination _I just don't know. I suppose when we have children you won't mind if people refer to me being pregnant with _puppies_!" I said, my hands on my hips.

"I would kill anyone that said that, Emily, and you know it," Sam said coldly.

"Oh really? Yet you expect Edward to act differently about his child?" I told him as I closed the patio door and headed upstairs to bed.

We had just gotten to the top of the stairs when the sounds coming from Bella and Edward's room became audible. They were obviously making love . . . and Bella was obviously enjoying herself immensely. I thought Sam was going to loose it, the look on his face was priceless.

"Well, I guess the question of whether or not he can kiss her and make love with her is off the table, isn't it?" I smirked as Sam growled. Sue just smiled a kind of knowing grin.

We walked to the end of the hall and said goodnight to Sue, before I reached across the hall and opened the bedroom door to show Sam into our room. Even he had to admit that it was a beautiful room, though the first thing he did was to lock the door that led to the hallway and check to see that the windows were locked as well.

Jacob was apparently in the woods outside the window as I heard Sam mutter something to himself about how stupid the boy was and how the hell was that boy ever going to become the tribal chief, along with other not so nice thoughts.

"Baby . . . please. I want you to leave here tomorrow, I just don't feel comfortable with you around all these bloodsuckers. They could break at any time, you know. Just because they say they feed off of animals doesn't mean that one of them couldn't slip and you need to not be dessert," Sam said as he snuggled into me under the covers.

"How old is the treaty?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.

"We have no good way of checking, Emily. They could vacation in Europe and have Frenchmen for lunch for all we know," Sam said defensively.

"Sam. Seventy years and no break in the treaty. Seventy years, Sam. Let it go. I feel perfectly comfortable with them. Bella trusts them so I can, too," I insisted, "End of discussion. You want me to leave here, teach Jake what he needs to know and the minute he has it, I'll leave. Okay?"

"I apparently have no choice, so okay Em . . . okay," he said finally as I drifted off to sleep.

**EPOV**

Rosalie. Damn it. I really wanted Bella to sleep at least a little. She had insisted on making love long into the night last night, never seeming to be able to get enough, each time wanting just a little more, a little harder, a little longer . . . her climaxes lasting longer each time. It wasn't that I was complaining, oh God no, it was just that I worried about her health . . . and Masen's. I wanted her to get her rest and I knew if she were woken up, she would want to play again. I quietly got out of bed and walked down the hallway.

"Rosalie," I called to her as I peeked into the room she was turning into a nursery.

"Good morning, brother. Sorry about the noise, I guess I sat that dresser down just a little harder than I intended. Esme and I finished the painting and I wanted to surprise Bella by having it finished before she woke up this morning. Since we aren't having to move like snails to humor the humans, I carried in all the furniture myself. What do you think?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

I stepped into the room and it was just beautiful. The color theme of greens and blues mixed with the dark wood furniture was just perfect. I knew that Esme and Rosalie had finished the nursery at their house as well, though they were waiting to finish this one so that they could show Bella both of them at the same time.

"She's going to love it, Rosalie. Thank you for doing this for her . . . for us," I told her quietly.

"You're welcome, brother. Mostly it's for my nephew. I just can't wait to have him out here where I can hold him and play with him!" my sister exclaimed.

Emily poked her head in the door, the noise having woken her as well. "Oh my, Rosalie! This is just beautiful! You did this?" she said gesturing to the room.

"Well, Bella picked out the room design from several that Esme and I did for her, but we just painted it and brought in the furnishings and curtains last night. You think she'll like the finished result?" Rosalie asked.

"She will love it!" Emily answered, giving the reply that I'm sure Rosalie was hoping to hear, "Who wouldn't?"

I went downstairs to find my Mom cooking breakfast and I walked over to her to give her a hug.

"What's all this?" Mom asked.

"Just thank you for always being here for me, Esme. You've been more of a Mom to me than anyone ever could have and I just want you to know I love you," I told her. I thought she was going to cry. Had I really been this negligent of my family that they didn't know how I felt about them? I of all people had the ability to know that, but I wasn't sure it was something I would want to face. Esme's thoughts were kind, telling me that she understood how hard the last few years had been on me and how happy she was for me now that I had Bella and she and the rest of the family had me back with them, like I was some kind of prize possession.

Bella walked into the kitchen smiling and saying, "Well, I see I'm not the only one getting hugs from you, sweetheart!"

"Good morning dear, breakfast?" Esme offered, gesturing that she sit down at the counter.

I was hugging my wife before she realized it, startling her somewhat as I nuzzled my face into her neck. "Have you not had enough hugs from me, Mrs. Cullen?" I asked her playfully.

"I never have enough of you, Mr. Cullen," she replied, discreetly rubbing her body across the front of my pajama pants making it impossible for me to let her go for fear of my mother seeing my very apparent erection straining to break free of the pajama pants I had thrown on when I went to check the nursery earlier.

"You are in so much trouble for that," I said, pressing my hardened length tightly against her and whispering in her ear, knowing full well that Mom could hear me.

". . .and you are in trouble for getting out of bed before I woke up this morning, sweetheart. I told you I can't sleep without you touching me, when are you ever going to believe me? I came down here to find you and drag you back to bed," She said coyly.

"Well, how about eating breakfast beforehand," Esme smirked, "You'll need energy for all that dragging."

We both laughed and I kissed her good morning, excusing myself while Mom's back was turned preparing Bella's plate of food. I thought some soft music might be nice, so I went to play the piano while they ate. Sue and Emily came down shortly and had breakfast as well, all apparently enjoying Esme's cooking.

I continued to play for a couple of hours, the ladies coming in to sit on the sofa and drink coffee as they seemed to enjoy the music. Sam came in and, though Esme offered him breakfast, he refused and chose to stand silently behind the sofa where Emily sat, his hands on her shoulders.

Alice flitted in with Carlisle and Rosalie's thoughts upstairs told me that she had put the finishing touches on the room and was ready to show it to Bella. Carlisle was here for the big unveil, then he wanted us to go to the hospital with him for another ultrasound while it was Sunday and the machinery was not in use.

"Bella, we have something to show you," Rosalie said as she came into the room.

Bella squealed, knowing full well that it was the nursery Rose was referring to. "Yes, yes, yes. It's finished, isn't it?" she said jumping to her feet - well, struggling to her feet was a more apt description. My wife's belly was quite large at this point, especially on her petite frame.

"Calm down, love," I said going to stand by her after helping her to finish getting to her feet, "Yes, they have finished the nursery."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bella asked as she headed toward the stairs. Silly woman, as if she actually thought I would let her walk up the stairs and me not carry her.

Needless to say, she loved the room and Esme, Rose and Alice loved the fact that Bella was so excited about it. Sue and Emily couldn't say enough about how beautiful it was and Carlisle and I watched as the women went nuts over the items of clothing and blankets and everything else in the world that the baby could possible need that Aunt Alice had shopped for.

Sam hung out in the hallway, he had become more tense with each family member that had arrived and it was easy to tell that he was on pins and needles, even though Carlisle and I had purposefully tried to be nonthreatening, allowing our backs to be to him. I just made a point of always being between him and Bella as I was uncomfortable with his thoughts about our child.

Bella and I left with Carlisle, Esme and my sisters coming with us to see the view of the baby as well as to protect Bella, just in case. Sue and Emily went out back to work with Jacob and Emmett and Jasper took the opportunity to go hunting and make a couple of circles around the town to see if they could pick up Victoria's scent outside of town and discover where she was staying.

"Well, you know the drill," Carlisle said as I lifted Bella onto the exam table and she pulled up her shirt and lowered her pants to expose her belly. She had the standard line up the center and a few stretch marks, but all in all she was handling the pregnancy better than I had ever hoped for, although Carlisle was not happy that her blood pressure had risen somewhat and she was becoming slightly anemic, despite the amounts of steak she was consuming and the vitamins he was giving her to take.

The screen clicked on and the cold lubricant on Bella's stomach elicited the same yipe from her as always, but this time was different. This time Masen was awake and aware that we were focusing on him.

"He's so beautiful," Esme declared as his face came into focus. Masen smiled, exciting Bella to the point that her blood pressure spiked to an alarming point as I massaged her shoulders and whispered in her ear to calm her.

"Masen is interested in all the attention he is getting," I told Bella. "Masen, we are using a machine that lets us see you. We can see your features, your face and hands are showing right now. Can you put your thumb in your mouth for me? I want Mom to see that you do understand me," I asked, speaking in a normal voice with my hand on her belly.

Instantly, his thumb was in his mouth and he smiled.

"Coincidence," Carlisle said, not daring to believe the reality of what I had been telling him.

"Masen, grandaddy doesn't think you can understand me, Could you put the other thumb in your mouth for me?" I asked him calmly.

Everyone in the room stared in disbelief as the child removed the thumb from his mouth and switched to the other thumb.

"Oh My God!" Rosalie exclaimed as Alice just stood there and smiled. Her thoughts told me that she had seen how smart he was after he was born and this didn't surprise her in the least.

Bella was in tears. "Pretty baby, Mommy loves you, Masen," she said as she rubbed her belly affectionately.

"He says that he loves you too, mommy," I told her as her tears began in earnest.

"This is just remarkable, just remarkable," Carlisle exclaimed.

"Watch this," I said somewhat smugly, knowing I had been right about my ability to communicate with the baby, "Masen, please show daddy what you will do if you are scared or startled."

The child immediately drew his knees in and curled up into a tight ball, actually holding onto his knees. He smiled a huge smile, showing a full compliment of milk teeth.

"Bella, Masen would like you to know that he won't bite you. He says that daddy told him not to and he will make sure that even if he feels like he is being squeezed and needs to get out, he will wait for daddy to get him out. He doesn't want to hurt you," I told her.

"Thank you, son. I can't wait till I can hold you in my arms and talk to you. Carlisle, how much longer till he can be delivered?" Bella asked.

"Well, the best estimate I can give you is that we should deliver the baby within the next two weeks, and probably this week. We can't take the chance on Bella going into labor on her own and her measurements and the obvious signs her body is telling us, would indicate that she is about ready to deliver," Carlisle said.

Oh God.

So this was it, this was really going to happen . . . maybe even this week . . .

I was going to be a Dad.

Bella had been right, we could do this . . . she could do this. I don't know why I ever doubted her. She instinctively knew me and what I needed better than I knew myself and it seemed she was going to be the same way with Masen. Why the hell I thought she would be able to forget me, that she was better off without me I would never know, but I was happy to spend the rest of eternity making it up to her. My entire family had been there for me, but it was Alice that encouraged me to come back and Esme that pulled me out of the abyss when I thought that we would never find her. As for my brothers, I could never do without them . . . they teased me, supported me and pushed me all the time . . . even when it was annoying as hell.

This was only the first weekend of the New Year. Day two . . . and so much had changed. Just in this weekend, my siblings had chased Victoria through rown and into a car wreck, Charlie had left and left us with the knowledge of his relationship with Sue, Sam and Emily had arrived to help Jacob, Renee had called and Bella seemed to have come to terms with letting go of her Mom if this delivery meant that we had to change her to save her. Carlisle had seen for himself the intelligence that Masen possessed and we had seen Rosalie soften, designing the nursery and waiting for her nephew to arrive.

We still had problems - Jake needed to learn control, Sam needed to learn tolerance and we did in fact need to end Victoria and probably Riley. I felt assured, though, that with my family around me, Bella and I would get through it all.


	66. Chapter 66  Hungers

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 66 Hungers**

**BPOV**

"Don't think I didn't notice," I said as we walked toward the car.

"Notice what, sweetheart?" I answered.

"Notice that you, Edward Cullen, got out of bed this morning and went downstairs before I woke up," I said sharply. "I had no chance at you this morning and I miss you. Especially certain parts of you," I said as I let my hand ghost over the front of my husbands jeans. He stiffened immediately.

"Bella," he said as he grabbed my hand, stopping me from causing an even larger tent in his jeans, "You do realize that my family can hear you, right?"

"I know. I don't care, sweetheart. Hormones," I said by way of explanation as we neared the car.

Alice and Rose lost it. I have to admit, the expression on the face of my up tight, turn of the century proper husband was priceless.. He was absolutely shocked . . . mortified that I would touch him in public with his family aware of it as it happened. If he could have blushed, he would have been an unhealthy shade of red.

"You might as well get used to it, son. Pregnant hormonal females have been known to do worse!" Carlisle said as he, too, took in Edwards obvious embarrassment even though it was a Sunday afternoon and we were alone in the parking lot, other than his family.

Edward held both my hands as we got into the Mercedes. Whether he was being sweet and protective or just protecting against another display of affection in public, I had no idea, but he was adorable none the less.

"Would anyone mind if we stopped and got pizza to take home? I'm kind of hungry and maybe Sam will eat something that we bring home as take out," I suggested.

"No, that's a great idea, Bella. Sam might eat something that you bought and brought home," Esme agreed.

There was a small pizza restaurant called Dunforgott's just off Main Street on the way home. I loved the place both because of the name and the fact that they rented movies and had a theater set up in their dining area, or rather they had tables set up in their theater. You could request a certain movie and watch it as though you were out at the cinema while you ate fresh hot pizza or calzones or bread sticks. It was awesome, and more so the more pregnant I became. Edward enjoyed it there as well because in the dimly lit theater he didn't have to keep up the pretense of eating and could just sit back and enjoy the movie while I enjoyed my food. Assuming that Sam ate like Jacob ate, I ordered an entire pizza for him and one for Jake, on the off chance that he had phased back to human form. Sue and Emily could easily share one so I ordered four, knowing that as hungry as I was, I would eat a whole one between now and bedtime.

Edward and I walked back to the car where Carlisle and Esme were waiting. Alice and Rose had walked into the restaurant with us, but now with Edward carrying four steaming hot boxes of delicious smelling pizza, they decided that rather than sit in the car with the smell of pizza they would just go grab some dinner and meet us at home. Funny how normal that sounded till you realized they actually meant that they would drain a small herd of deer in the woods on their five mile run home. Not that they didn't need to feed, but I knew the probable reason was that they didn't relish the thought of having to smell pizza in an enclosed car for the fifteen minutes it would take us to drive to the house.

Vampires and their sense of smell. I guess I could relate. The smell of blood used to make me ill . . . faint even. But not now. The steak that I had raw each day was delicious but . . . it was the blood I wanted . . . craved. I just couldn't bring myself to tell Edward how I felt. I had promised no secrets though and I knew that Carlisle probably needed to know because it undoubtedly said something about the baby I carried. Maybe I could ask somehow.

"Carlisle," I asked after we were seated in the car and headed toward the house, "you have changed four humans to vampires, right?" I asked.

Instantly the three vampires in the car stopped breathing and became almost statue still, apparently shocked at my nonchalant manner in asking.

"Um, yes, Bella. Four", he answered hesitantly . . . and Carlisle never said 'um'.

"When they first woke up, did they go and hunt themselves, or how did they get their first meal?" I asked as Edward cocked his head and stared at me.

"Well, Bella. They were all slightly different . . . different circumstances and we lived in different places at the time. I didn't quite know what to expect with Edward, and we were out in farm country and hunted deer and I believe there were cows in there somewhere . . . Esme as well. By the time I changed Rosalie, I had a better idea of what to expect. She had been so traumatized in death that I had drained a deer and brought the blood to her in a flask. Emmett, well, you know Emmett. He grabbed a bobcat right off the bat. Why do you ask?" Carlisle wanted to know.

I hesitated.

"Bella," Edward said softly as he rubbed my knuckles with his thumb, "What aren't you telling me, love?"

"I . . . well . . . you see I . . . , " I stammered, really not wanting to say this out loud.

"Are you worried about the birth, Bella . . . that you might have to be changed?" Esme asked, trying to comfort me.

"No, no, Esme. If anything, I'm anxious to become a vampire. Then all this _protect the human _stuff will be over and I can be an equal part of the family. Edward won't have to be so . . . _careful _with me. No, that isn't worrying me in the least," I assured her, as well as Edward. Though Edward had promised to change me whenever I wanted, he continued to worry that I would regret it one day and this seemed to be feeding his fears. I had better just come out and say it.

"Well, I was actually just wondering if there was a way that I could . . . "

I hesitated again and this time Edward was loosing it. His protectiveness was at an all time high and I now had him worried sick. I started speaking really fast.

"Okay, well, I know that Carlisle wants to know of any changes and I know it matters because it relates to the baby and it's probably hard to try and tell what Masen is going to be like anyway, having a human mother and a vampire dad but . . . "

"BELLA! Please, you're driving me crazy with worry! What's wrong, love? . . . just tell me, please," Edward begged. I dropped my head and looked at my hands in my lap, his thumb still gently rubbing over my knuckles, trying to comfort me.

"I was wondering if there was a way I could get what I'm craving without having to eat so much steak?" I whispered, knowing he would hear. He cocked his head to one side, not yet understanding . . .

"Edward, if I could just drink . . . not have to chew, I . . . ."

I needed to just ask him.

"Edward, could you just go hunt and bring me back something to drink. I'm tired of trying to get my fill from raw steak," I finally said.

Carlisle stared at the road and Esme kept her eyes forward as well, leaving Edward to hug me to him and answer my question.

"Absolutely, love. I'll go hunt for you as soon as we get home. I'm sorry about this craving, I know it can't be a pleasant thought for you. You don't need to ever be embarrassed about anything with me though. Anything," he insisted.

"Dear," Esme turned and said, "Even when I was human I had the strangest cravings, pickles with cheese and orange juice, chocolate sauce on my steak . . . you really shouldn't worry, or even be surprised by this. It is Edward's son, after all."

"Well," Carlisle said, "We can be sure that the baby is at least some part vampire."

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

So far it was a good year. Edward was back. Totally back and that was a hell of a difference from this time last year. Everyone had been so damned gloomy, even for New Years Eve! Carlisle and Esme had been so sad that they had gone off by themselves and not even partied and watched the ball drop on yet another year of our amazing lives. Jasper had been so fucked up . . . consumed with guilt over taking a snap at Bella that he was a pain in the ass to be with as well.

Yea, I knew that we had a couple of rogue vampires to kill, but I considered that a bonus. The dogs that were around, Sam that is, well . . . him I could do without. His wife was cool though and Sue seemed to be okay. Jake I could handle in small doses. He was kind of still hung up on Bella and that complicated things but as long as Edward and Bella were being his friend, he was cool to hang around with.

Then there was Bella. She had brought Edward and the rest of us to life, completing our family like no one else could. She had set Edward straight, forgiven Jasper and accepted the rest of us with no question. Not having her around had sucked. Leaving Forks had been the worst mistake our family had ever made, all at Edward's request. He was trying to do the right thing, I have to give him that. He wanted her to have a human life . . . which for the life of me I can not understand.

What the hell is so great about growing old? I thought aging was a negative, all the women seem to think so. Women spend how much time and money trying to keep from aging, from looking older? Not being able to grow old was all Rose used to think about like it was some prized possession that had been taken from her. What a load of bullshit.

_Oh no, I can't get wrinkles and grey hair and sag everywhere! _

_Let me just cry about having to stay young forever!_

Never understood the desire she had to grow old. Rose considered the fact that we were frozen in time, always perfect and young, to be a negative. Made no fucking sense to me at all.

I loved this life. Sure the thirst was a bitch, but after the first decade or so you learned to manage it well enough. I could play endless video games with reflexes that 15 year old game junkies only dream of . . . and I never got a cramp or got tired . . . no need for bathroom breaks, or even breathing unless I just wanted to.

Not needing to breath or go to the rest room or sleep made sex absolutely fucking awesome. Rose and I could go at it for days at a time, never stopping. Vampire stamina was the fucking way . . . one erection flowed into the next with almost no recovery time needed in between. How the hell do you beat that? And no worries about getting the girl pregnant . . . bonus! And suckage . . . oh my God . . . Did I mention that vampire women could suck the chrome off a bumper hitch? Done. I had heard the joke about suck starting a Harley, but I bet anything my Rose could do it!

And Harleys. Harley Davidson motorcycles. We all had fucking money to spend, thanks to Alice and Edward and Bella's influence had gotten Rose not only to allow me to have a motorcycle, but she helped to buy it as a Christmas gift. No, life was good just like we were, we had the world at our feet, traveling the world and watching the changes that decades bring. It was absolutely fucking awesome.

It seemed to me that if Edward really loved the girl, he would have _wanted _to give her immortality. Dude, it was a gift that anyone in their right mind would want. If you loved someone completely, wouldn't you want them with you always? If you had the power to keep them from ever being sick, ever growing old and dying . . . wouldn't you? Thank God for Bella. She set him straight on that messed up thinking of his that we had no souls. Bullshit we had no souls . . . and he knew that now.

"Have you had your fill?" Jasper asked, bring me out of my musings.

"What?" I raised my head to respond.

"Emmett, that's the fifth deer. Don't you slosh when you walk yet?" Jasper laughed.

"Yea, I guess I'm full. I just never seem to get enough unless it's grizzly. We need to make a spring trip to the Rockies when they just start to wake up . . . I love angry grizzly!" I exclaimed as I wiped my mouth. Jasper had just finished burying his kills and I had one left to bury when Jake walked into the clearing. It was kind of weird because Emily and Sue were with him, along with Sam in wolf form.

Jake walked over and nodded to the buck that was still laying just down the hill.

"Dude, help yourself. We just buried the others, that's the only one left but you are welcome to him," I told him and he strode off towards it to help himself.

"Afternoon ma'am," Jasper said, nodding to Sue and Emily. Sam made a point of standing somewhat between Jasper and Emily and his mouth was curled up in a snarl. We must have been closer to the house than I thought for the girls to have walked this far into the woods.

"Dude, you don't want to go there," I spat at Sam, wanting him to back off.

"Just ignore Sam," Emily said, "I do. Are you two ready to head back to the house?"

"Yep, all done here. We can just leave that one for Jake. We made a lap around town already looking for Victoria, but nothing turned up. I guess we really should go run the perimeter again, just to check," I told her.

"Sue was telling me about her. She is the one that is after Bella, right?" Emily asked.

"That's her, ma'am," Jasper answered, "We have been after her since just before Christmas and she keeps alluding us, making all sorts of trails in town among the shops and stores but no trace of her scent leaving or entering town. She must seal herself up in a car with the windows closed to come and go for the scent not to be there at all like this."

"Yea, but we'll take her out. She won't be breathing air and walking shoe leather much longer. It's just kind of tense with her after Bella and the baby due and all . . . and now Jake deciding to get his wolf on," I said.

"Well, I don't think Jake _decided_ to do anything, Emmett," Sue said defensively.

"Right, right. You know what I mean," I explained.

Sue's phone rang, Edward was calling to check in. "Seems Bella has gotten pizza for everyone and they're on their way to the house, Emily. Are you hungry?" Sue asked her.

"Let's go. I'm never one to turn down pizza," Emily said. "Emmett, could you and Jasper walk us back to the house before you make your run to town?" Emily asked, "Sam could probably use the time to stay here with Jake . . . unless, that is," she said turning to Sam, "Unless you are going to eat with us."

Sam shook his head no and Emily gestured to me to lead the way home. Well, Sam lost it. He started snarling and having a fit, running off into the woods and showing back up a minute or two later in human form.

"Emily, you sure as hell are not walking off into the woods with two bloodsuckers and no one to protect you! Have you lost your mind?" Sam spat.

"Sam, I'll be happy to walk back to the house with you if you are eating with me, otherwise I'm going with Emmett and Jasper," Emily said with stoic determination, "I mean it Sam."

"Fine. I'll eat the damned food the leech lover bought. Fine by me, but you are never to be alone them," he said nodding towards me and Jasper, "You understand me!"

"Alright then," I said winking at Emily as she nodded at me. Women. She fucking knew that he would never allow Jasper and I to walk them through the woods to the house. I have to hand it to her, she got her way. Sam was having dinner with them!

"Jake, want to check for Victoria with us?" I asked him, seeing that he was licking his paws and had finished his meal. We three headed off together towards town and the girls and Sam headed back to the house.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I leaped to the balcony of our room, not wanting to advertise my presence in the house yet. I had excused myself an hour ago to go do something in the garage while Bella, Emily, Sue and Sam ate pizza in the kitchen while Esme tidied up and Carlisle checked out the evening paper by the fireplace. Rose and Alice were folding baby clothes and putting the finishing touches on the nursery.

I left the flask on the counter in the bathroom while I stepped off the balcony and headed to the garage so that I could enter the house through the door that led from the garage to the kitchen. I didn't know whether Bella was going to prefer to drink warm or cold, but I knew that fresh was always best.

"Sweetheart, can I borrow you for a minute when you finish eating?" I asked her as I came into the room.

"Sure," she said, wiping her mouth on a napkin, "What's up?"

"I just need your opinion on something upstairs," I told her, nodding to Sam who was standing stiffly at the counter beside Emily as he bit into a slice of pizza.

Sam's thoughts were murderous . . . again. He seemed to be loosing some of the edge to his thoughts though, if you could call that coming around and it did not go unnoticed by me that he had in fact come in the house to eat food at my home. An attempt at conversation on my part might not be rejected completely, so I gave it a shot.

"Sam, how is Jacob doing?" I asked as politely as I possibly could. He stiffened, pausing a minute before he decided on answering me, "He is doing well. It just takes time, but he'll be fine bloodsu . . . I mean Edward." His eyes cut to his wife when he made the slip, then choosing to use my name apparently at her request.

"Good. Thank you for being here, Sam," I said, not venturing to risk any more conversation since that had gone somewhat smoothly and I didn't think his patience or his tongue would be held for long.

"Okay," Bella said as she put her arm around me, having put her plate in the dishwasher. I lifted her bridal style off the floor and started toward the stairs.

"Why is it that you always need to carry me?" she asked giggling, "I can walk, you know. Pregnancy does not interfere with walking, Edward!"

"It does in my book, Mrs. Cullen," I told her as we got to the top of the stairs and I set her down. She immediately started towards the nursery, having assumed that Rose or Alice had a question for her. I took her hand and led her to our room, closing the door.

Her eyes opened wide, her expression one of surprise. "Yea! You're going to make it up to me for getting out of bed this morning without waking me," she said as her arms closed around my neck and she went up on her tip toes to reach my lips with hers.

"Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than kissing you but I thought you were . . . _thirsty,"_ I said, realization dawning on her. I led her to the bathroom and handed her the leather skinned flask that I had filled for her.

"This is what you wanted, right?" I asked. She looked at the container hungrily. Though she was timid, apparently embarrassed by her desire, she reached for it and took the cap off, inhaling deeply and appearing to savor the aroma.

I put my arms around her, seeming to make her slightly uncomfortable as I hugged her to me.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, love? Do you need a glass or ice or . . . what can I do for you?" I asked quietly. She stared at me out of the corner of her eyes and put the leather to her lips, drinking the liquid ravenously . . . almost like the demeanor a newborn would be expected to have.

She emptied the contained quickly, pausing between gulps only when she had need of oxygen. I watched as she lowered the container and wiped her lips with her hand, cocking her head at me before she leaned up and kissed me. Really kissed me, dropping the flask and her hands grabbing the hair that she loved at the nape of my neck.

The taste of her mouth was exquisite, the combination of Bella and blood being too much for me to even attempt to resist. Not wanting to put her down on a hard surface, I forced myself to carry her, legs wrapped around my waist, and lay her down on the bed. I had no more willpower or control beyond that and our clothing was in shreds on the floor instantly.

"Edward, I need you."

It was all I could do to check and make sure she was ready for me before I lifted her leg and pulled it over my hip as we lay on our sides facing each other. I could not easily kiss her from this position because of the baby bump, but I could easily tease her nipples and I sucked them gently into my mouth as I grasped her thigh, sheathing myself in her in one move.

"Bella, you're so soft and warm," I said as I thrust in and out of her in an almost reckless fashion, trying to match the ferocity with which she seemed determined to take me in. My wife wanted me badly. She was devouring me with an intensity only matched by me when I consumed her fluids. It was as if she _needed_ me, all of me. She came almost instantly, screaming my name and her body, causing me to come as well.

My attention turned back to her nipples as I panted and licked and held her close, pebbling her nipple with my thumb as I began to suck in earnest and began to receive fluid from my actions, nursing from her breast. The effect on me was the same as it had been before, I realized as I heard myself growling. I managed to resist the need to roll her to her back and pin her to the bed, snaking an arm under her to hold her securely to me, the other hand holding the breast that I was suckling.

It was more this time, more than ever before. Absolute unbearable ecstasy. There was no other way to describe it. The difference benefited Bella as the continual thrusts from my hips moved me in and out of her and seemed to drive her wild, the vibrations from my growls were strong enough to cause her to vibrate as well. Her body continued to spasm around me, pulling me farther and deeper into her than ever before. It was as though we were consuming each other, joining into one being. It was completely unreal in its intensity.

Whether a blessing or something to mourn the loss of, our coupling didn't last nearly as long as when I had nursed from her before . . . thirty minutes, forty? I changed breasts without prompting from her as she ran her nails up my back and into my hair, pulling me toward her. She kept screaming how much she loved me and how good I felt in her and begging me never to stop and to hold her tighter, thrust harder . . . I have no idea how I controlled myself and did not hurt her . . . but I didn't.

We never rejoined the others downstairs.

I never removed myself from her.

We slept, she and I, completely and utterly spent in each others arms.

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"Why the hell didn't you grab her?" I asked as he came to the car empty handed.

"Why, Victoria? Did you happen to notice that there were five of them with her. _ Five. _They never left her side. How the hell am I supposed to just grab her and get away when there are that many of them?", Riley asked, indignantly.

"Once you are in the car with her, they won't be able to track us. Her scent won't be traceable and we can get her away from them to give us the time I need with her", I told him.

"They come here every Sunday, for whatever reason. There has to be a way to distract them, create a diversion to give us time to get her away from them." I considered.

"Well, the ambulances pulling up to the emergency room here are loud enough if one came through when when was walking outside - but they cut their sirens before they actually get here. Damn, I just remembered that. If we snatch her from inside, we have to move too slowly so that we don't make a scene. They would have plenty of time to come after her before we made it to the car. Shit Victoria, how the hell are we going to do this?" he asked with a stupid puzzled look on his face, "All these people around might make it harder for him to notice your thoughts, but it makes it damn hard not to be noticed if I'm walking with a body thrown over my shoulder!"

"Don't hurt yourself thinking so hard, lover boy. I have an idea . . ."


	67. Chapter 67  Taken

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 67 Taken **

**Alice POV**

"It has to be the wolves, Jasper. I couldn't see her at all when she was off in Canada living with Jake. Now that she is here with us I get glimpses of her, but only when Jake is off doing something else. Sue and Emily distort things somewhat and Sam blurs her just like when Jake is with her. This is so frustrating!"

"Calm down, darlin'. No one expects you to see everything you know. It's not like turning on the TV," Jasper said as he lay with his hands folded behind his head, propped up on pillows on our bed. I continued to pace back and forth across the room.

Something had changed, something with Victoria but it was impossible to put my finger on it. I had only met her that once in the ball field and not even for very long then. I had chased her through town and we had cornered her by the lake, giving me the most insight into her mind, but visions that involved her were few and far between. She seemed to be able to avoid my scrutiny.

The only link between she and I was that friend of hers, Laurent. He had spent some time with our family in Denali. Irina had supposedly mated with him and was devastated when the wolves killed him last fall. That was my only clue. Irina knew how my gift worked and I wondered if Laurent had found out and explained it to Victoria. She had certainly been avoiding making decisions, at least firm ones that I could see.

"Let's go down to Edward's and see if they are up yet, darlin'. Maybe you and Edward together can figure out what's bothering you so badly," he suggested.

"We can in a few minutes, baby. Edward slept with Bella last night, and they are not awake yet," I told him.

"Honey, Edward sleeps with Bella every night. In fact, he's rarely more than a foot or two away from her and you know it. I still don't know how he gets close enough to have sex with her and still doesn't bite her," Jasper chuckled as he spoke.

"I don't mean that they are having sex, Jasper! Edward _slept_ with her all night last night. Emmett and Rose stayed with Carlisle to guard the house since I knew that Edward was out," I explained.

Jasper sat up cross legged on our bed, "He _slept_? All night?"

"Yes. Jasper, it seems that Masen has some powers that we have not fully realized. I've seen glimpses of it. Masen has the power to make whatever you want the most, something you strongly desire . . . happen. Something that you yourself are capable of, but haven't attained on your own. Edward really missed being able to sleep . . . now he can do it almost at will. Think about that, Jasper. He hadn't slept for 90 years and all of a sudden, with her he sleeps? Bella wanted Edward to be able to continue to be gentle making love to her and for her to be enough for him and look what's happened. The first few times they made love were extremely tense and difficult for him, but Bella became pregnant right away, Jasper. As the baby grew and matured, so has Edward's ability to be himself with her . . . yet not hurt her. I don't think that the control and restraint that our brother shows towards her comes only from him. I think he has had some help making that happen. He hasn't even destroyed any furniture since we got back from Rio!" I pointed out.

"That's a hell of a power, darlin'. Why hasn't it had any effect on the rest of us? Is it just Edward and Bella?" he asked looking puzzled.

"I think so. I think Masen is with Bella always and almost always close to Edward. Edward spends every night talking to Masen and teaching him to communicate. The child can place thoughts into Edward's mind now even before he is born," I said.

"Explain, please," Jasper asked, intently interested in what I was trying to tell him.

"Edward can read Masen's mind, you know that much. Edward speaks to him verbally and Masen answers in his mind, just like the rest of us do with Edward. The part that is different is that Masen has not only begun to be able to read Edward's mind, but he seems to be able to put thoughts there. I can't explain it much better. Edward is just figuring it out, but the child seems to be quite powerful and extremely intelligent," I mused.

"Well, we had no idea what to expect. Who thought a vampire could actually mate with a human and conceive anyway," Jasper exclaimed, laughing to himself as we headed down the path towards the house.

It was Monday morning and we passed Carlisle heading back home to get ready to go into the hospital. He liked to be there by seven normally, but today he seemed reluctant to leave Edward's house.

"What's wrong, Carlisle?" Jasper asked, noticing the tension in his face.

"Bella. I'm wondering if I shouldn't schedule the Cesarean section for today or tomorrow and take the baby. All indications are that he is ready, perfectly capable of surviving without her. I just have to be sure and there is no way of predicting it exactly," he said staring off into the forest. His eyes met mine, "I just want everything to go well, Alice. We can't loose her. Edward would not survive it . . . and neither would our family. Have you seen anything, Alice?"

"Nothing. I still see us all out on the lawn playing together, Edward and the little boy as well . . . and Edward is smiling. I just have no vision of Bella. I'm uneasy today as well, as though there is something I should be seeing that I'm not," I told him, my voice riddled with anxiety and concern.

"Well, Edward was just starting to wake up, so I felt okay about leaving the house. I'm glad you're headed down there, though. Esme is in the kitchen starting breakfast. Keep in touch today, I have my phone on me," he said as he continued up the path to our house. He had to get ready and get to the hospital.

"It's going to be a long day, darlin'," Jasper sighed as his arm went back around me and we continued to walk towards Edward's house.

"Long day here . . . but a good day with the stocks! At least I am seeing some things clearly, Jasper. As soon as the market opens, I have a great one day gainer for Edward to buy that is going to go ballistic before noon, then fizzle. I love it when it's a quick gain and then the opportunity is gone, makes my gift so fun to use," I giggled as we opened the front door.

"Morning dear," Esme called from the kitchen, "What's so funny this early in the morning?"

I literally danced into the kitchen, exclaiming my news about the investment I had seen.

It wasn't long before Esme had the kitchen filled with disgusting smells. I knew that coffee was something that humans loved to smell in the mornings but really, could it be more disgusting?

"Jasper, does any of this smell good to you?" I asked as he walked over to the stove with me.

"Nope. Smells like sour dirt. Not tempting at all," he agreed with me, watching the steam rise from the plate of scrambled eggs that Esme had just cooked with his nose scrunched up to avoid the smell.

"Morning everyone!" Bella called as Edward set her on her feet in the kitchen. They were both still in their pajamas, well, Edward had on pajama pants and Bella was wearing those nasty sweats that I had tried to throw away time and time again. Sweats and one of Edwards t shirts seemed to be standard to grab when she got up in the mornings, though I had personally bought her several beautiful maternity gowns and robes!

"Bella! Honestly, I don't even know how you managed to g_et_ pregnant wearing things like that," I said, gesturing to her outfit.

"Silly Alice, she wasn't wearing anything when she got pregnant," Edward teased, moving swiftly to one side to avoid the slap from Bella that he knew was coming.

"Edward!" Bella exclaimed as she turned beet red and looked at the floor, embarrassed.

"Clothing is overrated," Emmett said, walking in from the patio.

"What! Emmett Cullen, you just wait. It'll be a long time before I restock your wardrobe," I informed him curtly.

I turned to my brother,"Edward, I have some ideas for stocks, when the market opens today. It will be a short sale, over with by noon or so if you want to do it."

"I'm always willing to make more money for the family, Alice. Meet me in the library at quarter till, okay?" I asked.

"Will do. You could even call Phil on this one if you want to, it will be such a quickie! By the way, be sure to check the front porch before lunch, there's a delivery coming from your Mom, Bella, and they will wilt in the cold," I told them.

The mutt came into the room, following Sue and Emily, dutifully.

"Ready for some breakfast?" Esme asked, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Smells wonderful, Esme. It woke me up this morning and there are few ways better to wake up to than the smell of coffee and bacon," Sue told her as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Coffee, Emily?" Sue asked, "Sam?"

Emily replied happily that she would love some, answering that Sam would love some as well as she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

The conversation between the humans was warm and Edward and I joined in along with Esme, while Emmett and Jasper went to do what Emmett did best . . . play video games on the flat screen.

Edward went in to play the piano, undoubtedly feeling like Bella was safe from Sam with Esme and I in the room. Rose had gone back to the house rather than coming in as the big reveal on the two nurseries was today and she had some finishing touches she wanted to do to the one at her house.

"Sam, how is Jacob doing?" Esme asked as she put away the cookware. Sam glared at her, apparently not wanting to speak to any of us, but a look from Emily stopped him short from continuing to behave that way.

"He's doing just fine. It won't take him long to be able to control himself, once it clicks for him," Sam said, pushing at the food on his plate with his fork.

"Well, after we take care of a little business this morning and go see the nurseries, let's make a trek into town to pick up those items I ordered for you, Bella," I suggested.

"Alice. The baby is probably coming this week, why on earth would I need any more maternity clothes?" she asked.

"Bella . . . you need nursing gowns just in case and it isn't like your figure will just come back completely once the baby is delivered! Honestly. You'd think I was trying to scald you in hot water every time I try to get you to shop or buy clothes," I scowled.

"You know I love you, Alice," Bella said as she stood and gave me a hug, rinsing her plate and putting it in the dishwasher. "Thank you for breakfast, Esme. It was delicious. You have to stop me from eating so much or I am actually going to be too big to get through the door," she laughed and looked at me, "Of course then I would need all those larger sized clothes!"

"I just don't see that happening any time soon, dear. Besides, Edward would just put in extra doors!" Esme laughed.

"Am I being made fun of in here?" Edward asked as he put his arms around Bella and stood behind her, nuzzling her neck in front of all of us.

"No, sweetheart. Your Mom was just commenting on how thoughtful you are," Bella said, knowing full well that Edward had heard every word that had been said.

"Well love, Alice has some purchases we need to discuss in the market this morning. Do you want to make the buys?" Edward asked her.

"Of course yes. Let's go," she said looking at the time.

I filed into the office with Edward and Bella leaving Esme with Sam, Sue and Emily in the kitchen to finish their food.

"See, I said, typing in the codes and showing Edward and Bella the news releases on the company I was interested in. These shares of penny stock should go from thirty four cents a share to around three dollars before noon. We should make about a few hundred percent profit, if you want to call Phil in on this one," I told them. Bella started the transactions, deciding I guess for the first time how much we would be investing in a given stock. Edward nodded his approval as he waited for Phil to answer his phone. Edward keyed in the information for the family account and put in the buy order there as well. Luckily we had quite a bit of cash just sitting that could be used to buy.

"Phil," I heard him answer the phone, "Yes. Good morning. No, no we haven't but I appreciate the thought and I'm sure Bella will be thrilled. Yes, well there is a stock this morning if you have cash available right now in the account to use. Good. Yes. This one will need to be sold around noon today, but it should go to a few hundred percent increase by then. Yes, it's . . ."

I stopped paying attention. Bella had completed the transactions and I was more interested in the nurseries. "Bella, are you excited to see the nurseries?" I asked her.

"Of course, Alice, but I know they are going to be magnificent with you, Rose and Esme having done them. You need to not go overboard on clothing for Masen, Alice. I like tattered jeans on kids, as well as sweat pants and tennis shoes. You need to remember that," she scolded.

"Bella, you should be proud of me! I have not bought a single Armani, Gucci or Louis Vuitton anything for Masen . . . yet," I informed her, much to my dismay.

"Alice! There will absolutely be no five hundred dollar booties or outfits for my son. Period," she insisted, seeming to turn a shade more red than she had been.

Rosalie walked in the front door, signaling that everything was ready and we headed upstairs. I stuck my head in the kitchen to see if Emily and Sue wanted to come and see. Sam was just leaving with Jacob, who was sticking his shaggy head in the door, so the timing was perfect for them. We all headed upstairs, Edward insisting on carrying Bella, as usual.

I held my hands over Bella's eyes as Esme walked on one side of her holding her hand and Rosalie on the other. When we were in the middle of the nursery, I took my hands away and told her to open her eyes. There was not a single sound in the room except for the gasp of breath that Bella took in. Her hands flew to her mouth and she didn't move. Edward moved to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her waist, whispering in her ear.

"Bella, we're having a baby," he said to her.

She started crying . . . really crying with tears everywhere.

"Bella, we can change it," Rosalie offered, trying to comfort her. "Anything you don't like can go, right now. I can have it redone in no time at all, I promise!" Rose almost panicked.

Esme just smiled. It was one of those knowing kind of Mom smiles as she stood by the crib, waiting.

"It's just the most beautiful, perfect nursery any child has ever had. You guys are wonderful! Thank you so much, Rosalie. Esme. It feels just like I imagined it would feel . . . like a soft comfortable haven in the woods, the soft warm browns in the furniture combined with the fresh greens like ferns and moss and leaves and the soft blue color of the evening sky. It absolutely belongs in a fairy tale, just like the rest of you do!" Bella told us with tears in her eyes.

If Esme and Rose could cry, they would have been covered in tears as well as they all hugged each other, including me.

"Alice, are all these clothes for just one little boy?" Bella asked as she opened the closet.

"Yes, all for Masen. Not to worry, Bella, we have more clothes at the other house as well," I told her.

She soon saw that for herself as we _ooed_ and _ahhed_ over the various pieces in each of the two nurseries. We had walked up the path to Esme's house . . . well of course, Edward carried Bella. Apparently she wasn't allowed to walk on her own two feet if there was any incline or stairs involved at all. I quit counting the number of times that she hugged me or Esme or Rose. Edward seemed pleased as well but really, he would like anything that made Bella happy.

We walked back down the trail towards Edward's house with him insisting on carrying her, as if that surprised anyone! There were flowers on the porch, delivered while we had been at Esme's house. Bella picked up the card to read,

_Edward and Bella_

_There is nothing that we can buy for you that you can't buy for yourselves-_

_But we wanted you to know that we appreciate both of you and love you very much._

_Thank you for including us in your investments and in your lives._

_Hope all is well with little Masen._

_Hugs and Kisses till we see you,_

_Mom and Phil_

"How sweet was that! We have to remember to thank them when we call them to sell the stock," Bella told us. We went in to check on the stocks and see if anyone wanted lunch before we ran into town or if they wanted to wait till we came back.

"Let's go to Sweet Treats and have dessert first, then we can go get the clothes that Alice insists I need and come back here for lunch this afternoon. That okay with everyone?" Bella asked.

"Sounds like a plan, love," Edward said while he waited for the stock market to come on the computer screen he just turned on in the library. Bella got to do the transactions. She loved learning about the stocks and any fool could see that it thrilled Edward that she had taken an interest in finances. My brother and I actually had a lot of fun investing and I looked forward to including Bella in that. I was sure I could come up with an investment in France that required us to go to Paris to checkout!

"Well, thank you again for the flowers, Mom. I love them. Okay. Bye now," Bella said as she snapped her phone shut.

"Well Phil might recover eventually from the shock of making that much money that effortlessly, but I doubt Mom will. She had to go sit down!" Bella laughed, "That's what happens when you involve yourself in the world of Cullens!"

"Jasper, Emmett, do you guys want to go into town with us?" I asked, going over to the sofa to kiss my husband and check in with him.

"Darlin' if it's all the same to you, Emmett and I can just stay here and hold down the fort," Jasper answered.

"You mean play _Call of Duty_, don't you?" I asked playfully, ruffling his hair with my hand as he sat on the sofa and stared intently at the game on the big screen.

"Come on, sis. Let the man concentrate or he'll use you as an excuse for loosing his ass!" Emmett scolded, just as intent on his game.

"Just leave them, Alice. I'll go with you. Sue, you and Emily coming as well?" Rosalie asked.

"Come on . . . we can get ice cream . . .!" Bella acted like she was dangling the juiciest carrot in the world in front of starving rabbits.

"You are too cute," Edward said, grabbing her face and kissing her as he picked her up again.

"Edward, what's with the always picking her up? Honestly, you'd think she had no use of her legs the way you act," Esme fussed.

"Leave him alone! My husband likes picking me up. It's okay with me," Bella said as she tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him again, "Anyway, I like the extra benefits of being this close to him."

"Yes, we all see the results of being that close to my brother," Rosalie teased, gesturing to Bella's belly. Again she turned so red that I just wasn't sure it was healthy for a human!

Edward, Bella, Rosalie and I got into the Volvo and Esme drove Sue and Emily in her Jaguar as we headed into town finding parking spaces right in front of the ice cream shop. I guess there wasn't that much demand for ice cream in the winter!

Sue, Emily and Bella had great fun deciding on flavors, each one getting a different flavor so that they could taste each other's ice cream. Esme, Rosalie and I just sat on the veranda and watched the huge trout swim in the stream below the shop, not needing to fake eating anything. It was sensational!

Edward, of course, stayed an arms length from Bella the entire time, though I was sure he was glad to drop the pretense of having to lick the cones. When we finished, we got back in the cars and drove the few blocks to Main Street and were lucky enough to find two parking spaces in front of the cluster of shops that included the maternity store

My brother opened the car door and helped Bella out of the car and we all walked toward the row of shops, tensing at the ongoing smell of Victoria. It was always here, always on all the sidewalks and shop doors. It was as if she was purposefully trying to drive us crazy by having to smell her everywhere. Unfortunately, I had observed and discussed with the rest of my family, it also made tracking her movements in town nearly impossible as _everything_ smelled of her. If we could just end her and put a stop to all this nonsense. The sales girl greeted me, ending my musing and drawing me back to the business of clothing my little sister.

"Here, Bella," I said handing her the pants and comfy shirt that I had ordered, "Please try these on for me - I want the pants to be a little tight around the middle since you will be loosing that girth soon but the shirt should fit well in the shoulders," I explained.

"Wow, you had to have known that you could suck me in with how soft this shirt is, Alice. You know there is no other way you would ever get me in a pink sweater!" Bella laughed, heading to the dressing room. "Emily, can you come and help me with the buttons on the back of this shirt?" Bella asked.

"Sure," she said and headed towards the dressing room at the rear of the store.

Edward had already walked to the rear of the store making sure everything was alright, having returned to stand with me. Sue was looking at some of the racks of shirts and sale items near the rear of the store and Rose and Esme had found some picture frames that they wanted for the baby's room.

Our attention was immediately drawn to the loud crash in front of the row of shops we were in. From all the yelling and screaming along with the crushing sound of metal on metal, we ran out the front door to see that a black SUV had crashed into the rear and side of Edward's silver Volvo. Edward moved at vampire speed, the humans unable to see his movements as he made his way to the black car and back to stand beside me.

"Alice, Riley's scent is all in that car. They crashed a car once before trying to hit Bella and I, at the Pizza Parlor in Forks," he told Esme. Sue shook her head, seeming to remember the scene.

"Bella!" Edward exclaimed.

He moved like lightening to the rear of the store and the dressing room. We heard the rear door of the store tear off its hinges as he yelled for us.

We ran to the rear exit to find Edward frantic. He was moving with no effort, wasting no time in calling his brothers and father. If vampires could have heart attacks, Edward would have been a dead man at this point.

I looked into the dressing room and saw Emily on the floor and the clothing that Bella had worn in here today draped over the chair, or it had been before the chair had been knocked over.

Edward said, "Emily has been knocked out, but she should be fine. Sue, take care of her. I didn't see the car, but there had to have been one because the scent ends just there on the road, he said pointing to a spot in the alley just beyond the door." The alley had direct and easy access to the main highway beside us that went through town. Shit. No wonder they got away from here so fast!

"Edward . . . silver Volvo. They are in a silver Volvo . . . ," I exclaimed as a vision became clear in my head, "Victoria and Riley, they're both with her!"

"Rose you and Alice head toward Franklin and cut across the switchbacks, go a few miles then look at every single car that passes, just down by Mirror lake should be far enough. Victoria could be in one of them. I called Jasper already but call him back and tell him what you saw. He and Emmett can get to the Wallhalla Highway before anyone can possibly drive from here to there. Esme, let's cover the Horseshoe Cove Road. I'll call Carlisle to cover the Cashier's Road by the hospital. If they keep her hidden in a car to keep her scent and theirs from us, then those are the only ways out of town. They'll have to pass one of us and there is no mistaking Victoria."

"Hurry! . . . she has Bella . . . "


	68. Chapter 68 Frantic

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 68 Frantic **

**EPOV**

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

Those words played like a mantra, over and over in my head as Esme and I ran to cover one of the exits out of town. Fuck human pretense, we were through the middle of the crowd that had gathered around the crash outside and past the emergency personnel in an instant, leaping down the side of the cliffs to the valley at the bottom of Horseshoe Cove Road. We were there before there was any possibility that a car from town could have passed by.

"Esme, keep watch here, Carlisle hasn't answered his page and we have to get the other road covered - I can't wait," I told her, realizing that I was leaving her alone to look for a car with two vampires in it and she was the least agile fighter among us. It didn't matter. She could phone us and follow the car, we could be with her in minutes . . . all of us. A phone call from Jasper told me that Jake and Sam had shown up and were with them watching the Walhalla Road. They hardly needed four of them to take out two vampires, so he was going to stand watch with Esme.

I cut across the terrain and up the mountain side faster than I had ever moved in my life, heading well past the hospital and further out the Cashiers Road to head off any escape that way. Luckily that road followed the ridge and circled slightly towards me, allowing me to gain a great deal of distance by cutting through, like cutting the corner off a triangle. The South side of Whiteside Mountain was ringed by a cliff known by climbers to be the highest vertical drop cliff face on the East coast but my mind barely processed that as it took mere seconds for me to scale it and be across the mountain to the road.

Carlisle had not answered his phone or his page and it had been almost five minutes.

Five minutes.

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

Nothing.

"Alice. No, nothing. Yes, all roads are covered. Good idea, you're the closest. It's worth trying before more cars pass by and maybe the car they used has a distinctive smell, right, Rose can pick up anything like that if it's there. Call me. Jasper is with Esme, Jake is with Emmett. Five more minutes, they can't be speeding they'll attract too much attention," she hung up.

Alice would stay at the bridge down by Mirror Lake. Even if they took a turn off into a residential area, they would have to cross that bride to get out of town in a car. Rose was going to go back to the alley behind the maternity shop and see if the car had any kind of a distinctive odor or if there was a trace that she could follow before too many other cars and odors covered it up . . . if it was even there . . .

"Carlisle!" I called to my Dad as he came to stand beside me, still in his scrubs. He had obviously been in surgery, which explained why he didn't just pick up his phone like he normally did.

"I called and you weren't answering your page at the hospital, or your phone," I told him.

"I was in surgery, son," he explained. Just as I thought once I saw the scrubs. Carlisle always preferred slacks and a button down, never the informality of wearing scrubs around the hospital.

"How is it that you're here, then?" I asked, surprised.

"Esme."

Mom. It figured. She was a force to be reckoned with when it involved her family.

"Your mother called the hospital. She refused to take no for an answer when they told her I was in surgery. She told my staff that there had been an accident involving your car in town and she wanted me on the phone, now. One of my assistance came in to close for me and I took the phone call, leaving to find you here where she said you'd be. What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"We were in the maternity shop, Alice, Rose, Emily, Esme, Sue and I were with Bella. I checked the shop and there was no one there in the rear of the shop, the bathroom or the dressing room. Emily went to the dressing room with Bella to try on something that Alice had ordered. There was a crash out front. A black SUV ran into my Volvo, parked on Main Street, well, my car and a couple of others. It looked as though it rolled . . . or was tossed. I stepped out to the car and Riley's smell was all over it. By the time I ran back to the dressing room, Emily was out cold on the floor and Victoria's scent was all over. The back door was half off its hinges . . . and Bella was gone," I barely got the words out.

"Oh my God, Dad, she's gone. Victoria has her! How long before . . . I mean . . . ," I dropped to my knees, my hands on either side of me to keep me from falling over, "It's been almost ten minutes!"

"Son. They put her in a car. They had to be anxious to make a get away from all of us, that's surely what's on her mind right now . . . not anything else," he said standing beside me with his hand reaching down on my shoulder.

"I was supposed to protect her, Dad. I told her I'd keep her safe . . ."

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV **

After all the days on end of protecting her, watching the house, circling the town to try and find Victoria . . . how the hell had this happened. How the hell had she gotten a hold of my little sister?

I found Esme with no problem and not a single car had come down the road since she had gotten there or for a long time before that from the smell of the air around us.

Think. I needed a battle plan. This was what I was good at and I had to excel at it right now.

"Esme, you stay here and I am going to check all the houses with driveways off this road. As soon as I clear an area, you move up the road to that point. I'll let you know when to move," I told her as I took off, calling Alice on the phone.

"No, I understand. No, Rose getting the scent of the car was a good call and I hope it works. Hold on, she's calling me," I told my wife.

"Rose . . . anything?" I asked her.

"The smell where the car had to have sat was a car that was running a little rich. Alice had a vision and saw them in a silver Volvo, I'm sure you've been told that already. There are a lot of emergency vehicles and other cars cluttering up the roadway, but I get a whiff of that same smell on the road to the hospital, Jasper. I think they headed out the Cashiers road and I'm following it now to see if I pick up the scent turning off somewhere," Rosalie told me.

"Excellent, Rose. Let's hope it gives us a lead along the way," I said as I hung up and called Esme to come up the hill.

I had checked all the houses, front, side and garage entrances. There would be a lingering odor of Bella and certainly Victoria on any car they were in, it was just a matter of getting close enough to where the car had been. They could not get her out of the car and into a house without leaving a scent, at least. We would eliminate possibilities and narrow the search area. I had Emmett leave Jake and Sam on the road and start to check the houses along the road back towards town, the same as I was doing.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

Sue had called Esme to tell her that Emily was indeed fine, just as Edward had said, and that the paramedics had confirmed it. Apparently they were looking for the owner of the Volvo that had been hit in the crash, but I knew better than to even mention it to Edward. He would not care about the car in the least and it would be futile to bring it up to him.

"Emily, let me speak to one of the officers there, please. Tell them that you have the owner of the car on the phone, and hand it to them. Thanks," I instructed her.

I explained to the officer that I had allowed my friend, Sue, to drive my car into town and that I would be sending a tow truck for the car. Once he found out that I was the son of the Chief of Staff at the hospital, things went well. Highlands was a very small town, and the police were loyal to it's less than two thousand full time residents and were certainly sympathetic to the Carlisle Cullen's son. Good thing I had the registration and paper trail intact on our cars and our files, I knew that the officer had run the plates before he ever spoke to me.

"Emmett, please go tell Sam where the keys to Jacob's truck are and have him go into town and pick up Sue and Emily. I'll have Sue call him and let him know what's happened. Emily is okay and the paramedic released her, but let Sue tell him that. We don't need him going off on you and the two of you fighting right now. Right, yes, tell Jacob to move up to Satulah and cover the road there, since you checked the houses below there already," I barked orders, but I'm sure he understood my mindset right then.

I called Sue and had her call Sam, who Emmett was telling to phase back and go get the truck and head into town. It was best if Sue was the one that told him that his wife had been injured, anyway.

Okay. We had narrowed the area on two of the roads. I left Esme and ran to the other side of town, starting down the Franklin Road, checking each house and garage that a road led to off the main highway. Nothing. I reached Alice at the bridge and had her go back up the road and watch the edge of town.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . .  
_

I headed off over the lake, in case they had taken that dirt road that connected through a series of switchbacks and turns, running down the side of the mountain. I didn't think there were many houses there and I was determined to check them in any case. At this point, we had eliminated three of the ways out of town and the houses that were fed by them. There were a great many houses in the town proper on small roads and streets but they had no access to leaving town unless they used one of the four roads that we had covered. We would have to leave someone at each of the four roads and the rest of us would cover all the houses. All the houses, we would not leave a stone unturned till we found my little sister.

I only hoped it was in time. Our only hope at finding her alive would be to bank on the fact that firstly, Victoria and Riley were interested first and foremost in escaping from us, getting away to a place where we could not find them. Secondly, we had to hope that the bitch was sadistic enough to wait, to spend time terrifying Bella or torturing her in some form. If she went for the instant kill . . . if she drained her immediately, all our efforts would be in vain. I had never in my life hoped for the cruelty of an opponent, but I hoped for it now . . .

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

How the hell did I ever get myself in this position. I was whipped, simple as that. This fucking imprinting thing had definite drawbacks if this was going to be the result. My wife actually seemed to be growing fond of the leeches. I had no idea how that had happened. I knew that she and Bella were friends and, okay, maybe there was some kind of kinship between them since they both wee mated to mythical creatures . . . but even that was a stretch for me. Vampires had no place in myth or fairytales, they belonged in hell. Period.

My wife had me sitting at the table last night eating pizza with them. Well, _they_ weren't eating it, of course . . . filthy bloodsuckers. How the hell had she come to trust her safety with them? Did she not understand what they fed on? What they routinely ate . . . or drank, rather.

Well, Bella could have them. Ha! I laughed to myself, she already _had_ him or she wouldn't be fucking pregnant with his spawn. The world was upside down and I was sitting here, again, at their table being asked by Sue if I wanted coffee.

I had spent the night in this house, Edward's house, and Emily had slept peacefully in their guestroom, unfazed by the fact that there were vampires in the house with her. I had sat on the edge of the bed or paced . . . all night. I had taken to looking through Jake's things that were in the dresser, trying to figure out where he had been for the last year and what he had been doing.

It seemed as though he and Bella had run off and joined a Harley drag racing team run by a tribe member, Dale. Dale had left La Push a few years back, heading off on his own adventure and starting a business. Jacob had spent a good deal of time with Dale as a boy, tinkering with cars and motorcycles in the garage at first, then in the shop that Dale had opened on the reservation. Dale had been a good kid from all accounts, a little older than me and I never hung around him much. Hkie had to have known that Jacob was in line to be the tribal Chief though, surely Jacob had told him of Billy's passing . . .

From the newspaper clippings in the drawer, it was apparent that Bella had become quite the rider in the short time they were gone together, winning race after race until she was apparently almost killed in a crash. Huh. Didn't know any of that.

I had also come across a folder that scared the shit out of me. I wondered if Jacob had not been bought, lock, stock and barrel. There was a bank account showing a two million dollar deposit . . . an account in Jacob's name along with documents outlining their new company, _Black Swan Racing, FLP. _Huh. Both their last names, Jacob and Bella . . . at least Bella's maiden name before she took the name of that bloodsucker. Cute.

I knew that Jacob was nuts over Bella, he had been for a long time, even when they were kids and she visited her Dad for a couple of weeks in the summer. I knew he loved her, but to stay friends with her once she had been with that bloodsucker . . . to continue to be friends and even accept gifts from _them, _that just went beyond anything I could rationally understand. It just wasn't reasonable behavior . . . at all. We had legends, we had traditions and customs as a tribe and Jacob _especially_ needed to respect and observe them! It was in his blood. It was _his_ bloodline that carried the role of Chief and he needed to step up to his responsibilities.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the coffee cup being sat in front of me by Sue and Emily nudging me with her elbow to say thank you, which I did. It seemed that Sue had been taken in by the leeches as well, staying in their home and seeming to enjoy hanging out with them. She had supposedly been here to visit with Charlie. Charlie was here to visit his daughter, I understood that. Charlie knew nothing of the leeches anyway, he was not privy to the existence of any of the creatures that routinely were around him, werewolves or vampires.

When Sue had left Forks to come here, she had been hesitant, her thinking mirrored mine in most respects, though she had a soft spot for Bella and Edward. She had apparently had conversations with Edward and assurance from him that he would never hurt Bella, that he loved her. Loved her . . . how the hell did a rock love anything? He didn't bleed, hell he didn't even have a heart . . . just cold stone through and through, a killing machine that was impervious to any and all threats, other than our teeth, other vampires, and fire.

I ate my breakfast that the leech cooked and mumbled a thank you as I headed out the door to see Jake. Emily was hell bent on going into town with Sue and Bella, and the leeches were going with them. Apparently there was some rogue vampire after Bella and the rest of the family never ever left her unprotected. That protection extended to Sue and Emily as well, I was sure . . . if you could call being surrounded by vampires _protection. _

I phased just at the edge inside the woods and Jake came loping up to meet me. He immediately sensed my upset over Emily and told me that my fears of the Cullen's were ill founded, that they could be trusted. What a load of shit. I had no idea where he got these ideas, unless it was from Bella . . . but they had to go. He had to be made to see the truth. After all, the boy was to be the next chief of my tribe, and that mattered to me.

We spent an hour or two going over my exact thought patterns when I phased, allowing Jake in my head and to feel what I felt time and time again as I phased for him so that he could learn and hopefully mimic my actions. He was starting to be able to produce the vibrations that started the metamorphosis, but he hadn't gotten past that . . . yet.

I had at least gotten him to hunt with me and take down his own kill instead of waiting to feed from the bloodsuckers leftovers. He was good at it, of course. We all were.

"I just don't see the need to waste the meat, Sam. There is nothing wrong with the deer they kill, other than the lack of blood. Huh. If you want to look at the upside, it's not as messy to eat because the blood is gone. Less clean up of the muzzle and paws is not a bad thing!" Jake thought.

"Good grief, Jake. Now you're justifying it? Look, I saw the papers in your dresser . . . Black Swan Racing," I thought, "How did it happen that you sold out to them?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to think. Jake took off running, and he was headed back to the house. I didn't tell him to stop, I just followed to see what the hell he was up to. He was being careful not to give himself away by thinking of any of it.

We heard them before we saw them, Emmett and Jasper flying out of the house and heading toward the road. Jake stepped it into high gear and ran after them to see what was going on.

When we got to the highway, Emmett explained that Victoria had apparently staged a crash outside the store in town, snatched Bella, and had her in a Silver Volvo. We were covering the road and checking any car that came by. There were only four ways out of town according to them and apparently they had them all covered.

Jasper left to check houses that were off the roads and drives that intersected with the highway on the way to town, eliminating the possibility of them being hold up in a house that could be reached by the road we were watching. We stood watching. Nothing. A red Chevy came by with a family in it, no trace of Victoria or Bella on it anywhere. Jake was going nuts. He already had a path worn in the undergrowth by the road from his pacing.

Emmett got a call from Jasper, and turned to me.

"Sam. I need you to phase back, I need to talk to you, please," he asked.

"Fucking phase back, Sam. It could be important. Emmett would never do anything to harm you, just do it!" Jake growled loudly.

I knew he was upset about Bella, but to have me phase back into human form out here in the woods, alone with a bloodsucker . . . that was asking a little much. A fucking _whole lot_ much!

"Fine, Jake. But you had better have my back on this," I said as I phased, untying my sweats from my ankle and slipping them on.

"Sam, someone drove, or threw, an SUV into Edward's Volvo when it was parked in front of the stores in town. Everyone went to the front of the store to see what had happened, except Emily and Bella," Emmett told me. He look worried, even more worried than before. Apparently what he had to tell me was going to be a problem.

"What are you trying to tell me, where is Emily?" I demanded.

"Emily is fine. Apparently Victoria knocked her out when she took Bella. Sue says the paramedics have released her and she wants you to come into town and pick her and Emily up", he said, "Sue is calling you to give you the details."

"In Edward's garage you'll find a black Ford Harley Davidson truck that has the keys on the seat. It's the only vehicle that you can find keys for easily by yourself and I don't think Jake will mind your driving it," Emmett said, looking to Jake for approval.

Jake was standing there nodding his head up and down.

"You haven't been into town yet, Sam, but you follow this road five miles, left at the light and left at the second light. You should then see the wreck and the emergency vehicles on your left in the center of town. Sue and Emily are in the store just behind the wreck," I heard Emmett say as his voice trailed off in the distance. I phased, pausing only to remove my sweats first and only then because I needed them to wear in town. Naked would probably cause even more problems. The Cullen houses were a couple of miles down a side road and I was faster on four paws through the woods than on two legs.

I reached the garage, phased, dressed and had the garage door open and the truck heading out the driveway in no time flat. I couldn't help but notice that it was an amazing truck, had to be brand new. Yep, the odometer had less than a hundred miles on it. Jake? Did that leech say that it would be alright with Jake if I drove it? Huh, son of a bitch. Guess the boy was doing better than I thought. Now if I could just improve his taste in friends . . .


	69. Chapter 69  Queries

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors Note: **Thank you to all the folks that wished me well on my ride to Daytona. I FROZE! Just wanted to thank you for the reviews and encourage you to PLEASE let me know what you're thinking in these next chapters. I need to know if what I want to get across is getting there, and your responses will tell me! Thanks to all of you, and the next update may not be till Friday . . . but I will try!

**Chapter 69 Queries **

**Sam POV**

I drove into town, following the bloodsucker's directions. Sue was still on the phone to me when I pulled past the commotion in town and parked, running in to the shop where my wife was still sitting. I knelt in front of the chair she was in, my arms around her . . .

"Em, are you okay baby?" I asked softly as I held her to me. She said nothing, but continued to sob and cling to me. Tears were flowing down her face and from the look of her, she had been crying for quite awhile. Sue sat beside her, holding her hand and clutching a small bag to her, her face was covered in tears as well.

I was livid that the bloodsuckers were supposed to be protecting her and yet she had been injured. They were lucky she wasn't hurt worse or there would be some body parts burning this very minute . . . and I was still thinking about it!

The sales girl kept babbling something about how sorry she was and how she hoped they found her friend and some other shit, I paid little attention. Sue kept thanking her and telling her they would let her know when they found Bella.

"Let's get you into the car," I told her as I lifted her and walked toward the truck. Sue ran ahead of me and opened the passenger door, sliding into the backseat as I gently buckled Emily in. I hurried to crank the truck and back out into traffic, needing to get her away from all the confusion and noise. An officer had witnessed me carrying her out of the store and had moved to stop traffic so that I could leave quickly and I was grateful, thanking him with a nod.

"She is supposed to rest quietly, Sam," Sue told me, "The medic said she would be fine, but to make sure she rested comfortably."

Damn it. I would have to take her back to the leech's house. She needed to rest comfortably and not be upset and I knew my wife well enough to know that if I told her were leaving, there would be a fight. I just couldn't do that to her. As much as I wanted to just keep driving till we were far away from here, maybe even back at La Push, I knew it wasn't possible right now. My wife was hurt and she needed to rest and be comfortable, the bloodsuckers owed her that. This was their fault . . . damned vampires. Never any good came of anything to do with them . . . expose my wife to danger because some bloodsucker had it in for Bella. Whatever. Bella had chosen this life. She made her bed and she could suffer the consequences. That had nothing at all to do with my wife being subjected to this shit and now she had been hurt as a result of befriending Bella, way was I tolerating any more of this.

I realized as I fumed to myself that even though it might also benefit the Cullens, I was going to have to kill the bitch that had hurt my wife . . . nothing less was going to appease me . . . nothing. I would rip her apart and burn the pieces . . . smiling as I did it.

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Nothing. We found absolutely no trace of the car they used. I felt totally useless.

I had checked every house, very door that could be reached by coming down this road from town and I wanted to move on, but someone had to stay here just to make sure nothing passed by this way. Jake was with me, but I couldn't very well leave him alone now that Sam was gone, it wasn't like he could pick up a phone and call us if he saw her, or the car.

I could make better use of Jake though, I was sure of that. There was no point in two of us just sitting here. Jake couldn't go sniffing around town in the daylight, I knew that, but he could head out through the forest to where Edward was and he could do it after making a couple of circles around town to see if he smelled anything on the outskirts! No one could fucking understand him while he was in wolf form but Edward, so if he ended up with him he could read his mind and know if he found anything.

"Jake, we don't both need to be here. I'll stay here so that I can call if I see them in a car, you circle the town just in case they decided to ditch their car and try to get away with her on foot. Circle once kind of far out in the forest and then, if you don't pick up their scent, do another circle a little closer in . . . just don't get seen if you can help it. Edward is down the road past the hospital with Carlisle. I'll tell him that you're coming. If you find anything, he can read your mind and know what the hell you found and the rest of us can't," I explained.

I had just enough time to tell him exactly where Edward was before he was out of hearing range, leaping through the woods at almost vampire speed. I was impressed . . . he was hell bent on helping, that was obvious. I should have expected that. He loved Bella, too.

I called to check on Esme. She had not seen a single car pass by and Jasper had checked out all the houses and gotten her to move up to the top of the ridge where the road just starts out from town. He had left to go and check on Alice and over by Mirror Lake, leaving Esme alone to guard escape from that side of town, as I guarded it from this side.

It just wasn't possible that they had gotten past us this way. It had been more than fifteen minutes since she was taken . . . fifteen minutes. I could drain a full grown grizzly in less than three . . .

Fifteen minutes.

Bella was just a small little thing . . .

Damn it, how did this happen? It took us so long to find her in the first place, and then that accident with the bike . . . we were so close to loosing her in the hospital that even Carlisle had resolved that we would do whatever it took to save her, including changing her. She was so good with my brother, so perfect for him. After 90 years he had finally found a mate . . . and one that I really liked. Little sister was awesome . . . kind, funny and fearless as hell! She even seemed to love it when he acted more like an animal than a man, growling and snarling at her when they were in bed together. What human would go to bed with a vampire knowingly and encourage him to play rough with her! And Eddie, man . . . I didn't know he had it in him . . .

We had been so careful, so protective of her . . . her and the baby . . .

Nobody messed with my nephew, nobody. This bitch was mine!

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV**

Think, Jasper, think . . .

Alice had the West end of town covered and I had scouted the houses, no scent there.

Esme had the East side and I had scouted it as well, moving her up to the edge of town.

Emmett had the South side and had scouted with nothing found.

Alice, Esme and Emmett were all less than a half mile from each other and we had three sides of town covered and secured.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

Jake was running circles to make sure there had been no escape on foot and Rose had tracked the car they were in, she believed, and found traces of it's odor on the road to Cashiers. That was the North end. When this had first happened, Edward had wisely called for Emmett and I to watch the Walhalla road since we were home and seconds away from it and sent Alice and Rose down the mountain to cover the Franklin road. Those things happened so quickly there would have been no possibility of an error, the car could not have gotten past them, I was certain of it.

Edward and Esme had covered Horseshoe Cove Road, and I had been over it myself. There had been no car to pass that way either. That left only two possibilities. Either they took one of the small turn offs that led to a subdivision like housing development on the edge of town and a few outlying houses near it, or they went down the road North, towards Cashiers.

Carlisle had been in surgery and had not been able to get out and cover that road quickly. It ran beside the hospital, so calling him to do it had been the obvious choice, not knowing he couldn't be reached. Edward was faster than any of us and when Carlisle could not be reached, he had literally flown across the valley and up the mountain to cover the road quite a few miles out of town, going well past the hospital to make up for the extra time it took to cover it. He wanted to make sure he was far enough away that he would see them pass, that they couldn't have had enough time to get there before he had.

We were going to have to focus on that road. There were several subdivisions and housing developments that were fed by that road, all of which Jake was circling right now to make sure no one left on foot, but that didn't mean they weren't in one of the many vacant vacation homes that dotted the ridges and hillsides along that road.

Twenty minutes.

Normally when a vampire took a human, there was no need to go looking for them . . . there was no point. But, this was my little sister we were talking about and she carried my nephew . . . and it wasn't just a normal vampire either, it was Victoria and she wasn't looking for a meal, she was looking for revenge. She would want Edward and the family to suffer as long as possible, perhaps even let us talk to Bella or somehow have us watch or listen to her screams as she killed her. She would certainly have it that we found the body . . .

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

I ran to where Carlisle and Edward were watching the Cashier's road. Edward was in a state of shock . . . Carlisle seemed to have just gotten him back to his feet. I explained what we had done to eliminate houses and area on the other three routes out of town and suggested that we start the same here, house by house. Edward stood watch on the road while I took the streets and houses on the East side of the road and Carlisle took those on the west. As we came back to the main road, Edward slowly moved his position closer down the road towards town. Jake joined us and Edward had him covering the trails and the outlying wooded areas to make sure there had been no escape on foot. We were pulling the net in tighter, house by house. It all hinged on her not having gotten past us on this road before Edward had gotten there. It was the only possible escape route, but I was becoming more and more worried that they had indeed made it out.

Twenty five minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Forty five minutes.

One hour.

We were back to town now, just a few small subdivisions off the main street left to cover and nothing, we had found absolutely nothing.

Alice seeing them in a silver Volvo and Rosalie smelling what she thought was the same car on the Cashiers road were the only shreds of clues.

_. . . regroup. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

Alice, Esme and Rosalie were left to watch the roads in and out of town as Emmett, Edward and I started rechecking the path out of town towards Cashiers. Carlisle was heading to the house to check on Emily as well as to grab my laptop. I could do most anything with the use of my particular laptop, including checking on any and all thefts of Volvos in the area as well as all of them that were registered anywhere near here. I also had a satellite feed and we could watch the roads in the surrounding areas. There was no point in not using all the technology available to us since normal ground tactics seemed to be providing no results.

We had to find her and quickly. Time was not our friend on this day.

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

I parked the truck in front of Edward's house and opened the passenger door to help Emily out. I instinctively picked her up to carry her into the house, though I was fairly certain she could walk in well enough on her own. It just felt right, carrying her. I thought about how many times the girls had laughed about Edward carrying Bella everywhere and found myself wondering for a split second if the parasite could actually care for her. I was understanding some of his actions a little more and that scared the shit out of me. I wasn't like him. I was a real flesh and blood man, and he was an abomination . . .

I didn't stop downstairs. I heard Sue mention something about making Emily some tea, but the words simply drifted by me as I headed up the stairs with my wife. I took her to the room we had been staying in and laid her on the bed, pulling a soft cover over her.

"Are you okay, Em?" I asked her quietly, kissing her on the cheek.

"I am now," she said as she put her arms around my neck and hugged me to her. I stroked her face and tears started to run down her cheeks again.

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked, thinking she would feel better getting it out, and I really wanted to know from someone that had been there first hand. She paused for a minute and I felt her entire body shudder, ever so slightly as her grip tightened on me.

"Well, Alice had wanted Bella to try on these jeans that she had ordered. They were for after the baby so they were going to be a little tight and Alice just wanted to make sure they would fit. There was also a pink stretchy soft sweater like top that was really soft and comfy looking," Emily said softly, starting to cry in earnest.

"It's okay, baby. You're here and you're safe. It's okay . . . , " she interrupted me by sobbing.

"Bella isn't okay, Sam! The redhead! Crazy red hair and red eyes! Sam, the way she sneered at Bella!" Emily almost gasped as she told me. She was sitting upright now, holding on to my arms so tightly that I was amazed at her grip. It was borderline painful though she was a small woman.

"Okay, baby, okay," I said as I stroked her hair and down her back, "Just finish telling me what happened."

I noticed Carlisle standing in the doorway with his medical bag, poised to knock on the doorway.

"Sam, Emily, may I come in?" the bloodsucker asked. I looked at Emily for her to respond. As far as I was concerned he and the rest of his coven could go straight back to hell where they came from. He had been a surgeon at Forks Hospital though and reputedly an excellent doctor by all accounts. I suppose he could be useful, after all he had probably had centuries to perfect being a doctor and treating people. Any asshole could get it right if they had centuries of practice.

"Carlisle, I'm so sorry! Please come in," Emily responded to him. What the hell she was sorry for I had no idea. It was the bloodsuckers that should be sorry, they had said they would protect her, that she was safe with them and she had nearly been killed. Filthy lying leeches.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, if that's okay with you," he said as he took his stethoscope from his bag. "You and I both know that I don't really need this, but it's a habit, it comforts patients and makes me look official," he said, gesturing to the instrument.

I backed away, scooting to the end of the bed to let him check on her. Maybe he was some fucking use, for this at least. He listened to her chest, her heartbeat, her blood pressure and checked her eyes, feeling the bruise on her head.

"I think you're going to be just fine," he said, clasping the latch on his bag after he put the stethoscope away and rose to stand by the bed. I moved back to where I had been sitting so that my wife could grasp my arm again.

"I heard you describe what happened, would you mind if I listened while you finish explaining what happened?" he asked her, looking at me.

"Yes, of course I'll tell you as well, Carlisle. Have they found Bella yet?" Emily asked, almost panicked.

"Not yet. Edward was quick to call us and all roads out of town were cut off within minutes. She had a small chance of making it out the road by the hospital. He called me to cover it but I was in surgery, so there was a few minutes of delay opening a small window where she could have slipped through. That may be what happened. We have been to almost every house in the area now to check for their scent and have found nothing, no trace at all," he said, somewhat dismayed.

The fucker looked so upset and somewhat guilty for his apparent part in creating a hole for her to escape through that I almost felt sorry for him . . . almost.

"You can't blame yourself, Carlisle, you were in surgery. It isn't like you were out with the boys drinking or doing anything bad that kept you from being there. You need to just let go of that, do you hear me?" my wife insisted toward the fucker," You have to find her, though. That woman, she was . . . menacing!"

"Thank you, Emily. You have been very . . . gracious towards us," he almost whispered, waiting for her to continue.

"Bella was heading to the back of the store to the dressing room to try on some clothes and she asked if I wanted to come with her," Emily said. I must have looked at her like she was nuts because she out a hand on my chest saying, "It's a girl thing, Sam."

"We went into the only dressing room they had and I handed Bella the clothes as she took hers off. I think I laid her clothes over the chair by the door, I don't really remember clearly. Anyway, we were admiring the pink sweater in the mirror and deciding if the pants were too tight and talking about Masen and if he had room in there with the waistband squeezing him when the door flung open and this woman appeared," Emily shuddered again, visibly, as she squeezed my arm.

"She was wild looking . . . long curly red hair and red eyes. I've never seen red eyes before and they're spooky. If she's a vampire, like you, why are her eyes red and yours golden? Just who is she?" Emily asked.

"Do you remember a couple of springs ago when Bella left and went to Phoenix?" he asked.

"You mean when she fell down the stairs and broke her leg and all those ribs?" Emily asked. Carlisle paused, and the corner of his mouth turned up, like he was about to smile but didn't.

"Yes. Edward had brought Bella out to a clearing in the woods to play baseball with us and three nomad vampires were making their way South through the forest from Seattle. They smelled us and stopped to see if they could play ball. One of them took exception to the fact that we had a human with us and wanted a . . . snack," he told us and Emily gasped audibly, one of her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

"Edward defended her along with the rest of us, but the vampire, James, decided he had to have her. Bella agreed to go to Phoenix till we could . . . dispose of him, James that is, but he tracked her there and tricked her into meeting him before Edward and I could reach her. He threw her across the room, breaking the ribs and then stepped on her leg to break it, filming it all the while so that we would be able to see what he had done to her before he drained her. Edward arrived first and pulled him off of her and he and I tended to her while the rest of my children tore him apart and burned the pieces," he explained.

"So these vampires, the red head as well . . . they feed off humans?" Emily asked.

"Yes. We drink only animal blood and my family's eyes are a golden color because of it, theirs is red because of their diet of human blood," he stated flatly, almost like he was apologising for his species.

"So, you took care of her and got her to a hospital in Phoenix?" I asked him.

"Yes. I placed a tourniquet on her leg, the femoral artery was severed, but James had bitten her, and the venom was in her system, killing her. It was Edward that actually saved her," he said hesitantly, clearly not wanting to discuss this further. He started to ask Emily something, probably to finish telling him what happened in the dressing room, but I wanted to hear the rest of this story.

"I know time is of the essence here, Carlisle, and you and I are both interested in what happened in the dressing room in town today, but I get the feeling that this story and the other two vampires that were in the field that day have a lot to do with what's going on right now. Please just finish the story," I asked him. He nodded his compliance as he stared at the floor.

"Once bitten, our venom will cause the human to change into a vampire. Edward didn't want that for her, so he put his mouth over the wound and sucked the venom out. I have no idea how he stopped before he drained her, but he did. He knew he loved her even then. When she recovered, several other things happened that made Edward feel that it was too dangerous for her to be around us, so we left town," Carlisle told us.

"So that's what happened. That's why she was so devastated. God, Carlisle, she nearly died herself when he left her, you know that don't you?" Emily asked him.

"Yes, we found that out when Edward decided to come back, decided that he couldn't live without her. He had been tracking this redhead, Victoria, all the way down to Rio in an effort to end her, but he never caught up to her," he told us, "Vampires mate for life, similar to imprinting, and James was Victoria's mate. Edward knew he had to end her for her to stop going after his mate."

"And the third, the other leech that was in the ball field," I asked, "What happened to him?"

"He separated himself from the other two and went to live in Alaska, embracing our diet, at least for awhile. Your wolf pack apparently killed him last fall, which is the justification Victoria used to kill Billy Black," Carlisle said quietly, "Your Chief for her friend."

"This woman that has Bella also killed Billy?" Emily gasped.

"Because we killed that leech with the dreadlocks?" I almost yelled.

"Yes," Carlisle answered. At some point Sue had come into the room and was listening intently to the conversation, the tea for Emily forgotten.

"Victoria has someone named Riley helping her now. He is the one that caused the car crash in town today, as well as the crash into the Pizza Parlor in Forks last spring," he informed us.

"Well when she came into the room, she stopped for a split second, I was between her and Bella. She sneered at Bella, smiled really and said something about how she had been looking forward to this. That's all I remember, except a vague image of Edward's face close to mine. Then the paramedics," Emily told us.

"Edward's face?" I growled, "What the fuck would Edward be doing having his face in yours?" I was irate, it was all I could do to stop the tremors from starting in my arms and chest.

"Sam, when Edward ran to the back of the shop and saw that Bella was gone he saw Emily on the floor and bent down beside her to access her injuries. He wanted to make sure she was alright," Carlisle stated knowingly.

"I wondered why Edward was scouting out back with Emily just laying there on the floor. He told me that she had been knocked out but that she was fine, but I just assumed that he was just telling me she was fine so that I would calm down," Sue told us. Carlisle smiled a genuine smile this time, the smile a father gets when he is exceptionally proud of a son.

"No, he accurately told you her condition. He had checked on her before you could even run to the back, Sue. He doesn't like to discuss it, but my son has been to medical school twice. He has degrees in medicine from Harvard as well as Yale. He is also quite a skilled surgeon. If Emily had not been fine, he would have still been tending to her, regardless of whatever else had been happening," he told us with pride, you could see it in his eyes.

Sue's mouth as well as Emily and mine hung open in surprise. Apparently there was a lot more to this family than I had ever imagined. He had tended to my wife first, in spite of knowing the danger his wife was in. Huh. Fucking leech might just have a good quality or two after all.

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"Yes! We nabbed the little bitch!" I exclaimed gleefully to Riley as we passed the wreck that was causing so much attention on Main Street. I saw him run back into the maternity Shop and I laughed to myself, knowing he wouldn't find her there. Stupid arrogant little shit. Did he really think he could keep her from me forever?

Moron tracked me across two continents . . . well, followed me. I led him, sometimes having to actually wait for him to catch up. He sucked at tracking. My James would have found me in the first week. I smiled remembering my James. Week . . . he would have tracked me the first day . . . I would have never gotten any kind of a head start on him, he was that good. Now I had lost him forever, and all because he wanted the human in the back for a snack. A human that _Edward_ had apparently accepted as a mate. Who does that? A human for a mate? A meal yes, sex . . . mmmn, maybe, but a mate? Stupid little shit. Probably couldn't handle a real woman anyway . . .

I had to give it to him though, how he got her pregnant and didn't kill her was beyond me.

It didn't matter now. I had her. Hopefully I hit her hard enough for her to be out for awhile, I really didn't want to deal with her till we had her back at the house and I had some time to savor the anticipation. Riley had managed not to drain the girl that we had picked up on Saturday, hopefully he was learning some restraint. At least we had her there and he would go for her first if his will power failed . . . Edward's mate was mine.

The woman Riley had drained this morning should hold him off as well. I looked over to see him sitting there, his arm casually draped over the back of the seat and his fingers tracing patterns on my shoulder as he drove. I hated his touch. Hated it. If I had to be with him even one more time I knew I would just end up ripping him to shreds because he wasn't my James.

At least he had managed to do this right today. We had watched them as they drove into town, going to the ice cream store. I had been expecting them ever since last week when I eavesdropped on the girl in the Maternity store talking to the one they call Alice, telling her that her order would be in today. Oh we had tried to grab her before now, at the hospital yesterday and at the fireworks last Friday, three nights ago. There were just too many of them always right with her . . . till today.

We had kept our scent everywhere around town, Riley and I. We spent hours each night driving into town and parking so that our scent was only there in town. We walked up and down each and every sidewalk and touched each and every door and wall and flower pot. All the alleys smelled of us. Any and everything so that they could not track which way we went, our smell was too fresh everywhere to discern a trail. I had been very very careful never ever to leave town on foot. We had both come and gone by car, and the house we were staying in . . . we had never set foot outside of it, entering it only from the garage, and then only after the garage door closed behind us. One time Riley had gotten out to open the back door and go inside, just the initial break in and that had been weeks ago. Rain and storm had dulled any trace - I hoped.

Anyway, the house had a mile long driveway and was more than forty miles away from Highlands, past a small town called Cashiers where rich fuckers had homes they rarely ever even came to. I would have one of those homes soon and expensive cars and clothes that were designed for me, not found in someone else's closet and forced to fit me.

"Well, it worked!" he replied, startling me from my daydreams and bringing me back to searching the terrain and forest near the road as we passed by the hospital. We were not out of the woods yet, we still had to make it past them and I knew they were smart enough to head off all the roads out of town. It was just a matter of a few seconds . . . we just had to get further away than they would think to watch the road . . .

"Yes, you did well. That SUV rolled to its side almost on top of his car, did you see that! It got them all out of the shop, if only for an instant. The timing was perfect, she was right next to the rear door and none of them were with her, just another human!" I told him.

"Did you kill her?" Riley asked.

"No. I smiled at her, before I knocked her out. I want her to be able to describe me to them, as if my scent alone wouldn't tell them. I want him to know that I have her, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I may have drug her by the arm a little too hard, though, " I said looking over the seat to where she lay in a crumpled mass across the back seat. "I think I popped her shoulder out of the socket, not that I care. It won't bleed or anything, It'll just hurt like hell," I laughed.

I couldn't wait to cause them a small portion of the living hell that they had made my life. I would draw this out as long as possible, inflict as much pain as I was capable of . . . and that was considerable . . .


	70. Chapter 70  Despair

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you enjoy this chapter, seems you've been wanting to know what was happening to Bella . . .

**Chapter 70 Despair **

**Riley POV**

"Damn, I'm good!" I said aloud as the SUV crashed into and damned near rolled on top of hid car. Before it had even settled to it's final resting place and the sounds of glass breaking and metal crunching had subsided, Victoria had tossed the girl into the back seat and we were passing the wreck, heading out of town.

"Hell yes! We nabbed the little bitch!" Victoria squealed gleefully as we passed, watching him running back into the store that Victoria had just taken the girl from.

Thank God! Now maybe we could leave this God forsaken town and get on with doing something exciting, going somewhere new. I knew that she intended to take her time with this one, kill her slowly, and I knew she had the video camera out. I guessed she was going to film it and deliver the tape as a present to her widower. Ha! It didn't matter to me, as long as we finished with anything to do with the damned Cullens.

I was looking forward to the snack that we had waiting in the downstairs at home, the girl I had taken two days ago. Victoria wanted me to practice my _control, _practice not killing her. Feeding this morning had helped my control, and that was what it would take most days. I guess it made sense though, if I lost it, I could drain the mousy little one and leave the other for her.

All of her plans just made no sense, why all the preparation for this one, why not just snap her neck when she saw her back at the shop? Was it really necessary to do anything other than just end her? Whatever, I thought. It didn't matter to me what the hell she did to her, as long as she did it and we could leave this place. I swear, if I had to walk the streets and alleys of this town one more time I would rip something apart!

"Well it worked!" I said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, you did well. That SUV rolled to its side almost on top of his car, did you see that! It got them all out of the shop, if only for an instant. The timing was perfect, the little bitch was right next to the rear door and none of them were with her, just another human!" Victoria told me.

"Did you kill her?" I asked.

"No. I smiled at her, before I knocked her out. I want her to be able to describe me to them, as if my scent alone wouldn't tell them. I want him to know that I have her, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I may have drug her by the arm a little too hard though. I think I popped her shoulder out of the socket, not that I care. It won't bleed or anything, it'll just hurt like hell," she said as she started laughing.

My girl was so gorgeous when she laughed, her head thrown back and her porcelain throat exposed to me. I couldn't wait to get to the house and toss the bitch in back downstairs so that I could fuck her silly . . . then let her laugh . . .

"Keep up the speed, pet. We want to get the car off the road and into the garage before they have time to track anything by satellite. They have every capability at their disposal, I'm sure. The house is just far enough away that we can get there before they can get a bead on us and far enough that it will take them too long to single out every house looking for her," she said with an evil sneer, "Plenty of time for me to do what I need to do and leave a scene for him to find that he'll never forget. I hate to waste all that blood, but it will be worth it. I just wish I could see his face when he finds her. We'll be long gone, pet. Out of the country entirely."

We pulled up to the house and I opened the garage using the remote, waiting till the door was firmly closed behind us before I ever opened the door to the car and stepped out. We didn't want any of her scent outside, none at all if it could be helped. Victoria grabbed her and I opened the door, moving to unlock the door to the downstairs so that she could toss the bitch down the stairs.

She surprised the hell out of me when she carried her down and laid her in one of the bedrooms. "Why the hell are you being careful with her?" I asked from the top of the stairs, not wanting to get any closer to the humans than I had to. I had damaged the other one when I grabbed her the other night and she had blood coming from her head. The smell pervaded the downstairs and it was best for me not to go there.

I had taken the items that Victoria had bought at the store and put the bags on the table down there earlier, telling the girl that the food was for her, to put it in the refrigerator that was in the downstairs kitchen, or wherever the hell she wanted to put it. I laughed, I hadn't understood why Victoria had bothered to get food for the humans, but then again, farmers feed their cattle to fatten them up, don't they?

Once she was back upstairs, I took her in my arms and gave her the kiss I had been wanting to share with her since we had sex earlier in the day. I locked the basement door and grabbed her butt, lifting her to me and headed off to the room we had been using upstairs.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

I fell to my knees. I knew I had to be strong, I had to hold on to the hope that we would find her, that we could save her. For this one single moment, I gave in to my despair. In this one blink of an eye, I knew that I would not continue without her. I smiled as I remembered her comments and mine about Romeo and Juliet as we watched the movie time and time again.

Stupid mistakes . . . so many stupid mistakes.

We were operating on sheer will now, pipe dreams and hopes. Days that would never be realized, never lived . . .

Jasper arrived, anxious to search the outlying streets that ran off of the highway. Apparently he and Emmett had worked with Esme and Alice and were now confident that the car, and Bella were not on those three sides of town. That left only this road.

Damn it. If I had only ran here first. I was the fastest, I could have gotten here. If they got away because of my poor decision not to cover this road myself I would . . .

There was no point in going there. There would be no anything without her . . . nothing . . .

I dutifully watched the road, looking at each and every car that passed and examining its contents . . . heartbeats, scents, everything. It was wise of Jasper to assign me to just the one task. It involved no thought, no decisions. She was either in the car that passed, or she wasn't. I could do this. Carlisle and Jasper kept coming back to where I was on the road and getting me to move closer to town with each street that they had searched, each possibility that they eliminated. I watched the road. I listened and examined the cars. I waited. Time passed.

. . . one hour . . .sixty minutes . . . three thousand six hundred seconds . . . my entire life . . .

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

I noticed the chill of the wind, the sound of the dry cold branches crackling against each other, the small bits of asphalt tumbling down the road in the breeze. I heard the distant owl hooting, a herd of deer a mile or so down in the valley coming out to feed and a fox walking stealthily through the forest. There was the sound of a stereo playing 70's music in one house, a woman dancing quietly alone there, people having conversations in their homes and children playing, still on their break from school, the New Year just starting.

I was capable of hearing all these things easily and clearly, yet the one thing that mattered most to me, the only thing I lived for I had not heard. I did not hear the inevitable increase in her heart rate when she saw Victoria. I didn't notice the change in her breathing. I had not heard her heartbeat fade from me in the distance as she was taken, my baby still safe within her . . . for the moment . . .

The baby . . .my son Masen. My son. Bella would reincarnate herself from ashes and come back to torment me if I let something happen to that baby, she loved him so . . .

Bella. I smiled reflexively just thinking her name.

If I had been the one taken, she would never stop looking for me . . . she would never give up. My wife was small in stature but she was brave and fearless when she needed to be.

I promised her that I would never leave her. Ever. It was a promise that I would keep. I would find her, I would hold her in my arms again . . . one way or another, we would be together forever just like we had planned.

Jasper and Carlisle ran up, pulling me from my musings as I listened to yet another car pass by on the highway.

"I need to get my laptop. If Alice says she saw them in a silver Volvo, I can find out where every silver Volvo anywhere near here is registered and if any have been reported stolen. We can go and check their garages and see each car. Check each and every one. They either stole it, or it belongs to the owner of the house they are staying in. One or the other," Jasper explained, his mind kicking into overdrive in an effort to think of everything that we could possibly do to find her.

"I can also get a satellite feed and we can watch the surrounding roads for movement of any car like that. I just need the laptop," he insisted.

"Jasper, you keep searching the side roads and houses, but moving away from town. Edward can watch the road and move along the highway as you cover more and more streets. I'll go get the laptop. I want to check on Emily, just to be sure and Sue says that Sam has picked them up and they are at Edward's house," Carlisle decided.

"Emily's contusion was to the right parental, Carlisle, along the coronal suture. She should be awake and recovering by now but checking on her is a good idea. We don't need anyone else in danger because we didn't keep a close enough watch," I added coldly.

"Don't start, Edward. I won't tolerate it. I feel badly enough that I didn't get the phone and get to the road in time and it looks like they escaped because of it. I will not have you berating yourself as well, do you understand? We all need to control our emotions and clear our heads so that we can think clearly . . . lives depend on it. Our family depends on it," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . . _

His thoughts told me that he knew. He knew that I would not survive if she didn't . . . and he wasn't about to let that happen if he had an ounce of strength left in his body to fight with. He was gone like a flash, leaving Jasper and I to continue the search. Rosalie had run past a few minutes before, going further out the highway from town to see if she got another whiff of the car we believed them to be using.

Ninety minutes.

I knew that we were doing everything possible, every member of my family had rallied around me and was helping in every way possible. Rosalie had taken Jasper's place on the road with me, searching for scents and eliminating houses while Jasper was back at the house doing what Jasper did best. He had set up several computer terminals in what was apparently becoming a command center. He was tracking highway movements on one, cell phone usage on another and a third was being used to locate all silver Volvos in a two hundred mile range, especially ones registered to people that also owned vacation homes as well as any reports of stolen vehicles. Apparently he had J. Jenks working on it as well. I could only hope that Jenks was better at this than he had been at finding Bella for us.

Two Hours.

It had been too long. Five minutes with a vampire could result in the death of hundreds of people, what chance did Bella have with two of them. I remembered with crystal clarity what James had done to her, and how he had taped it to show me. I wondered if Victoria was doing the same thing . . . wanting me to suffer everything they inflicted on my wife, minute by minute.

It had been too long. The chances of finding her alive were rapidly decreasing, if they had existed at all and I knew it . . . I knew . . . I just wasn't willing to face it.

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

The problem was that I had no _control_ of this situation, the possibilities were narrowing to one, very dire _probability_ and I was not _together_. We were not together, she and I.

I would find her . . . or what they had left . . . regardless, I would find her and we would be together . . .

Carlisle arrived back with me, about the same time Jake got back from making a loop. Esme, Emmett and Alice were still watching the other roads while Jasper worked from a surveillance standpoint, trying to isolate the car, or the source of the car. Apparently the news media had gotten the story and Carlisle had been handling them and setting up rewards for information on Bella. Great, We had been unable to keep it under the radar . . . but Carlisle seemed confident that he had it handled, so I put it out of my mind. Rosalie was going to go relieve Alice so that she could work with Jasper. Hopefully something would jar a vision and we would get some sort of a break. Jasper had already compiled quite a list of autos and she could help eliminate some of it.

Carlisle was going to stay with me, and Jacob would keep running loops, just to make sure that there was no scent and no escape from town.

"Jacob, please run a loop further out the highway and circle the town of Cashiers for me. We need to expand the area, just to make sure we check everything possible," I told him. Jacob's thoughts were all over the place, but mostly he just wanted to assure me that we would find Bella and that she and Masen would be alright. He was also determined to be the one to tear Victoria limb from limb, and I couldn't fault him for that. Especially since she had been the one to kill his father.

I still stood watch on the road and Carlisle took over checking more houses and side roads as we methodically moved out from town, house by house, searching . . .

Three hours.

It was almost Twilight in the mountains, a time of day that I had learned to love since Bella had come into my life, the renewing of yet another night and day with her . . . wherever she was . . .

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Emily, want to come and help me?" I asked, forced once again by my little pixie sister to be trying on more clothing. More clothes, like I needed any more of these huge pants to cover my distended belly. I rubbed my hand over my belly, talking softly to Masen, as I had started to do once Edward had explained to me that the baby could indeed understand me.

"It's alright, handsome baby, after you're born your Mommy will protect you from your Aunt Alice. I won't let her take you shopping all the time," I told him, eliciting a frown from his Aunt Alice as she added a sweater to the pants that she already wanted me to try on.

"Alice, pink?" I said, holding the thing out from me with two fingers as though it had leprosy.

"Just try it on, Bella," she insisted. Emily took the offending top from my hand and immediately cuddled it to her face, rubbing her hands together with it in between them.

"Bella, this is really soft. Really soft. It may be light pink, but just feel the thing!" Emily exclaimed, "I would wear this just for the softness of it, even if I'm not pregnant!" She was laughing at Alice for fuming at me about the shirt, and at me for being revolted by the color. In all honesty, it was a really pretty sweater, soft and fluffy and the most delicate shade of pink. Pink. That was the only problem, I just had never done . . . pink.

"Oh well, Masen, if your Aunt wants you to get used to pink, I guess your Dad will as well. Pink could be the new family color!" I said as Edward came over and put his arms around me, his chin resting on my shoulder as he looked at the shirt I held in my hand.

"I'm not wearing that," Edward stated flatly. He was so sweet, he nuzzled his face into my neck as he stood behind me and whispered in my ear, ". . . unless you want me to."

"I could make it worth your while," I teased back at him, capturing his lips with mine.

"Alright, alright. You two can go at it like rabbits later, just try on the damned shirt already so we can leave. I want to get back to the house and hang these frames in the nursery," Rosalie fussed.

I cut my eyes to Alice, who was smirking as I took the shirt and Emily and I walked back to the dressing room.

"He really is adorable with you," Emily said.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Who else is a _he_ that's in this store. Bella, he's the only male I know that would step foot in a maternity sore, much less be smiling about it!" she told me.

"He is really really sweet, and he's always like that, Emily. I love him so much, I just don't like being away from him for even a few minutes," I laughed, "I guess I'm kind of addicted to Edward."

"Well, that may be true," she said as she closed the dressing room door, "But he is just as addicted to you, if not more?" We both laughed, shaking our heads. She was right, and I knew it. He was indeed mine to keep forever.

She waited for me to put my purse down and take off my shoes so that I could try on the damned jeans that Alice was so intent on. They were tight across Masen . . . too tight, that was for sure. These pants would have to wait till he was born, then they might just tide me over till my belly was firm again . . .

Unfortunately the sweater was perfect. Perfect. It was so soft that neither Emily nor I could stop rubbing a hand up and down my arm after I had it on, and it looked really cute on me.

I turned to take the clothes off, but as I did the dressing room door swung open, the latch ripped off its hinge . . . Victoria. She had found me.

Emily turned towards her and Victoria smiled before knocking her to the ground. It was the last thing I remembered before everything went black . . . her red eyes, and her smile . . .

. . . something was cold on my face. Edward, it was probably Edward . . . but it didn't feel like him, it wasn't soft and smooth velvet over granite . . .

I opened my eyes to see a young girl gently wiping a cold rag over my forehead. She looked to be about my age and stature with long brown hair. Her face was marred by a bruise, and what appeared to be a cut over her eye. There was no covering on the cut, and it continued to leak somewhat, looking like it needed stitches to close properly.

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to sit up. The girl gently pushed on my shoulder with the palm of her hand, insisting that I lie back down.

"I don't know where we are," she said, "At least, I don't know the address or city or any of that. We are in the basement of what I think is one of those vacation homes that they have up here in the mountains, you know, the ones that are never really used. There are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room with a kitchen, but there are no windows. The no windows is why I think it's a basement."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Bree. I am an undergrad at Clemson University in South Carolina, though I don't know if we are near there still," she said wistfully.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, insisting on sitting up.

"Two days. It's Monday afternoon, and that guy grabbed me Saturday. I was heading to a practice session of my boyfriend's band and it was a pretty day, so I thought I would walk. It wasn't that far off campus . . . but I guess walking was a bad idea," she said, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"How long have I been here?" I asked, gently rubbing the lump on my head with one arm, and trying to figure out why the other arm wouldn't move.

"A few hours. She brought you down here, the red head, and told me to tend to you. There is food in the kitchen if you want it . . . I can even make you some tea if you think it would help," she offered.

"Masen!" I gasped, my hand going to my belly. He wiggled in response, letting me know that he was alright. Thank God!

"You know the baby is a boy?" Bree asked.

"Yes, his name is Masen, it's my husband's family name," I told her as I realized just how much my shoulder was hurting.

"Are you alright? Have they hurt you?" I asked her.

"No. The guy, Riley, he is bad news. I don't know what he wants from me but he gets really riled up if he comes down here. The red head . . .," she continued, but I interrupted her.

"Victoria," I added. She looked at me like she wondered how the hell I knew, but she continued, "Victoria checks on me a couple of times a day. He brought groceries down here and she insists that I eat. They seemed to be waiting for you, they kept talking about when they got the girl . . . but they never said much after that. It seemed like I was here to test the basement, maybe? To make sure it wasn't possible to get away? I don't really know, it's just an idea that I have," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, is it possible to get out?" I asked.

"No. No way. There is only the one door at the top of the stairs, and they keep it locked," she said, disheartened.

"I have actually been following the news reports of my disappearance. They had my parents on there pleading for me to be returned . . . it nearly kills me to watch it. We should see if they reported your disappearance," she said as she left the room, moving to wherever the TV was located.

I tried to stand, but it was nearly impossible for me to get up by myself, especially without the use of one arm. Damn it my shoulder hurt . . . and I couldn't feel my arm! These pants had to go as well, they were way too tight across my belly and Masen kept squirming. I was sure it was making him uncomfortable as well.

"Hold on, Masen. Mommy will get the tight feeling away from you," I said as I pulled the pants down below my belly. I couldn't wear them that way, but i wasn't having them hurt Masen. He had a small enough area to be in as it was.

I managed to get up and I opened the closet . . . nothing. nothing in the dresser, either. I walked out into the hall. Whoever's house this was, it was absolutely beautiful. Expensive furniture, designer linens and a huge flat screen that Bree was sitting on the sofa watching. She seemed to be almost resigned to being here, like it was just her little apartment. It was probably just her form of coping . . . I would talk to her about it later, after I made my baby more comfortable and checked for possible escape routes. I was not staying here. Bree was oblivious to what Riley and Victoria were . . . but I wasn't.

I wandered into the other bedroom and opened the drawers to the dresser, finding what I wanted. Sweat pants. Size didn't matter, I just needed room for the baby. These happened to be grey, and it took me forever with one arm to get the too tight jeans off and pull the sweats on. Luckily Bree heard me fussing and came to my rescue, holding the sweats while I put my feet in the leg holes and pulling them up for me after she helped me stand.

"See, Masen, much better now isn't it? Without those tight pants on my belly squishing you. A mean lady has stolen Mommy away from Daddy, but don't you worry. Just be patient, your Daddy will come for us. He will find us, handsome boy," I told him as I rubbed my belly to sooth him. I had taken to talking out loud to him ever since Edward had explained that he really could understand me, and I loved knowing that he heard me.

The six o'clock news was coming on, apparently we were not far from Highlands as the distraction that allowed me to be taken was being shown on the screen. There was a view of Edward's Volvo, crushed by what looked like a black SUV of some type. The Volvo was sitting next to Esme's car in the parking spots where we had left them and a crowd had gathered. That explained it. My family's attention had momentarily been diverted to the crash, allowing Victoria time to run in and snatch me. They were interviewing the Police Chief of Highlands. A photo of me flashed on the screen along with a description.

_Isabella Cullen, 19, wife of Edward Cullen and daughter in law of Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Chief of Staff of Highlands/Cashiers hospital was abducted today from a shop in downtown Highlands. _

_An All Points Bulletin has been issued. _

_Substantial reward for any information leading to her recovery._

_Mrs. Cullen is expecting and the baby is currently due. _

_It is imperative that she have medical care to deliver the infant._

The reporter went on to give phone numbers and places to secretly give tips.

Oh My God!

Edward must be beside himself. He would be so worried, so filled with guilt over not having been with me . . . I needed to get to him, I had to make sure he was alright. He would be searching for me and there had to be a way to get a signal to him . . . some way before Victoria had her revenge.

Before anything else, I had to explain something to Masen.

He had to live through this, he had to . . .

I rubbed my belly and spoke very quietly, only to him.

"My handsome boy, the mean lady that I told you about that took me away from Daddy, well . . . she wants to hurt Mommy. Masen, I need you to do something for me. Listen very closely, son. Do you hear my heart beat, listen to it, its the thud thud thud that is just above you. Masen, if you stop hearing it . . . if it stops beating and you stop being able to get what you need, Mommy wants you to use your teeth and get out of Mommy. I know that Daddy told you to never ever bite me but if my heart stops beating, if you don't hear that noise anymore and you can't breath, Mommy wants you to get yourself out. Daddy won't be mad, I promise", I told him as tears flowed down my cheeks.

"I love you, Masen. Always remember that Mommy loves you and Daddy. Don't give up. Mommy is trying to stop the lady from hurting us. She has us locked in a room and I am going to try and find a way to get us out of here and let Daddy know where we are. Try and help Mommy. Be a good boy and don't bite me till after you no longer hear a heartbeat, remember to wait till then, baby," I whispered.

I had to tell him, I had to let him know that I wanted him to get himself out if he needed to. I had to find a way to save him, my son had to survive this. If something happened to me, Masen would be the only thing that would keep Edward alive, and Edward had to live . . .

I started walking by every wall in the place, every cabinet. There had to be a way to at least signal him, something . . . I had to do something to help . . .


	71. Chapter 71  Demands

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 71 Demands **

**EPOV 18 hours**

Carlisle had stayed with me as well as Emmett and Rose. They continued to search house after house as we moved down the highway away from Highlands and towards Cashiers some thirty miles away. I had to continue, I had to help . . . all my family asked of me was that I watch the road . . . I could do that, just watch the road and listen to see who was in each vehicle and check their scent . . .

"Nothing anywhere on this road," Emmett said as he came running back to me, "Has Rose gotten back yet?"

"Right here. No cars even down this way, I don't think anyone has been down this way in days," she said.

Carlisle came around the corner, I heard his thoughts before he ever got near us, "Nothing that way. I just spoke with Esme and she has this road in view now clearly, and with the sun rising, there is no room for error. She'll see any movement. We need to all go back to the house and look over the information that Jasper has come up with and regroup," he told us. My face must have shown the panic I felt because he immediately put a hand on my shoulder, "Edward, we are not giving up. If we put our heads together and look at all the information, we may come up with a more effective plan," he said as I stared at the ground, my shoulders rigid with fear. He waited for me to raise my eyes and look at him, though he knew I was already hearing his silent assurances, "We will not give up, Edward. We need to hurry, though. Come on."

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

We ran the entire way, though the feel of the wind in my face did not comfort me as it usually did. I saw the morning breaking, the sun coming over the mountain making sparkles glisten from the dampness on the trees and foliage, but there was no joy in it, no wonder now. There was nothing.

Jasper was at home, Alice helping him to isolate all the Volvos in the area and Esme keeping an eye on the satellite view of the roads. Vampire senses came in handy in that she could discern even the slightest shadow difference in the night time feed and tell even what color the car was . . . and she never tired.

My library resembled a control room, computers and monitors set up everywhere with the large screen TV incorporated into use. Efficient was not even the word for it. My brother was amazing. Last night this was a library with Bella's and my computers and desks, today it looked like it could monitor and control the space shuttle. Apparently he had things programed to beep if there was movement of anything resembling the Volvo they had been driving.

Alice was verifying the Volvos through other sources and feeding the addresses to Jasper and they were showing up on his screen. There was a report of one being stolen from the parking lot of a Walmart on New Years Day just hours after Victoria had escaped from my siblings at Mirror lake. Bingo. At least we now knew where the car had come from and exactly what we were looking for, based on this information and Alice's vision.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

Jasper was methodically eliminating all possibilities. The problem was time. How long did we have before Victoria harmed her, if she hadn't already . . .

I heard the call come in, Carlisle's phone rang and he answered it, "Hello Charlie. Yes. Yes, it's true. Calm down and I'll tell you what we know so far . . ."

So . . . it wasn't contained. Apparently the girl at the shop had called the police and an APB had been issued, which Charlie had seen come across his desk this morning when he went in to work. Damn. I stood in the doorway watching, reading all their thoughts as they discussed options and courses of action.

I tossed the contents of my pockets on the table by the door and walked past a sleeping Sue and Emily, both curled up on the sofa where they had apparently fallen asleep sometime in the night. Sam was just walking in through the patio door and our eyes met for a moment. I blocked anything coming from him, the smile his face had was too much for me to take. I blocked everything and everyone for a moment . . .I just needed a moment . . .

Making my way up the stairs to my room, our room, I shut the door. Bella's clothing was laid across the foot of the bed, and her shoes. She had been wearing these clothes when we were shopping. I hadn't thought about it, but apparently she had the new outfit that Alice had her try on and no shoes when Victoria . . .

I couldn't even think it. I clutched the clothing and it smelled strongly of her. I inhaled deeply, clutching them to me and sinking to the floor at the foot of the bed, my back to the foot board and my arms around my knees. Two hundred and eighteen days. I had two hundred and eighteen days with her, one hundred and four since we moved to this house, this bed . . .

I stared at the painting of us that hung over the fireplace. I remembered the afternoon that we had shared, sitting on that bench in the garden of my families' home in Forks. I remembered everything with crystal clarity. Perfect recall. I remembered every second of every minute of the first time we had made love. It was here in this bed. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. She had been so scared that I was leaving her, so afraid that I didn't really want to keep her. What a ridiculous thought, as though she wasn't everything to me . . . everything . . .

My family was amazing. They had rallied around me before when I had stupidly decided to leave her, then they had tried to comfort me, urging me to change my mind. When I had finally come to my senses, they had helped me find her . . . and they were all here, helping me again.

Eighteen hours. It had been eighteen hours since she was taken. I knew that nomad vampires had little hope of keeping a human alive for any length of time, much less eighteen hours. Our rescue attempts were fast turning into recovery efforts . . . and we all knew it. We would find her . . . whatever was left.

It was in that moment that I decided that I would bring her back here when we found her, I would hold her to me and remember every second that we had spent together from the moment we had first met in school. I would relish each and every moment . . . and it would end here. I would destroy any trace of the life we had together, the things we owned and loved. I would burn the house and all its contents as I held her close to me on this bed. It would become my pyre, forever mingling my ashes with hers, and the son that had been our dream.

My family would understand. My father knew, he knew I could not exist without her. I had failed her . . . and my son. Oh God . . . my son.

Tears fell in earnest now, venom streamed down my face and I realized that she had been right, I did indeed have a heart and soul . . . for they were both breaking . . .

"Open the door, Edward."

I paid no attention to the repeated call from the hallway, or the apology when the door was broken into pieces as my room was entered.

"What the hell are you doing? Get up! We have to rescue Bella!" he shouted.

Rescue . . . I wish that word applied, God how I wished . . . I thought as I clutched her clothes to me, inhaling her scent that lingered there . . .

"Edward, bloodsucker . . . get up now before I yank you up. Do you hear me?" he continued, "I'm not letting her down and neither are you! Get off your stony ass, leech! Now!"

I stared at his outstretched hand. He was standing in front of me insisting that I try, that we find her. I just had to do it, I had to push myself into moving again, into finding her . . . she would not give up on me, I had to not give up . . .

I reached out and took Jacob's hand and he pulled me to my feet, hugging me to him for a moment before smacking me in the arm. "Dude, I was afraid I was going to have to carry your ass downstairs and I have no idea how heavy fucking rock is!" he joked as he ushered me towards the door.

Apparently the thoughts I had blocked from Sam earlier would have told me, had I listened. The reason for the smile on Sam's face had not been my pain, but rather Jacob's success in phasing back to human form. I realized this as we walked down the stairs and joined everyone in the living room.

"Alice!" I exclaimed as her thoughts hit me.

I closed my eyes and watched the vision she was showing me in her head. Bella . . . walking around a room with a huge fireplace, examining each and every nook and corner. She wasn't using her left arm, it appeared to hang limply at her side and a smile reflexively cross my face as I noticed she was wearing an unfamiliar pair of grey sweatpants. My Bella. That was so my Bella, though how the hell she came by them with everything that had to be going on, I had no idea.

"She's still alive, Edward. She's still alive!" she trilled as she danced over to me and threw herself at me, her arms around my neck. The excitement and relief in the room was palpable.

"Oh thank God," Esme sighed.

"Hold on just a damned minute," Jacob swore, "I thought you couldn't see shit when I was around?"

"I can't, dog, I saw this a few minutes before you and Sam came in the door. I've been going over and over it in my head. I didn't want to get everyone excited if I wasn't certain. It's a present vision though, I'm certain of it. She's still alive," Alice insisted, clapping her hands and bounding up and down.

"You cloud up my visions when I'm in the room with you or if someone decides to do something involving you, their future becomes mixed with yours and I can't see them either. That's why I couldn't see Bella when you two were together in Forks and working for Dale. I saw her clearly though, and she is alive!" Alice insisted, explaining herself to him.

"Alice, her arm?" I asked.

"I have no idea, Edward, but she's alive!" Alice reassured me.

"Alright then, lets find her" Jasper added, "Alice and I have compiled a list and placed the locations on a map, of every Volvo within fifty miles. I realize the theft on Friday night is the car that makes sense, and if they have that one, then these addresses are moot, but for now I want one of us to go to each of these and check them out. We have to be sure."

"I'll go," said Emmett, " I need to run anyway, give me the list."

"Give him half of it, Jasper," Esme said, "I'll take the other half."

Jasper stared at Carlisle for a moment, then at me before he handed the lists to them and had them check to make sure their cell phones were charged. "Check in with each house and let me know what you found," he instructed them, "Call Alice and she can systematically eliminate them from the maps we have on screen as you check them out. Make sure you check the entire perimeter of the house for scents, doesn't hurt to do a little overkill here."

"Edward, I'd like to help," Sam stepped forward to say.

Jasper looked to me, and I nodded. "Thank you, Sam," I managed to say.

"Jacob," I asked, "Are you comfortable that you can phase back at will, or still dicey?"

"Dicey. If I find something and I'm agitated, it could be a problem," Jacob replied honestly.

"If Sam runs loops with Jacob they can keep in touch with each other mentally as they run different areas and Sam can have a phone to call if they find something," Jasper explained, "Just in case Jacob has trouble phasing back. I have a phone with a long strap to the case, Sam. You could carry it around your neck in wolf form."

"I have my own damned phone, bloodsu . . .Jasper," Sam stammered, obviously having difficulty conversing with us.

"Reception here in the mountains is sketchy at best, Sam. This is a satellite phone and our numbers are programmed in it already. It will work virtually anywhere when no other phone will. Please use it for that reason . . . if you find something, time is of the essence." Jasper told him, retrieving the phone from wherever he had it instantly and placing it on the back of the sofa by Emily, where Sam was standing. Emily picked up the phone and handed it to Sam.

"Rose, I want you to head out and see if you can get a scent of the car on any road, all around the roads to and around the town of Cashiers. They couldn't have gotten that car more than a hundred or so miles away by the time I had the satellite feed set up and we saw no Volvo moving," Jasper suggested to Rose.

Carlisle, Jasper, Alice and I headed into the library as Sue got up to fix Emily some tea. She was supposed to stay in bed but she had insisted on being on the sofa so that she felt in touch with what was going on in our search efforts.

It was the first time I had seen her since I had run out of the shop after Bella, and she was remembering yesterday . . . in the shop, just before Victoria burst into the dressing room. I closed my eyes and saw what she remembered . . . Bella looking radiant, round with my child as she tried on the jeans that were way too tight on her distended belly. It explained why the vision Alice had shown me was of Bella in sweatpants, the damned jeans were too tight on my baby and she had taken them off, always taking care of Masen. The pink sweater looked just as beautiful on her then as it had in Alice's vision . . .

My thoughts were stopped cold by the sound that filled the room. Emmett, Rose and Esme stood statue still in their tracks, halfway out the door as they were leaving to continue the search. Jacob and Sam, along with Emily and Sue looked at us for the meaning of our reactions, Jasper, Carlisle and Alice stone still as well.

My phone. Bella's ring tone was going off on my phone. There was only one way that could be happening . . . someone was calling me from Bella's phone. Jasper was instantly gone, his thoughts telling me that he was in front of the screen that he had set up to track her phone, just in case. Her purse had not been left in the dressing room, so we assumed it was with her, though the credit cards, etc. had not been used.

I stared at it, unable to move.

"Answer it!" Alice demanded. "Quickly, Edward. Answer it, or I will," she said as she clicked the button to accept the call. I gestured to her to take the call, wanting to prolong the time that it took the person calling to say whatever it was they had to say so that Jasper could get a location on the phone. I knew that if it was Bella, the phone could be at my ear instantly.

Alice took a deep, unnecessary breath, and answered . . ."Hello?"

"Put Edward on the phone, now."

I knew the voice, we all heard it. It was Victoria, and she had Bella's phone. Oh God. Was she calling to torture me further . . . to tell me where I could come and collect Bella's body, or was she going to have me listen as she made her scream?

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

I had to take the phone. I had to remain calm and in control . . . I had to keep it together, in case there was something I could do, if only that I could hear her voice one last time . . .

"Hello," I said as confidently as I could manage.

"Well, hello there, fucker. Didn't think you could protect her from me forever, did you? By now, you must realize that I have your mate . . . the pathetic little human," she taunted me.

"Victoria. Let her go, it's me you want. You want revenge for James . . . I killed him, you end me, not her. She never had any choice in this, it was always me that James wanted to get at, you know it," I said resolutely, determination trying to win out over the pleading.

"Don't you _dare_ try to tell me _anything_ about James or what he wanted. I knew James better than anyone. I'm the one who lost my mate for all eternity. I want to be compensated . . . understand," she sneered.

"What do yo want, Victoria? What will it take for you to let her go?" I asked.

"Ten million dollars. I want ten million dollars wired to an account in the Caymans, understand? I have the offshore account set up and waiting."

"You're willing to let her go in exchange for money?" I asked, incredulously. A nomad vampire wanted money? Ransom? My wife was now being held for ransom?

"Yes."

"Unharmed?" I asked, knowing that she was injured in the vision Alice had showed me.

"Yes, well," she paused, "as unharmed as she is right now. I might have pulled her arm a little too hard and I doubt the shoulder is still in it's socket, but other than that and a bump on the head she's unharmed . . . for now."

That explained her not using her left arm in Alice's vision. Could it really be that she was still alive and this had turned into a ransom demand . . . dear God, I hoped so . . . . if only it could be that simple!

"How do I know she's alive and as unharmed as you say?" I asked. I had to know for sure.

"Tell you what, I'll call you back in three hours and let you talk to her. You can ask her yourself. Three hours . . . and you had better be working on getting that money, or I'll kill her oh so slowly, Edward. If I do, I'll tape it so you don't miss a thing, don't worry. I will tape it just like James was going to so that you can hear her every scream. You want to be able to hear her call for you to help her, don't you?"

"Fine. We'll discuss a deal in three hours and Victoria . . . she better tell me that she has food and drink and that she has been kept warm and comfortable, do you understand me? Hurt her even by not keeping her comfortable and you get nothing from me," I told her.

"The little bitch is in the lap of luxury, food and drink provided you prick. I know enough about pets to know to keep her warm and watered . . . and caged. I'll talk to you in three hours," she said indignantly as she hung up the phone.

. . . the line went dead.

"Alice?" I said as my eyes darted to hers, I needed to know if she still saw Bella alive.

"I still see her, Edward. Just the same as before," Alice assured me and showed me at the same time. Bella was sitting on a sofa. She looked actually somewhat peaceful in the glimpse that Alice saw.

"Oh my God, Edward . . . she's still alive?" Esme asked, everyone in the room still stood stone still. The only breath in the room came from the humans.

I turned to them, the rest of my family that were anxiously wanting to know what the hell was going on and told them, "Victoria says she's still alive, although her arm is injured." There was an audible gasp in the room. "Alice sees her alive as well, though injured," I continued. They were all hoping and they had all been doing anything and everything possible to help locate her . . . but they all knew, as I did, that the chances of her still being alive were almost non existent. A human still being alive twenty hours after being abducted by vampires just wasn't something that ever happened.

"Edward, Victoria is willing to exchange Bella for money?" Carlisle asked, needing it confirmed. Vampires just didn't behave that way, and this was beyond his ability to accept without having it repeated to confirm what he thought he heard. The Volturi were the only family of vampires that he thought capable of such an act.

"Victoria says she will exchange Bella for ten million dollars," I said flatly.

Sue gasped in a breath, "Where the hell would you ever get that kind of money, Edward?" Emily murmured something similar and Sam turned to look at them both, shaking his head. The rest of us, including Jacob ignored them.

"Edward," Jasper called from the library. In an instant, I stood behind him, looking over his shoulder at the computer monitors. "I was only able to narrow it to a hundred mile radius. At least our guess about Cashiers was right. They are North West of here, and no further than a hundred miles away, the radius being west of Cashiers," he said as he drew a circle on the satellite map.

"Alright. I think it's safe to assume that they are going to stay put and not risk having us see her or track her scent on the roadways. Divide up these areas within the radius of where that call came from, and let's check out each house, he said to the rest of the family. Jacob, you and Sam still run the loops, but do circles around the outer perimeter, here," Jasper said as he pointed it out on the map, and pull the circles in a mile or so each time you complete a circle. Scents for you are good up to how far, Sam?"

"Herd of deer, about five miles. Single person or subtler scent I wouldn't want to push over a couple of miles to be sure," he explained willingly.

"Okay, you and Jake can talk mentally a mile away from each other, right?" Jasper asked.

"A hundred miles," Sam replied somewhat hesitantly, not wanting to give anything away.

"Great, then if you run a mile or so apart, you can cover more area. You have the phone, right?" Jasper reaffirmed.

"Yea, I got it," Sam answered as he turned toward the door.

"We got this, bloodsucker. Just arrange the cash, use my account if you need it. We'll call in every hour," Jacob said, and left out the door with Sam, phasing before he hit the last step of the front porch and running full tilt off into the woods with Sam.

I pulled out my laptop and placed it in an open spot on the desk, pulling up both my personal account as well as Bella's. I was just checking our investment account when Carlisle walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Son, take the money out of the family account," he told me, looking at the computer.

"Dad?"

"Take the money out of the family account. She is my daughter, too, and the entire family wants her back. Don't argue. If you use the family account, it's a simple transaction and you don't have to juggle anything. Set up a separate account to use for the transfer, sometimes banks are picky about that sort of thing, you know that as well as I do," he reminded me.

"Edward," Jasper called to get my attention, "I'll try to narrow the area when she calls. You know to delay answering and all conversation to get us more time to run the trace, what I want to know is . . . will you transfer the funds right away, or should you stall for time so that we have a chance of locating her?"

"Alice?" I looked at her, hoping she could tell me what we should do. Hopefully she could look at both outcomes and see, "If we transfer the money right away, do you see her safe?"

Alice hesitated, the vision in her head almost too much to bear, "and if we delay till tomorrow?" I asked.

The same vision, in another form. Bella would not survive this alive if I gave her the money right away, or even tomorrow. "Alice!" I nearly shouted, "If we wait 48 hours Alice, what then?"

The vision Alice showed me calmed me somewhat. Me, having a picnic with a small copper haired boy running around. The vision did not show Bella, and the twins that were there before were absent.

"Edward, the best chance we have to get her back is if you delay the transfer . . . tell her it will take seventy two hours for the transaction to settle. That's standard in the stock market and she can check it if she wants to. If you set up the account today, that's Tuesday before 2pm then normally it would settle after midnight on the third day, that means the funds would be available when the bank opens Friday morning. Tell her that," Alice insisted.

"Alice! You want me to leave Bella with her for over two more days?" I said, standing and whirling around to face her, "She can't stay with her three more nights . . ."

Carlisle cut me off, "Alice, I mentioned to you yesterday that I was thinking of doing a c section on her then, I don't know that Masen will wait three days. We may not have that kind of time."

"If we don't wait and delay the transfer, we don't have a chance of getting her back alive. None," Alice insisted.

"You're sure, Alice?" Rosalie and Emmett both looked at her pleadingly, wanting a different answer.

"I'm sure. I don't know why. It doesn't make any sense to me either, but delay . . . or she dies," Alice insisted.

"Fine," I spat, not happy at all with that way of thinking or handling the ransom demand.

"Well, get moving. We won't have to debate ransom if we find her first!" Jasper said giving Emmett and Esme printouts of the area to cover, an area within the circle highlighted for each of the three that would search. Carlisle took his map and left as well. Rose asked for a copy . . . she was still going to cover all the roadways within that area looking for the scent of the damned car they had used.

Sue came over and put a hand on my shoulder as I sat back down at the screen to set up the account and transfer the funds.

"My God, Edward. What will you do about the money? I have some that you can use as well, if it helps," she offered.

Without turning to look at her I touched her hand on my shoulder to thank her, "I appreciate it, Sue. Money is not the problem, thankfully. Victoria seems to think that it's a lot, and I would never tell her different," I said coolly, my voice icy cold. I pulled up mine and Bella's joint account with just over five million in it and she gasped.

"Edward, I had no idea you had that kind of money!" she was still catching her breath as she sat in the chair next to me.

"I've had a long time to learn how to invest, Sue. Bella can literally have anything she wants. I told Charlie, finally, because he asked me. Renee as well, but please keep it to yourself. The fact that I have money is not something I like to discuss," I said.

I pulled up the family account and she damn near passed out. It had just over fifty five million in it, right now. I went about setting up an additional account and transferred the ten million into it, along with a little extra to cover any transfer fees or charges - I didn't want to have any problems come up that money could have handled.

Now I waited. Three hours had never passed more slowly.

Sam called in every hour, as did Rose, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle. They had found nothing, though Rose could swear she had gotten a whiff that was the same car. Jasper pinpointed it so that he could compare the area when the call came in from Bella. I sat, completely still, viewing the monitors and trying desperately to think of anything else that we could be doing to find her. Alice isolated herself out in the gazebo to try and clear her thoughts and see anything . . . anything at all to do with Bella.

Finally my phone rang with her ring tone, and I answered it . . .

"_Edward," _I heard from the other end of the phone . . . it was Bella.


	72. Chapter 72  Complications

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 72 Complications **

**BPOV **

"You have to eat something, and drink. You're pregnant," Bree fussed. She had warmed up soup and made a sandwich for me along with a large glass of coke. I sat at the table with her and drank the coke, grateful for the liquid and the sugar. She poured me another.

"You know, soda isn't good for the baby, or for you. It has way too much salt in it," she kept going on, seemingly oblivious to our predicament. I shouldn't be so critical . . . everyone has a different way of coping with extreme conditions, and maybe this was hers. I drank too much coke too fast, and I started to shiver.

"Here, let me start some heat for you if you're cold," she offered, getting up and going over to the fireplace. She lit a match that she took from the mantle and turned a key, holding the match to the logs in the fireplace. Instantly there was what appeared to be a full fireplace of logs burning brightly. The heat from them did feel good as I walked over to them, noticing that they were gas logs and no trace of real wood was burning. It looked like a real wood burning fireplace that had the gas installed as an after thought. What a waste, not using real logs. There was no crackle and no smell of wood burning.

"Bree, is there any trace of a phone line in here?" I asked her.

"No. The guy, Riley pulled them all out of the wall when he first brought me down here. He laughed and threatened to pull the cable cord, but he left it so that the TV stayed on. Guess he thought it might occupy my time," she told me.

I sat back down to finish the soup that she had heated, wracking my brain to think of ways to get a signal or a message to Edward.

We washed the dishes, I have no idea why we would do such a thing. Who cared if we dirtied up our prison, but it seemed like the normal thing to do after a meal, and anything normal right now helped.

Bree boiled water and brewed us a pot of tea. After the tea was poured into cups, she looked at me and giggled, "Let's go sit and watch the eleven o'clock news and see if we have been found yet." Obviously, she had no clue just how much mortal danger she was in, and how dim the prospect of her ever getting away actually was . . . but I did.

I awoke to laughter. Maniacal, surreal laughter, as though I had woken in the middle of a nightmare . . . and I suppose I had.

"Sleeping in, pet?" Victoria asked me as she stood with her arms crossed in front of the sofa where I had fallen asleep. "Here," she spat, throwing a packet of band-aids at me, "cover that cut on her head before Riley comes down here and insists on having her for breakfast."

She was gone in an instant. Her speed didn't surprise me, but it startled Bree.

"Where did she go? Was I dreaming or was that red head just standing there throwing band-aids at you?" she asked, somewhat startled.

"No, you weren't dreaming. She was here, and even though I hate the idea of doing anything she asks, covering the wound on your head is in our best interest. Come on, help me up," I said. She rose easily and grabbed my right hand, lifting me from the elbow to help me get on my feet and then following me into the bathroom. Victoria had given me the waterproof type of band-aid that completely seals wounds and makes them watertight, airtight too, I supposed. The smell of her blood oozing was probably grating on the already strained willpower of the vampires upstairs.

Bree set about finding food for breakfast as I continued to search for chinks in the armor of our confinement. There were none . . . yet. I needed the use of my other arm. I remembered, back almost two years ago when I had first met Edward in school, I fell in gym and hurt my shoulder. Popped it out of the socket he had said. He put it back in for me. If I could just remember . . .

He held it at a certain point, put pressure pressing the shoulder straight in towards my neck, and moved the joint . . . up I think. Let's see. I went into the bedroom and leaned against the wall with my shoulder as hard as I could with my arm down. Once I was pressing. I lifted it ninety degrees and . . ."Shit!" I yelled.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Bree asked as she ran into the room.

"I need your help. I can't press against the wall and lift the arm correctly at the same time. Let me get here, in the hallway and lean on the wall so that I can push against the other wall with my other arm. Maybe if I press harder it will work," I said, almost to myself.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, looking lost.

"Stand in front of me and hold my left arm at the elbow. When I tell you to, lift it till it's level with your shoulder, okay? Don't stop if I yell, just do it," I instructed, "Can you do that for me, Bree?"

"What is it you're trying to do?" she asked as she grabbed my elbow to comply.

"I'm trying to pop my shoulder back into the socket. Okay," I said as I leaned against the wall and pressed myself even harder against it with my good arm, using the opposite wall to push from, "Lift!"

"I stifled myself to keep from screaming as I felt the joint go back into place, feeling immediately returning to the numb arm . . . unfortunately. With the feeling came pain, but it was short lived and the shoulder actually seemed absolutely fine, just a little sore and stiff. Guess Edward knew what he was doing, after all, I mused.

The day passed agonizingly slowly with no more visits from Victoria or Riley until mid afternoon.

Victoria appeared at the foot of the stairs out of no where. Apparently human speed wasn't something she practiced at all. She walked over to where I was seated at the kitchen table and handed me my cell phone.

"Call your husband. You have five minutes," she said as she disappeared back up the stairs.

"Bree just looked at me, like she couldn't believe it. We're saved? Call the police!" she insisted.

"And tell them what, Bree. We have no idea where we are. Trust me, my husband is the best chance we have of getting out of here," I said as I pressed the button for Edward. Bree apparently thought we weren't being monitored . . . I knew better. I was all too familiar with vampire hearing.

"Edward," I almost sighed as I spoke his name. I knew he would be on the other end of the phone.

"Sweetheart, are you hurt?" he asked quietly.

"No, not really anyway. I have no idea where I am except that it appears to be a basement, there are no windows, Edward. Two bedrooms, a bath, kitchen, living room and a fireplace . . . but no windows. The only door upstairs is guarded by Victoria, and I assume Riley. There is another girl, Bree. Edward, they kidnapped her from Clemson on Saturday afternoon," I quickly gave him all the information that I had.

"Sweetheart, it may be close to time to deliver Masen . . . talk to him. Explain what's happening. he'll understand you, Bella. He'll help to do whatever he can. Please talk to him. I love you," he said just as quietly.

"Edward, I love you more than anything. Promise me something . . ."

"Anything," he replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Promise me that if Masen survives, you'll stay with him. You'll stick around and be his Dad. Edward promise me that you won't go to Italy or anything else if Masen lives. I have to know that he'll at least have his Dad. Promise me," I pleaded with him.

"Bella, I . . . .," he choked, I could hear him crying.

"Edward Cullen. Promise me," I demanded, tears streaming down my cheeks as I spoke with the weight of what I was saying.

"I promise. It won't come to that, though. We'll find you. She wants money as ransom, Bella. She says she will let you go for money," he told me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A vampire, hell bent on revenge was now willing to settle for money? Never happen. She might want the money, but she would kill me as well for revenge.

"Bella. Explain what I just told you to Masen. Trust me. Explain it several different ways, like you were talking to me trying to reason out the ifs and whys. I can't explain further," he pleaded.

"I will, sweetheart. I miss you. I hate sleeping without you. I love you, Edward. I forgive you for all the things you think you did wrong, because you didn't. Everything that happened brought us together, allowed us to be together completely. I'll always love you," I told him.

"I'll always love only you, Bella. Only you."

It was the last thing he said before she took the phone from my hand and went back upstairs.

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV **

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

I hated to intrude on their privacy, but I had to know exactly what she told him. I hoped it would help us find her, and I was right.

"Edward, the basement that Bella described. I'm accessing the planning department for the two counties that the hundred mile search area is in. Finished basements are included on the Tax Commissioners files, along with floor plans. It may take some time to go through them, but it gives us something to go on," I told him excitedly. I immediately killed the screen tracing the locations of all Volvos in the area and accessed the Tax files for the counties.

"Can you find that on line, Jasper," Edward asked impatiently.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as I pulled one county's files up for me to go through. Unfortunately, the second county did not have their files open to on line access, and we would have to be at the courthouse when they opened at eight am tomorrow. We could do that.

"What about the call, could you trace the call, Jasper?" my brother asked, his eyes hopeful.

"No. No trace on the call. I needed another couple of minutes and apparently Victoria is aware of the time involved. She must know that we have that capability," I added.

Alice's arms were around Edward, comforting her brother, "I can draw the space she is in, Edward, square footage and all. It will help us find the house using tax records. We'll find her. Just remember, when Victoria calls back, tell her seventy two hours and make her let Bella call you three times a day. Morning, noon and night. Maybe she'll slip up on the time she allows her. It will only take one slip for us to find her."

Edward did as Alice suggested. When Victoria called moments later, he told her that he would get the money. He said he had to wait for the transaction to settle in the market, and that the funds would be available as soon as the bank opened Friday morning. Victoria was livid. Apparently she hadn't planned on waiting that long. He also gave her two conditions that went with getting the money for her. He had to talk to Bella every eight hours, starting at eleven o'clock tonight, and he had to hear from her that she was warm and not going without food and water.

He got his way. After lots of foul language and screaming . . . she agreed.

Alice and I quickly updated everyone about what was happening. They continued their jobs of searching the areas and Alice, Edward and I got to work on the computers, checking to find the right damned house where she was being held.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . . _

The weather forecast was calling for a winter storm tomorrow. According to them, it would be the likes of which the town of Highlands hadn't seen in years, dumping more than a foot of snow on the ground.

Though our house was equipped with a generator, it was nothing to compare to Edward's house. Our house would have the capability of running the TV and computer in the event of a power outage. That's all we would need - the TV for Emmett, and my computer but Edward . . . well Edward was prepared for anything. With Bella being human and him not knowing how long she would remain human, he had prepared for everything. His house had been built with state of the art switching devices and a generator that would come on automatically in case of a power outage, running the house as though the power were still on. Heat and air conditioning along with the refrigerator and all electric everything would continue to work normally.

"Edward, there's a storm coming. Predictions are for more than a foot of snow. One of us needs to check on the amount of gasoline you have stored and we also need food for the humans," I reminded him. He left the library, returning instantly to inform me that he would make a quick run to the store, allowing Alice and I to continue searching. We were faster on the computers, and he knew it.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV 26 hours**

"I'll be right back," I said to Emily and Sue as they sat, waiting for the news report to come on.

"Edward, where are you going?" Sue asked.

"Sue, there is a winter storm coming and I need to pick up supplies for the generator and fill the refrigerator," I told her.

"You're leaving to get supplies to insure the well being of the humans?" she asked incredulously.

"Sue. We are going to find Bella. She'll need food and to be kept warm, and we need the computers running to make that happen. All those things require electricity and we need gas for the generator. I'll be right back," I told her.

"I'm coming with you," she said, grabbing her coat from the rack by the door. Somehow the way she said it left no room for arguments.

We headed out the door to the garage and my fingers stroked across the hood of Bella's R8. I chuckled to myself and Sue looked at me for an explanation. "I was just thinking I couldn't bring much gasoline back in this," I chuckled and she smiled in agreement.

"No, it isn't as if this is a practical car, Edward. Beautiful, but not practical," Sue said, smiling with me.

"Well, since my car was crushed and I don't even know where Rosalie had it towed to. I suppose I'll need to borrow Jacob's truck and hope he doesn't mind," I told her.

Sue scoffed, " . . . as though Jacob would ever mind you borrowing the truck that you gave him, Edward!"

"Hold on and fasten your seat belt, Sue. Bella used to always yell at me for driving too fast, and I suppose you will too," I smiled at the thought. We got down the mountain in no time and pulled into the Walmart parking lot in Clayton, Georgia. It was less than twenty miles but all of it extremely winding mountain roads, and almost all downhill from the cabin. It took less than twenty minutes to arrive, and longer than that for Sue's knuckles to change from the white color they had become.

"Sue, would you mind getting the groceries while I buy gas containers and fill them? I want to save time. Get anything and everything you think we might need for a week or so, Sue," I said handing her a few hundred dollar bills, "I'll find you if I finish first."

I forced myself to walk at a fast human speed, purchasing the few five and ten gallon containers that the store carried. I took them to the truck and pulled to the gas station to fill them. I had the back of the truck mostly full and in truth, I had bought far more than needed, in case I had to put plan B into effect if Victoria hurt my wife. I would need the house to go up quickly to prevent any rescue attempts by my family.

I finished and parked in front of the store, heading in to find Sue. The store was crowded with people making preparations for the coming storm but I located her easily, and she was almost finished. I added a few things that I knew to be Bella's favorites and we headed to the checkout. We passed a young woman with a baby in a cart, carefully selecting items from the baby section. I was drawn to her for some reason, reading her mind reflexively. She had no money to buy the things her child needed. She was carefully selecting the essentials, worried about what he would have to do without. I stopped cold . . . though I was a very nearly invincible vampire, I felt as though I needed help to stand as I leaned against the grocery cart . . . her little boy was named Masen.

"One minute, Sue," I said as I pulled my wallet from my pocket, removing all the cash in it. I walked over to the woman, appearing to scare her with the intensity of my stare at her child, I'm sure.

"Take this, for the baby," I said, handing her the cash and turning to leave. Her mind was reeling as she realized the amount I had given her. I had no idea, really, a few thousand I suspected.

"Sir, sir . . . ," She said as she followed me, "I can't accept this." She tried to hand the money back to me and I closed her fist around it.

"Please take the money. I have a son named Masen as well, and he's in danger. I'd like to help your son . . . please take it. The money means nothing to me and it will help him," I insisted.

She stood there as though dazed, her mind filled with relief as she said, "Thank you."

As I walked away with Sue, both she and the girl looked at me in disbelief. I pushed our cart to the checkout, anxious to get back to the house, though I knew I would be called if anything at all had happened. We loaded the groceries into the backseat of the truck and headed back up the mountain, Sue remembering to buckle her seat belt quickly when I first started the car. I had to laugh to myself, silly humans . . . questioning my driving skills!

"That was very nice of you, Edward. That young woman looked as though she needed some help," Sue said quietly.

"She didn't have enough money to buy what the baby needed, much less to buy food for herself and she had no one to help her, Sue. The baby's name was Masen. I had to help her," I explained.

"I never thought I'd say this. You know that I was afraid you would hurt Bella and I didn't want you near her. I was afraid to be alone with you . . . our legends . . . ," her voice trailed off, "You were supposed to be heartless, soulless bloodsuckers, Edward . . . but they were wrong. You are an extraordinary man, Edward Cullen, and I'm honored to know you. Bella is a very lucky girl to be married to you."

Her thoughts were genuine, and I felt the weight of them as she spoke.

It was starting to snow by the time I pulled up at my house to find an extra car in the yard. "Wonder who is here?" Sue muttered under her breath.

"It's Charlie," I answered quietly, grabbing some of the bags and heading towards the house with her. "He saw the APB come across his desk this morning and headed to the airport after confirming it with Carlisle. He didn't tell any of us that he was coming, it's a complete surprise," I told her.

"Oh God, Edward. He'll want to know what the hell I'm doing here . . . and Sam and Emily," she worried.

"Sue, it might just be the time to let Charlie in on a little bit of reality. It'll come better from you than anyone else. If you two are going to be together, like both your minds tell me you are," I gave her a sideways glance and a half smile, knowing that she would blush that I knew. "He will have had to be told eventually. It's me he'll blame, anyway, for Bella's disappearance," I said as I opened the door for her and followed her into the house.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" Charlie was in my face in an instant, Sue quickly moving to come between us after setting the groceries on the floor.

"I wish to God I knew, Charlie. Everything that can be done is being done to find her," I told him. He bristled as he started to name all the things that were in fact _not_ being done.

"I spoke with the sheriff in town, your father refused the offer of a search team. He told him that Bella probably wanted to have time to think about the upcoming birth and left willingly. He let him put out the APB and telecast, but that was all. What the hell is going on? I'm not stupid. That girl would have to be drug away from you kicking and screaming, she would never have left on her own!" he screamed at me.

Carlisle was in the door in an instant, standing beside Sue, between me and my irate father-in-law. Jasper had called him when Charlie had shown up moments before. I could care less. His words cut me . . .

_That girl would have to be drug away from you kicking and screaming, _

_she would never have left on her own!_

Despite my efforts to hold it back, venom ran down my face in the form of tears and I walked to the front picture window and stood, looking out at the gazebo and the new falling snow. He was right. She would never willingly be parted from me . . .or I her.

"Sue, what the hell are you doing here, anyway? I thought you went to Denver?" Charlie spat at her.

"Sit down, Charlie. There are some things you need to know," Sue said, gesturing to the sofa. Charlie fussed and fumed and hurled insults about the way this search had been handled, but he made his way to the sofa and sat to listen to her, none the less.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

We were basically sent out as hound dogs, Sam and I. It made complete sense. It was amazing just how acute my sense of smell really was. I had no idea how well vampires could pick up scents, but I could smell a single drop of blood from countless miles away if the wind was blowing towards me. We ran the perimeter of the area that was being searched, making sure that no one had escaped on foot. And we made completely sure.

Sam kept talking to me in my head about how to phase to human, endless nonstop talking and rethinking and suggestions and different ways of approaching it. "Enough," I finally thought, mustering all the concentration stored anywhere in my body and I focused. Something happened. The terrain changed, or rather the level at which I viewed it changed, and I realized that I once again had hands and feet rather than paws! Sam immediately phased and hugged me. I was so excited about finally understand the thought process to phase that I hugged him back, something I did not normally do with other guys! We had been on our way back to Edward's house, Sam and I. Everyone was apparently heading in to brainstorm and regroup. It was just after daybreak.

"Alright, Jake! You got it! Let's phase back and get to the bloodsuckers house and see if they have come up with any leads yet," Sam said as he started to shake, phasing instantly into a large black wolf.

We ran the entire way through the forest, and I didn't mind the paws this time, knowing that I could get the hands and feet back when I wanted to. Sam phased with no trouble once we arrived, heading on into the house before me. It took me a few minutes to make it happen again, to phase to human again . . . but I did.

The minute I was through the door everyone looked at me with some form of relief on their faces, though the overall feeling in the room was tremendous despair. Grief dripped from every face. It took me only a moment to react. "Oh hell no. Nope, not happening. I see your faces, all of you. We are not giving up, do you understand? Where's Edward?" I asked, not seeing his face among them.

"He went upstairs," the little dark haired pixie told me, "He just needed . . . a minute."

"Is there some new information, something that I don't know telling us that Victoria has hurt Bella?" I asked.

"No," Carlisle answered, "there is no word, nothing new, Jacob."

"Then what the hell? Let's make a plan. Regroup. I'll get Edward," I told them as I headed up the stairs two at a time.

"Edward!" I called to him. I knocked on his bedroom door, banged on it really. No answer.

"Open the door, Edward," I called to him.

"I'm really sorry about this," I said as I kicked the door open, splintering part of it as well as the frame. I saw Edward sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed clutching what looked like some of Bella's clothes.

"What the hell are you doing? Get up! We have to rescue Bella!" I shouted, trying to shake him into at least acknowledging that I was there. I walked to the foot of their bed to stand in front of him. He looked devastated, tears running down his face. He had Bella's clothes against his chest and he was holding on to his knees, like he was trying to hold himself together. It was all I could do not to loose it, slide down beside him and cry myself.

"Edward, bloodsucker . . . get up now before I yank you up. Do you hear me?" I continued, "I'm not letting her down and neither are you! Get off your stony ass, leech! Now!"

I held my hand out to him to help him up off the floor. He had to try, we couldn't give up yet . . . she wouldn't have ever given up trying to find him, I knew that for sure. He looked up at me, meeting my gaze for a moment, reached out and took my hand and I pulled him to his feet, hugging him in a very unmanly like gesture for a moment before smacking him in the arm.

"Dude, I was afraid I was going to have to carry your ass downstairs and I have no idea how heavy fucking rock is!" I told him, taking Bella's clothing from him and tossing them on the bed as I guided him towards the door and down the stairs to the living room.

Alice was screaming something about having a vision and that Bella was alive. Edward looked like he was in a trance, then I remembered that he did that sometimes when he read minds, and he was probably concentrating on what Alice was showing him.

"Hold on just a damned minute," I swore, "I thought you couldn't see when I was around?"

She explained that she had seen it before I got back, she was just now sharing it because she wanted to go over and over it to make sure that she felt it was real.

There was new found enthusiasm in the room as Jasper called everyone into his _control _room. He had divided up the area for the bloodsuckers to look for the Volvo in and sniff out the houses, but they wanted Sam and I to still run loops. It was a sound idea on Jasper's part.

"Jacob," Jasper got my attention, "Congratulations on the phasing, man! Are you comfortable that you can phase back at will, or is it still dicey?"

"Dicey. If I find something and I'm agitated, it could be a problem," I replied honestly. Jasper wanted us to have a way of contacting them, a cell phone. Sam had offered to help, so after we got past him acting like an asshole about using the leech's phone, he agreed and we started to head out the door.

Before we were out the door, Edward's phone rang . . . and it was Bella's ring tone that was going off. Someone that had her phone was calling. Turned out, the red head that had taken her wanted ten million dollars to return Bella, as if we bought that shit. We would still have to find her or she would kill her just for fun. Edward begged her to take him instead, but she wasn't buying it. Edward insisted on talking to Bella, and Victoria was to have her call at three o'clock, just under three hours from now. At lease he would get to talk to her . . . that might spunk him up and get him into high gear to find her!

Jasper narrow the search area somewhat by tracking the cell phone call and we headed out. Sue stayed with Emily and Edward stayed to help Jasper and Alice with the computer shit.

"Okay, Sam," I thought, "Six loops down, I thought I smelled something on the outer corner that last time. Let's take some extra time there when we loop around."

"Fine by me," came Sam's answering thoughts, "I just want to be the one to end the bitch."

"Well, since she killed my Dad, you might just have to stand in line, dog," I laughed as I thought it. Sam didn't take it as funny at all . . . no sense of humor.

The phone that was on a long strap around Sam's neck rang, startling us. We stopped and Sam phased quickly to answer it. He had to call back as phasing took more than just an instant to become human again, but Jasper answered. Charlie had shown up loaded for bear and Jasper expected a scene when Edward returned with the gas for the generator. A storm was coming and they expected the power lines to ice and tree limbs to take them down, costing us something we could not loose . . . use of the computers from lack of electricity. Edward had gone to get supplies or he would have encountered Charlie when he first arrived.

"Show time!" I thought as we quickly ran towards Edward's house and the potential World War Three that was likely happening there.


	73. Chapter 73  Storm

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 73 Storm**

**Jacob POV**

Carlisle reached the house at about the same time we did, heading in the front door. Sam and I circled around to the back porch and phased, putting our shorts on and walking in the patio door to the kitchen. I was excited that I could phase almost as quickly as Sam. When we entered the house, Edward was staring out the front window, obviously distraught with Carlisle standing near him. Jasper and Alice were standing to one side of the room watching and Sue was somehow managing to keep Charlie sitting on the sofa with she and Emily, though he was obviously irate and vocal about it.

"Charlie, we couldn't have the local police interfering in the search operation for Bella," Sue said as Charlie bristled, "She was kidnapped by forces that the police could not possibly understand or have an effect on. No, of course she did not go willingly, Carlisle told them that to get them to drop it. It had to be handled by the Cullen's and Sam and Jacob." "What in the hell are you talking about, Sue, and why the hell are Sam and Emily here?" Charlie was nearly violent in his outrage at this point, "Explain!"

I walked into the living room and the movement caught his attention. "Charlie, do you remember all the stories that my Dad used to tell, the ones about our tribe being descended from wolves?" I asked him. He completely dismissed me saying, "Jacob. This is not the time . . . ."

I cut him off, "Charlie . . . this is exactly the time. Come with me." I turned and Sue nudged him to his feet to follow us as Sam and I walked through the kitchen and back outside in our shorts with no shirts on and barefoot.

"What the hell are you doing, boys? You're going to freeze to death out here you idiots," Charlie spat at us, watching us walk barefoot into the accumulating snow. We paid no attention to him, we just continued walking a good ten yards into the backyard and took off out shorts, phasing into wolves almost immediately.

Charlie sat down at the patio table . . . quickly. Well, he kind of fell back and there was a chair there to catch him. "What the hell?" he murmured almost to himself, his face going completely white as he continued to stare wide eyed at us. "Now, Charlie," Sue said, walking over to him and placing her hands on his cheeks so that she could lift his face and look him in the eye, "You need to listen." Sam and I phased back with Charlie watching, but not until after I padded over and nudged him with my head, letting him feel my breath in his face and my coat against his skin. He needed to absolutely believe that this was real. "I didn't know about this being real myself, Charlie, till I phased into wolf form and couldn't phase back," I told him after I had my shorts back on and had walked slowly over to stand beside him, "Edward and Carlisle tried to help me, but Sue called Sam and he and Emily flew out here to be with me, courtesy of the Cullens. Now that you know about me and our tribe . . . you need to know about the Cullens."

"Charlie, let's go inside. The cold has no effect on any of us, but you and Sue are obviously cold," Carlisle suggested, noticing them shivering

"Does your family turn into wolves as well, Carlisle?" Charlie asked hesitantly. It was obvious that he was thinking about Bella and her relationship with Edward. "No, Charlie. While the Quileute tribe has the ability to transform into wolves, my family remains, for all eternity . . . vampires," Carlisle stated flatly. You could have heard a pin drop. The entire Cullen family stopped moving, hell I think they even stopped breathing. Charlie laughed uncomfortably, turning to face Carlisle as they stood just inside the kitchen, but no one said a thing. "You're serious, Carlisle? You're not delusional?" Charlie asked. "No, Charlie. I have been around almost three hundred and sixty six years. I never age, I don't eat, I never sleep, and I drink the blood of animals, not humans," he continued with a solemn face.

"You all know all of this?" he asked incredulously, looking around the kitchen to Sue and me as well as to the living room where all the other Cullen's stood. His hands we in fists now, and he was actually trembling with rage, " . . . Bella knows all of this?"

"Yes, Charlie. Bella knows what I am," Edward told him, having turned from the window to face him, "I left to try and keep her away from all this. She has known for several years now and chose to be with me anyway."

Charlie walked defiantly through the kitchen and living room, over to where Edward stood in front of the window, taking a swing at him with his right fist. Edward simply caught Charlie's hand in his and pushed it away without hurting him. There was no effort involved, he didn't even blink. They stood there, staring at each other for a long moment, toe to toe. "You can try knives or guns if you like, Charlie, but they will not hurt me. At all. Your police can do nothing to stop the vampire that took Bella from me. We have to find her ourselves," he told Charlie.

Carlisle approached them and managed to lead Charlie over to the sofa, spending a long time talking to him and explaining. It would take some time to settle in. Sue telling him that both her kids were members of the wolf pack sent shivers down Charlie's skin and Charlie was normally quite a strong man.

Edward indicated that Charlie's mind had calmed somewhat and that Sue was the best bet we had to explain everything to him and have him calm down, so Sam and I headed out, as did Carlisle, to continue the search. The weather was turning quite nasty and it was good that we neither felt the cold nor required a car. I really wanted to check out that one place on the far side of the town we were searching . . .

~oooOooo~

**Victoria POV**

"Well, your husband is quite the negotiator," I said as I crossed my legs and made myself comfortable on the sofa with her.

"Victoria . . . ," she almost whispered.

"Well, at least you remembered my name. I suppose that's something," I mused, holding my hands up to feel the warmth from the fire. "You're hubby and I have made a deal. Ten million dollars in return for you; fed, watered and unharmed," I snickered, "Well, except for that shoulder. What I want to know is why the hell you're worth that much money to him. I thought we could chat and perhaps I could figure it out."

"What do you want to know, Victoria?" she asked, meeting my gaze head on. She had balls, I'd give her that. But then again, she was accustomed to being around vampires and probably even arguing with them . . . she lived with him after all.

"Well, being human, you couldn't be that interesting for him to screw," I said looking at her belly, "though he seems to have managed. So I guessed it must be that you were just that much fun to be around. I thought I'd just see for myself."

"Why don't you just realize that James started this, we did nothing to you before he tried to kill me. Just let me go, Victoria. Woman to woman . . . you know you don't want to hurt the baby," she prattled on, but I had quit listening. I was watching the little thing move around in her belly, and wondering what that must feel like.

I needed to get out of here. I didn't need to be reminded of what I couldn't have and I was becoming angry about it . . . I would ruin the agreement if she were hurt this soon, if I killed her before he talked to her every eight hours till I got the money. There would be plenty of time to take care of her once I had confirmed that the money was in the bank, I could take my time with her then, and not care if he knew or not . . . I would leave him quite a mess to clean up.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Edward can't be much of a vampire if fucking a human is all he can manage. You will speak to him every eight hours till I have the money, and you will tell him that you are warm, and have food and water. Do you understand?" I asked her as I stood.

"Yes."

It was all I needed to hear. I shuttered as I locked the basement door behind me. God that was weird, I thought to myself. I went down there with the intention of roughing her up and scaring her, you know, having a little fun and then I ended up sitting and almost fucking sympathizing with her - what the hell?

"So. You talked to the Cullen's and they are willing to pay?" Riley asked as he came around the corner.

"They'll pay. They want her back, they'll pay. That _Edward_ agreed to the amount a little too quickly, though. Makes me think we should ask for more. You know what . . . I'm going to ask for more. I don't give a shit about his _three days to settle_ bullshit. If he wants us to wait three days, he can damn well pay for that!"

"Ha! Like paying interest! I love it, baby. Make the Cullen's squirm, get the money if it means so much to you, then lets have our snacks and get out of here. If I have to stay in this house and not even set foot outside for much longer, there is no way I'll resist having my snack early! I haven't had anything to drink since yesterday morning and Friday is a long way off," he complained.

Jerk No self restraint. Why does he think I got the extra little human anyway? I knew he would loose it and need to drink someone, and she needs to stay alive till I get my money! The day finally turned into night. Keeping Riley's pathetic excuse for a mind occupied was going to be a problem, though. I swear, I don't know how many more times I can endure screwing the little jerk. Not that he isn't good at it . . . he is. Body of a twenty year old and knows how to use it. It's just that, it's not James. I just don't like sex without James. Maybe I don't even need him. Why would I? Everything is set now, why share the money? What am I even thinking . . . I intended to end him as soon as his usefulness was over, maybe the time has come. Let's see how this phone call goes . . .

I unlocked the door and headed back to the basement to see my cash cow. Where the hell was she? The living room was empty and so was the kitchen. Bedroom, they could be in the bedroom. Sure enough, they were both huddled together on one bed, asleep. Screw that. I lifted the side of the bed and tossed it to the opposite side of the room, flipping them both to the floor in the process.

"Get up my pretties, you have a phone call to make . . .

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV**

I had been systematically and methodically eliminating possibilities, narrowing the area in which we had to search. I was fairly comfortable that we had them within a forty mile radius. Problem was, forty miles was a lot of territory to cover, especially now that the storm was full on us and following a scent was impossible. I had told Emmett as well as Sam and Jacob to head in, there was nothing that could be done till the storm allowed us some visibility, not to mention allowed us any chance of picking up a scent in the air. The snow falling this thickly made that impossible, even for us.

_. . . eliminate possibilities . . . narrow the search area . . ._

I had done everything I could to cover my bases before the storm hit. The phone was the problem, and Edward having to go without talking to Bella was about to do him in . . . we knew he would react that way. Alice had foreseen it and Rose had gone down to the courthouse in her place, so that she could stay here with Edward. Any visions she got of Bella seemed to calm him somewhat and we were doing any and everything we could think of to keep him together. He was holding on by a thread, and he knew it as well.

Charlie's knowledge of police and federal data banks was tremendously helpful and he set to work helping. Though he was still stunned and I'm sure somewhat in shock finding out that Sue's kids were werewolves and that we were vampires, his need to find his daughter outweighed everything else. Sue stood behind him rubbing his shoulders to try and comfort him as he worked, sifting through the data on the screen.

Emily was feeling better and busied herself making horrid smells come from the kitchen. Apparently they were just the opposite to the humans, as Sue and Charlie kept telling her how wonderful it smelled. Apparently, if it were not for Bella being in danger, being snowed in was equivalent to having a party as far as humans were concerned. I was never going to understand them . . . ever.

Back in my day, this much snow could cause death so easily, cut off supply lines and create a very dangerous situation for all involved. Of course, I grew up back before the start of the Civil War when the technology of today wasn't even dreamed about and families were much more self sustaining, depending on their own efforts and ability to farm the land to survive. I wasn't sure that some of the old ways weren't better, though. A horse could still navigate some of the areas on this day that cars could not. Though it would be an effort in survival, you could get from one place to another on a horse in snow when cars failed every time.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV **

Bella had been missing now for almost two days. Two days. Two nights without my sleeping beside her. We were doing everything we could possible think of to find her. Jacob and Sam were still circling the area that we suspected them to be in, as well as Emmett, Rose and Esme. Carlisle was getting ready to go in to the hospital. His presence was mandatory during a weather crisis and as Chief of Staff he had to be there. The human facade needed to be maintained if we planned to stay here after Bella was found . . . and we were all hoping. Carlisle had even used his position to stock the refrigerator with blood. He had said it was for Bella, in case the steak she was eating didn't supply her need for blood, but he hadn't fooled me. He was stocking Bella's blood type and everything we would need for IV's along with some surgical equipment.

Jasper was amazing. He had stepped in and taken charge immediately, setting up surveillance and monitoring everything possible, from the use of any of her credit cards to tracking her cell phone. He had tapped into County records to find houses with basements and owners of silver Volvos, not to mention the police reports for any killings or thefts, trying to pinpoint the area that Victoria was in.

Alice could see Bella now, for whatever reason. She could feed me updated visions of her . . . sitting on a sofa with a large TV in the room, fireplace, preparing food . . .

It was enough to give me the strength to continue. I had to find her, there was no other option.

Charlie sat at Bella's desk and worked, glaring at me occasionally as I worked at the terminal Jasper had set up for satellite surveillance of the terrain and roadways in the area. Whether he was finished with me or not, he was much more determined to help Jasper in the search for his daughter than he was to find a way to end me right now. Charlie had a system for finding people as well from being on the police force for years and Jasper had set up all the equipment he needed. Being Chief of Police gave him instant access to many data banks that Jasper had trouble accessing.

He was more focused than any human I had encountered in a while, and slightly more tolerant of me since I allowed him to speak to Bella when she called, giving him some of my precious time with her. She had called at 11pm, just as I had required of Victoria. She sounded so scared . . . so rattled, though she insisted that she and Masen were alright. I was terrified that Victoria had just tortured her in some manner . . . and I wasn't sure that I was wrong. Alice had seen a bedroom where the furniture was broken and the bed tossed about, the mattress leaning crooked against a wall and linens strewn across the floor. Bella seemed unhurt in her vision, and she was using her left arm now, so I could only imagine what had happened.

Rose headed off to meet Esme down in the town of Franklin, North Carolina, where the County Records were filed. Since the planning and tax files were not on computer record for us to access, they would go and look on the microfilm records in an attempt to find the house with the basement Bella had described. The snow was coming down hard now, I suppose it was what humans would have called a whiteout. There was no possible way to drive a car, and I was thankful that we didn't need them. I only hoped that whoever opened the courthouse in Franklin had been able to get to work!

Jasper had schooled me in ways to prolong my conversation and keep Victoria on the line. The problem was that it wasn't Victoria that was on line. She apparently handed the phone to Bella and took it back at the appointed time with no room to prolong anything.

Seven o'clock came and went with no call from Bella . . . no calls from anyone to check in, in fact. Finally, Jasper realized that the satellite phones that I had purchased when Bella and I had been in Florida were not gong to work with this kind of storm interference. There would be no way to contact anyone without using a land line, and there was no telling how long those would hold before the weight of the snow would bring down enough trees to take out the phone lines. I would just have to wait . . .

**49 Hours Wednesday Afternoon**

Three o'clock. Damn it, it was three and no phone call. I hadn't spoken to Bella since eleven last night, before the storm got into full swing. The snow was still coming down just as strong, no change there. I walked from monitor to monitor, checking and rechecking the information that we had compiled, trying to figure out where they were holding her.

"Edward? What's wrong?" Alice asked when she saw the look on my face.

"What the hell? No . . . no way. I'll rip him limb from limb," I said, running to the front door.

Everyone following me with their eyes as there was very little other movement in the house. Carlisle was at the hospital and Rose and Esme had yet to return from Franklin, but everyone else was there, Sam and Jacob included. The five humans were sitting at the table in the kitchen, having just finished eating the meal that Emily had prepared when I heard him . . . Riley.

Riley Biers was approaching my house. I read his mind. He was going to walk right up to the front door it seemed, to deliver a message from Victoria. They knew, as we did, that we couldn't track him in this weather with this amount of snow on the ground. I nearly ripped the door off the hinges as I ran to meet him, my hands going to his throat with absolutely no effort involved. He hadn't expected that. He thought I was going to be civil to him. Why the hell he thought there was any chance of that, I had no idea.

"Where is my wife you son of a bitch?" I demanded as I tightened my grip on his throat.

"Better ease up on that or you'll never have a chance at seeing her again, alive anyway," Riley sneered, offering no resistance.

Charlie ran out, realizing that this was one of the people involved with his daughters abduction. Since I had Riley by the throat, and Jasper stood beside me, no one stopped Charlie from approaching us. He drove his fist into Riley's stomach with the force of a Mac truck. It had been a long time since I had seen a human hit anyone that hard, and it was too bad that if had no effect on Riley. It did, however, have an effect on Charlie and his hand hung limply at his side as he continued to scream in Riley's face and demand to know where his daughter was.

Emmett was having quite a time keeping Sam and Jacob from revealing their presence in wolf form, doing everything he could to explain to them that they needed to not phase, that there were enough vampires around to handle it and their identity could remain secret.

"What is it you're here for? Did Victoria send her messenger boy to deliver a message?" I asked him, still holding him subdued, his back to my chest and his head in serious jeopardy of being ripped from his shoulders.

"I have a note for you from your wife," he spat, "just so you realize that she is still breathing. The phone call this morning and now, were not possible, fucker, so Victoria sent me. She also wants you to know that since we have to keep the bitch alive all this extra time, the ransom is now double. Twenty million, or the girl dies."

"What makes you think we won't just follow your tracks back to where you were holding her?" Jasper asked.

Riley laughed. He actually laughed a deep belly laugh, displaying absolutely no fear of us at all. "You can't track in this. I'm not an idiot and neither is Victoria. She has tracked with the best, and you will never find her that way."

He was right. Damn it. I knew he was right, and that he also probably took a hell of a path to get here to throw us off. I released him, tossing him on the snow. "Go tell your master that the money will be there, but not a single hair had better be harmed, do you understand. My wife better not be so much as bruised, got that?" I told him as I glared down at his face. and snatched the note from his hand.

"Yea, I got it. You'll get a phone call as soon as your fucking phone works again. Call when it does, and she'll give the bitch the phone," he said as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Alice yelled as she sprang from the house, "Take this. Bella's phone isn't going to hold a charge for three days without this extra battery and take the charger as well in case the power stays on," she said as she threw the items to him. He caught them, turned away and was gone, heading South into the woods where he came from. His thoughts gave him away. He was indeed heading back to her, but he was calling her from a phone halfway to Atlanta first and then he was going to hunt. He was being very, very careful to concentrate on anything other than the house where they were holding Bella, or it's location. Damn. I guess Laurent had explained mine as well as Alice's powers to Victoria. Too bad Irina had discussed it with him, they would have to be told to be more careful who they talked to in the future.

"Alice, keep up with him. See if you can figure out where the phone booth he's going to is. We can get the number for the house where Victoria is if he uses a land line!" I told her, a ray of hope sprang up in my mind. We just had to follow him, Alice could follow him mentally and Emmett was already running after him.

"Excellent idea brother, but so was the tracking device that I slipped inside the cover of the battery!" Alice said proudly. There were gasps from almost everyone as they realized the enormity of what had just happened . . . what Alice had managed to do.

"Alice!"

I closed my eyes, standing there silently in the snow and said a silent prayer, thanking God for at least giving us this bit of hope at finding her. Jasper was already on it and we all watched as he loaded the information and a small _bleep_ showed up on screen giving us Riley's exact location.

"Well done, Alice, and you too Jasper. At least we may get a break here and know where they are keeping her," Charlie exclaimed.

"Would you like me to take a look at that hand, Charlie?" I asked him. If looks could kill, I was a goner just from his glance.

"I'll wait for Carlisle," he said gruffly.

"You'll do no such thing," Alice insisted, leading him over to the bar in the kitchen and dragging me to the other side of it. She got him to lay his arm out on the bar in front of me, but I hesitated to touch him.

"Charlie, I'll have you know that my brother graduated from Harvard Medical school at the top of his class! Charlie looked at me, amazed.

"That right, son? You went to Harvard Medical?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, sir. There was a time when I planned to follow Carlisle into medicine. I still may at some point," I told him.

"Huh. I always root for Yale when they have that yearly grudge match with their college football teams," Charlie scoffed.

"I do too, Charlie. I graduated from Yale Medical as well," I told him bluntly, annoyed by the entire discussion. "Would you like me to treat the hand or not, Charlie. I'd like to get back to my computer so that I can transfer the funds that Victoria wants.

Sue nodded her head and pushed Charlie's hand toward me, "Fine, fine. Look at the damned thing. That boy's stomach didn't give an inch," Charlie complained.

"No, it wouldn't have," I said under my breath as I examined his hand.

"You always this cold, Edward?" he asked after he felt my touch for a few minutes.,

"Yes. Almost always, Charlie."

"And if you hadn't caught my fist this morning when I went to punch you, I would have broken it then, wouldn't I?"

"Yes. But you've broken it now. Nothing terribly serious, I think just a couple of hairline fractures on the second and third metacarpals, that's all. I'll wrap and splint it till we can get you in and get a cast on it. Sue, ice on it will help the swelling," I said as I went to the kitchen cabinet and took out a first aid kit. It had the wraps I would need in it as well as Advil for the swelling. Sue looked at the kit with the most surprised expression on her face. I answered her unspoken question, "No Sue, vampires have no need of a first aid kit, but a human lives in this house, and a very clumsy human at that," I snickered, unable to keep the corner of my mouth starting to smile at the thought of my accident prone wife.

We watched the _bleep _on screen as Riley ran full out till he got down the mountain to Clayton, Georgia. There would be less snow there and getting far enough ahead of Emmett so that he had a chance of having lost him on the way down the mountain. Scents were immediately washed out of the air with the falling snow, and if he had been smart enough to run down a stream, his footprints would be hidden completely, requiring time to see where he emerged from the stream, or if he doubled back.

Once in Clayton, he headed South West towards the city of Atlanta, just as his mind had told me. He had only to steal a car to evade us as it would cover his scent. He was going to feed and an area with a large population allowed the abduction to go almost unnoticed, depending on who he chose as a victim. It looked like it might be quite awhile before he headed back towards the mountains . . . and where ever it was that they had Bella.

**57 Hours Wednesday Night**

It was eleven o'clock, and I should have been getting a call from Bella, but there was nothing. The worst snow storm this century raged on outside, killing satellite communications completely. Carlisle had called in several times using land lines, and Rose and Esme had long ago returned with the information on basements that was needed from Franklin. They had wanted to close the courthouse at noon, but money talked and for a few thousand dollars, the clerk had agreed to remain till they finished going through the files.

Charlie had watched with amazement as I transferred another ten million to the account I had set up without batting an eye. The money meant nothing to me and Bella meant everything. Charlie knew how I felt about his daughter. I had made it perfectly clear with no room for doubt. He was just having a difficult time processing the mythical creature part. We would have plenty of time to talk about it in the future, but if he wanted to discuss it now, it was fine with me.

We were with Jasper and Alice in the library, our mock control room it seemed, when he finally brought it up again.

"Edward. Explain to me what the hell a vampire is, exactly. I'm pretty sure that the Hollywood version in my head can't be correct . . ."


	74. Chapter 74  Tracks

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 74 Tracks**

**Bella POV**

**33 Hours Tuesday Night**

Bree helped me to my feet, the bed that we were asleep on now tilted against the wall across the room, pillows and covers scattered everywhere.

Victoria.

She stood with her hands on her hips, "Get up my pretties, you have a phone call to make . . ."

She handed me my phone and stood watching with her foot tapping . . . an unusual trait for a vampire. I suppose there would be no illusion of privacy for my phone call tonight. It didn't matter, the connection to him would still be there.

I no sooner pressed the button than I heard his voice, "Bella . . . ", it was almost a mantra . . .

"Sweetheart, It's me."

"Are you alright? Has she hurt you?" he asked. My shaky response didn't seem to convince him, but he didn't insist on details. Edward would only have relented if Alice had seen something, if he already knew what had happened, I knew him that well. God, that was a relief, at least she could let him know that I really was okay.

"Bella, did you eat and drink today? They aren't used to humans, do I need to remind her for you?" he asked, concern dripping from his voice. He needed to do something, anything for me at that moment.

"Edward, I had lunch and dinner and Masen is moving around just fine. If I sound odd, it's because Victoria woke me to make this call, sweetheart. There is something you can do for me, though," I told him.

"Name it, love," he answered immediately in the softest tone.

"Tell me you love me."

"I love you more than anything else on earth, Bella. I have from the moment I saw you and I will for all eternity, you know that."

"I do know that and I love you just the same, Edward."

"Your Dad's here, baby. I'm going to give him the phone. I'll talk to you in the morning,"

"O . . okay," I said shakily, knowing that my Dad would want to talk to me, but not wanting to give up even a moment with Edward, "I love you. I'm holding you in my dreams, husband, till I see you again."

"I'm holding you in my dreams forever, wife. I love you."

He must have handed the phone to my Dad, because the next voice was loud and boisterous.

"Bella! Bella? Are you alright?" my Dad almost yelled.

"Dad, yes, I'm here."

"I flew here as soon as I saw the APB cross my desk, baby, no one told me or I would have been here sooner," he bellowed. I knew he was upset. I knew he was scared, because now that he was there in the middle of things . . . I knew that he knew.

"Dad, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, Bells. Anything you need," he answered immediately.

"Take care of Edward for me," I heard him gasp as I said it and start to grumble, but I continued, "Dad, I love him more than anything else in the world, and you must know about him by now with all this going on. He tried to leave me Dad, that fall, he left to protect me. You saw how I was. I need him, Dad. Please, please treat him like you would treat me. He's that important to me. Promise me."

"Bells, I . . ."

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright, I promise. I took a swing at him already and I see that it wouldn't do anything to him anyway. I'll be nice to him, Bells, if it means that much to you."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you. I . . . "

My sentence went unfinished as Victoria took the phone, clicking it off and placing it in her pocket.

"You shouldn't do things like that," Bree told Victoria, gesturing to the bed, "She's pregnant and you could hurt the baby!"

"Baby! _Baby_?" Victoria scoffed as she struck Bree, knocking her across the room and into the mattress that was leaning against the wall. "You mean the half breed mutant she's carrying? Is that the _baby_ you're talking about? It can't live anyway . . . can't possibly be born into this world," she sneered.

I ran to Bree, helping her up and holding on to her arm. She would have a nasty bruise across her face, if not a black eye. Victoria stared at me and she was all of a sudden in front of me, lifting me to the wall by my neck as I clung to her arm. The rage in her face was terrifying as I sensed that she was about to fling me to the other side of the room . . . but her fingers loosened and my body slid down the mattress that I had been standing in front of. I grasped my throat with one hand, the other arm protectively around my belly where Masen lay as she withdrew a few steps, telling us to clean up this pig sty, that she would be back in an hour to make sure we had followed instructions.

I hugged Bree to me again, waiting for her trembling to stop, as well as my own. Victoria was gone, for now . . .

It took effort and lots of fumbling, I was barely able to negotiate walking, much less lifting and positioning a mattress in place, but Bree and I straightened and righted the room none the less. There was no point in purposefully annoying the already volatile vampire.

"Who is she that she can lift you like that and toss the bed around with us on it? Is she some kind of Olympic athlete or woman bodybuilder or something?" Bree asked, stunned, as she flung the sheets onto the bed to make it.

"Something like that. Her husband was killed in an unfortunate incident involving my husband's family and she wants revenge. I don't think she's going to settle for just the money," I said, looking into her now fearful eyes. I think she finally got just how much danger we really were in, though in reality, she couldn't possible be scared enough.

"Go and get some ice for your cheek and eye before it swells anymore, I can finish this," I insisted. She nodded and headed toward the kitchen.

"Well, Masen, I'm sorry about that jolt. Victoria, the woman that has taken us from Daddy threw us off the bed. I hope you are okay in there, baby. Please don't let her scare you. Mommy is trying to keep her away from you . . . away from hurting us. She is just so angry because she lost her mate. She says that she will give us back to Daddy if he gives her money, and I know that he'll give it to her . . . I just don't think she'll let us go, unharmed. Your Daddy wanted me to tell you what was happening, he says you are amazing and intelligent and capable of understanding my words, handsome boy. I hope so. I love you and I want so badly for you to be born safely and for us to be back together with Daddy. I miss him . . . and I know you miss him, too. We don't sleep well without him, do we Masen? You just hang in there and try to be comfortable. Remember, try really hard not to bite me as long as my heart is still beating. If I go into labor and you feel like you are being squished, just know that is my bodies way of getting you out and it's okay. I know it might scare you, but you have to trust me. I love you, handsome boy," I said as I walked into the kitchen rubbing my belly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bree insisted, holding the ice to her face and staring at my belly.

"We're fine. Since we're up, how about a snack and some TV?" I asked in an effort to calm her, "You sit down and I'll get us something."

I looked through the fridge, glancing at cheese and yogurt and packaged sandwiches, spotting a brown wrapper like you would get from a butcher shop. It contained ground beef, which I dumped into a bowl and put back in the fridge so that I could grab pinches and snitches of it without it being noticed that I was eating raw meet. Thank God for that though, I was getting really really hungry and nothing else stopped my cravings.

Victoria did not return that night or in the morning when I knew it was time for my seven am phone call. The weather channel showed nearly white out conditions were in effect outside, and I remembered that my phone was dependent on contacting the satellite, which wouldn't be possible in these conditions. Well, at lest we still had power. I had some fruit and toast with a glass of milk for breakfast, Bree was still fast asleep. There just had to be some way for me to help Edward find me!

I did as Edward had asked and continued to talk aloud to Masen, telling him each and everything that was going on both in reality as well as in my head. We were having lunch when Victoria appeared with Riley in tow. He appeared angry and, if I knew anything about vampires . . . thirsty.

**46 Hours Wednesday Noon**

"Write a note to your husband," Victoria demanded, placing pen and paper in front of me. "The phones aren't working and he needs to know that you're still alive and I still expect the money on time," she spat, shoving the paper towards me on the table.

"Victoria, you already damaged this one even more than just the nasty cut I gave her. Let me end her now and there will be one less to kill when the money comes through," Riley sneered as he stalked over to Bree and grabbed her roughly by the arm. He swept her hair back over her shoulder exposing her neck to him and I panicked.

"No, don't hurt her," I yelled as he drew her close and licked his lips, his red eyes black with thirst.

"Riley! Not yet! You can go hunt after you deliver this to the Cullens! Take your time, I don't want you chancing coming back here anyway. I'll meet you Friday . . . after it's done," she said as she starred at me. So, she did intend to kill us, that much was apparent. She wanted the money first, though. There had to be something I could write to Edward that would let him know that all was not going to go well once she got the money . . . I just had to think.

"Hurry the hell up, Victoria. I can't stand here with a snack in my hand and wait like this, and you know it," he insisted. She walked over to him putting her arm around his neck and stroking his chest.

"I know you have . . . hungers, pet. In good time. Leave these alone for now, you can have all you want in town after you take this note to Edward," she said as she kissed his jaw and peeled him away from the now hysterical girl. Bree fell to her side on the floor as soon as he released her, unable to stand for sobbing.

"Get away from me then," he said as he kicked her side hard. I heard the wind leave her lungs and she collapsed, no sound coming from her.

Victoria snatched the paper from me and turned to leave, following Riley up the stairs. I ran to Bree who seemed to be starting to catch her breath, and helped her to the sofa. I brought her a cold rag for her head and one for the nasty bruises already forming on her ribs. She needed a doctor . . . and we needed a way out.

**57 Hours Wednesday Night**

We sat watching some movie after the Tonight Show ended, until the power went out, of course. Victoria had left a couple of flashlights on the table, expecting this I suppose. I was glad that she had stayed upstairs and not come back to do any more damage this night at least.

I had gotten Bree to drink some warm tea and I found Advil in the cabinet and gave her some. Blood had stopped coming from her nose, though she still could not draw a full breath without almost screaming. At least a few ribs were broken for sure.

I have no real idea what time it was as I stared at the flames licking the fake logs in the fireplace. I tossed my napkin into the flames and watched as the pieces burned and small bits rose up with the heat of the flame. I imagined that there would be some small bit of smoke coming from whatever chimney was above the house . . . above the house . . . the heat caused a draft and forced air to move upwards and to the outside . . . it carried ash with it, I knew that . . . and If I were cooking it would carry the smell of the food. If it carried smells, why wouldn't it carry my scent to the outside? I wondered if the heat would kill the smell, but it didn't with food . . .

I moved to sit by the fire - right by the fire so that my hair was moving from the heat. It was at that moment that I got the idea. It took me forever to get up off the floor in front of the fire, but when I finally did I managed to find a pair of kitchen scissors. I pulled my hair back into a pony tail and cut it, inch by inch, till I had a cup full or so of small hair clippings. I moved back to the fireplace and tossed a few of the clippings into the air above the fire. Some of the ignited, but some moved up the chimney with the airflow, hopefully making it out the top of the chimney and into the area around the house. I had no idea if it would work, but the combination of my sitting there and air carrying my scent up the chimney and the hair bits going up and out, it gave me at least the feeling that I was doing something that might be helpful . . . vampire noses were almost as good as wolf noses, and we had both! I settled in there by the fire while Bree slept the night away on the sofa, determined to help Edward find me, one way or another . . .

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

**51 Hours**

It was Wednesday afternoon, Sam and Jacob had taken off in wolf form, insisting that they had a chance of tracking Riley's footsteps back to where he had come from, though some of the drifts were taller than they were at this point. I watched out the front window as they found the path he came in, meticulously going foot by foot and pawing at the snow to unearth the scent hidden there. The snow was still falling and it would be night soon. They could follow tracks while they still showed, but then it would take them hours . . . literally, to move a mile . . . but they were determined. Sam was determined to avenge his wife's injury as well as the Chief of his tribe's death by ending Victoria himself and Jacob was determined to avenge his father's death as well as saving Bella.

I had handed the note that Riley gave me to Jasper and Alice. I couldn't read it just yet, I couldn't see her handwriting and read her words to me till I knew she was safe, but I let them read it to be sure there was nothing in the note that could help us find her.

"She's alright, Edward," Alice told me, putting her tiny arms around my waist as I looked out the front window. She showed me a vision of Bella sitting on the floor by a fireplace with a fire glowing in the background. At least I knew she was warm and okay, for now.

"Thanks, Alice. We just have to get her home safely, Alice . . . we have to," I told her with a determined, almost pleading voice.

"We will, brother. We're all doing everything we can think of, you know that," she said trying to comfort me.

"I know you are, thank you. You're always there for me little sister, and I love you for it," I told her.

Emmett had come back shortly after midnight. He had managed to follow Riley even after he stole a car to use, but had been forced to move at human speed once they approached Atlanta, effectively loosing him. It didn't matter, we had the tracking device and the _blip _was showing up just fine as he moved through the city looking for prey.

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

Jasper was amazing as ever, and programmed the computer to show the satellite fed image of exactly where he was so that we could literally watch him and his movements. We were lucky that the lines holding the cable that fed the computer system were not down yet and we could access the satellite, though with the weight of the ice forming outside, it would not be long till we lost power and communications.

**58 Hours Midnight on Wednesday**

It was not lucky, though, that Charlie was viewing the screen. It was definitely not lucky that Riley chose the time while Charlie was watching to leave his car and stalk a young woman as she passed down a deserted street and through an underpass. Charlie watched in horror as Riley pressed the woman against a retaining wall and fed from her. It was not lucky that the image of her struggle slowly subsiding and the sated vampire flinging her discarded corpse unceremoniously into the brush was being viewed with crystal clarity. Sue resumed massaging his shoulders as he sat viewing the screen that she had been glued to as well, horror stricken.

"The Cullens don't kill people, Charlie. They kill animals, just the same as hunters in the woods shooting a deer. They would never do what you just saw and these other vampires that have Bella . . .they promised to return her for the money, Charlie. That boy just fed . . . he won't be thirsty around Bella. She'll be okay, Charlie, we have to believe that," Sue spoke quietly and authoritatively to Charlie as she tried to comfort herself as well as him.

I sat stone still in my chair. Unable to move with the realization that my very human father in law had just watched the vampire that held his daughter, feed from a young woman and discard her lifeless body as though it was the wrapper to a hamburger. He was wondering how the hell his daughter loved creatures that were capable of such behavior and, for the first time, he wondered what his grandson would be like.

He turned to watch as I transferred the additional ten million dollars into the account I was using for the ransom, his mind was tallying points. He was weighing the fact that I loved his daughter beyond all reason with the new knowledge that I was not human . . . that my kind did indeed use humans as a food source. He noticed that I didn't even flinch at the idea of handing over amounts of money so large he could not even realize the concept, much less the reality of exactly how much money twenty million dollars really was.

_. . . he remembered my look when I had come to his house to get her only to find her gone, _

_. . . he remembered my standing up to him and telling him not to upset my wife in our home,_

_. . . he remembered the look in her eyes each and every time she looked at me,_

_. . . he remembered the sounds he heard coming from her when we were alone in our room. _

_but . . . he knew what he had just witnessed Riley do on screen._

His eyes caught mine and he stared at me for a moment. It seemed as though he was trying to see into my soul as he asked, "Edward. Explain to me what the hell a vampire is, exactly. I'm pretty sure that the Hollywood version in my head can't be correct . . ."

I turned to him, one hand in my lap and the other still on the computer keyboard and stared straight into his eyes as I answered him. "Well, Charlie, you noticed earlier that I'm cold to the touch, but I have no heartbeat or blood . . . only venom. I don't eat or sleep and I have no need for air other than to smell my surroundings. I'm incredibly fast and strong and I never ever get tired. I can't go outside in direct sunlight not because it would hurt me, but because my skin sparkles like diamonds in the sun. You can't hurt me regardless of what you try, and I'm immortal . . . I will life forever, if you think that what I am is alive," I told him as honestly and succinct as was possible. "Sue is correct about our feeding habits. We do not get hungry, we get thirsty and we feed from animals. The most common are deer and elk, but mountain lion and bear are on the menu as well as rabbits and other smaller animals in a pinch."

He listened, his mind a blank. He was the only human other than Renee that I had ever heard silent minds from for any length of time. They were able to quiet their thoughts and just absorb what was being told to them, or their surroundings. Those abilities probably had something to do with the fact that I could not read Bella's mind at all. It was fascinating, and any other time I would have allowed a larger portion of my brain to dwell on it to try and understand them better. Right now, my mind was almost completely absorbed with Bella, and our efforts to find her.

I told him that I would answer any questions that he had, and I told him that I would never harm his daughter . . . as if he didn't know that already.

"Just let me think about this for awhile, Edward . . . it's a lot to accept about you," he said and looked right at me, wanting to be sure he understood, "Bella knows all this?"

"Bella knows everything, Charlie. She figured most of it out on her own," I said, unable to hold back part of a smile as I remembered the day in the car when she first told me she knew, "the rest I told her and she asked the rest of the family questions as well. The baby has some of my characteristics, Charlie, though we don't know which ones. Masen has a heartbeat, at least we know that much about him, as well as the fact that he has ten fingers and ten toes and seems to be incredibly intelligent already."

"But . . . how did this happen? You say you'll look seventeen forever, is that how old you were? Seventeen when this happened to you? You were human to begin with, right?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. I was born Edward Anthony Masen, June 20, 1901, in Chicago, son of Edward Senior and Elizabeth Masen. My parents both died of Spanish Influenza in 1918, and I was hours away from death when Carlisle found me," I began. I told him about Carlisle being a doctor even back then, about my being bitten and how Esme and my siblings had joined our family, though I did not elaborate on their personal histories. I answered and explained anything he asked until his questions petered out and his thoughts consumed him.

We continued to study the information at hand checking and rechecking the facts and looking for any clues to help us find his daughter, and my wife until we lost power as a result of the storm.

**64 Hours Thursday Morning**

It was Thursday. Morning was almost upon us and it would show clearly what the satellite feed had already told us. The storm had cleared and the skies would be blue, though clouds were scheduled to roll back in in few hours, allowing us to be outside uninhibited by covering all of our skin from view. Carlisle had called to say that the scrapes and plows were doing an amazing job of clearing the vast amounts of show that had piled up and that the main road was clear. The sun would probably even be able to dry them off in some spots before it disappeared around noon.

I heard the snow plow outside, actually. It was one of the things that Carlisle had made sure of last fall when Bella came to live with us. One of the neighbors had a plow attached to his truck and routinely did all the side roads and neighbors driveways, for a fee, and he was already out there clearing ours. It was important with a human in the house not to have her feel trapped, at least that was why Carlisle had arranged it. We could have cared less, except that a person of Carlisle's stature in the community would be able to pay for such a service, and he did use his car to go back and forth to the hospital as a means of keeping up the human facade.

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

This meant that, if Victoria had been turning off Bella's phone during the time it wouldn't have worked, it should still have some battery power left. That meant that I should be getting a phone call momentarily. God, I hoped so . . .

I went up to my room and locked the door, tucking under the covers of my bed and drinking in the scent of my wife that lingered there. God I missed her so. There was a limited amount of information I could give Bella on the phone, I knew that Victoria could hear our every word, but I longed to hear her voice . . . I needed to hear it.

It was a few minutes after seven, but the phone rang. I resisted picking it up till the third ring, giving Jasper each and every ounce of time with the connection that was possible.

"Bella?"

"Good morning, sweetheart," I heard her say quietly.

"Good morning, love. Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm okay. I'm sitting in front of the fireplace. We lost power during the night and the fireplace is warm. I like watching the ashes go up the chimney and reach the outside," she told me.

"I'm under the covers in our bed, love. I was hoping you would get to call and I needed to be alone and feel you close. I know it's silly for me to hide here under the covers, but I just miss you so," I told her.

"I miss you, too, sweetheart. I am just really enjoying the fire. In the fireplace. The heat rises so I have to sit close to the flames, though they seem to cause a draft and pull the air from around me and up the fireplace," she said rather emphatically, as if she was trying to tell me something.

"Is Masen alright? Is anything happening with the baby, love?" I asked cautiously, eager to hear that all was well but afraid it might not be. It was too close to time to deliver him.

"I'm warm. The baby is fine, as far as I know. He still moves and kicks like normal, anyway," she said quietly.

"I love you. You are the very best thing that ever happened to me, you know that don't you?"

"I know that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you, Edward. I really do enjoy watching the fire reaching up the chimney. It smells so good . . ."

"Nothing smells as good as you do, love. Your smell is all around me here in our room . . . in our bed.

"Ummmn, there is just something about the smell of a fire, though. I hate that Victoria can hear our calls, though I know she can't hear what you say to me," she told me.

She totally knew that Victoria could hear what I was saying. She knew that vampire hearing included hearing the conversation that was coming from the phone as well. She was trying to tell me something.

"Yes, that's a good thing. I wouldn't want her to hear all of what we say to each other, love. I would sound like I was obsessed with you . . . which I am," I told her.

"Well, she will only hear about my obsession with fire and how I love to watch things rise up towards the sky, free in the open air . . . "

"Don't worry, love. I'll give her the money tomorrow as soon as it's available and then I'll come and get you. Hang on, you and the baby. I love you."

"I love you, too, Edw . . . ."

She was gone, Victoria having undoubtedly snatched the phone from her. I laid, curled up in the covers that smelled of my wife for a few more minutes, replaying the conversation that I had just had in my mind over and over. Perfect recall had it's advantages.

It was odd that while I was getting personal and loving, talking about beds and smells and covers, she continued to talk about the fireplace and the fire. The fire. Something about the fire, but what? I went over and over the strange conversation, realization dawning on me . . .

Jasper met me halfway up the stairs as I headed down toward him, "The fireplace. God, she's brilliant, Edward. She's trying to get her scent out of the fireplace by sitting by it, close to it, Edward. It just might work. Emmett, Rose and Esme are going to go out and see if they can catch the scent anywhere near the area we think they have her held in. One more phone call from her this afternoon and I'll have a much better idea where she is. The sky has cleared and the satellite feed is back on. Excellent job of wiring the house, by the way, when the power went of, the generators kicked in almost instantly."

I hadn't seen Jasper this hopeful since she had been taken, well, since Alice had slipped the tracking device to Riley. He had come to the same conclusion that I had. I knew he was listening to the phone call, out of necessity, trying to figure out anything he could about where she was, and he had come to the same conclusion that I had reached. Bella was trying to help in any way she could. She was enclosed in a basement, but the fireplace vented to open air, and she was trying to get her scent out to us so that we could track her. Brilliant.

"What, what's going on?" Charlie demanded as we hurried back into the library.

"Bella called. There is a fireplace in the room where she's being held, and she's trying to get her scent out in to the open air where we can track her," Jasper explained.

"Track her? How the hell would that work? You guys can smell her?" Charlie asked, wanting information and wanting it right then.

"Charlie, we can smell a heard of deer miles away if the wind is right, and I can smell Bella from even farther than that. Her idea with the fireplace just might work," I told him.

"Well, damn, boys. Get on it then!" he insisted, questioning us no further.

Jasper phoned Jacob to see what progress they had and to let him know that Riley's tracking device showed him headed back towards us from Atlanta. Riley was apparently in a car, for now.

Jasper and Sam had followed Riley's tracks all the way to Cashiers, and were continuing on. Progress was slow, but Jacob was insisting that he could smell something, something in the air and that he had been smelling it for several hours. Jasper quickly explained Bella's idea, eliciting a loud yell from Jacob.

"That's my Chica! Brilliant! I'm not going nuts, it is her that I smell!" he yelled.

"I'll wait to see where Riley starts out on foot, then join you Jacob," I told him, "And Jacob . . . thanks man. I mean it. Thank you for being there for her."

"You don't need to thank me for that, bloodsucker. I love her, too, remember!" he said, hanging up the phone.


	75. Chapter 75  Fire

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 75 Fire**

_"You don't need to thank me for that, bloodsucker. I love her, too, remember!" he said, hanging up the phone._

_. . . stay in control . . . cover all possibilities . . . keep it together . . ._

**Victoria POV**

There is something strange about that damned girl. How many times have I gone down there, intending to have a little fun, scare her to death, rough her up a bit and maybe even cause her to go into labor with that spawn she's carrying . . . yet each time I do, something stops me. I don't know what the hell changes . . . I just get caught up in my head with other things . . .

_Fear? _Hell no. Who would I be afraid of, her? Is a lion afraid of a lamb? Cullen's, am I afraid of what they will do to me? No, even if they could catch me . . . just, no.

_Regret?_ No, couldn't be that, except that I regret our ever coming across the Cullen's at that damned baseball game. If we had never met them, then my James would still be with me. Ummmm, I'd like that.

_Compassion?_ No. I adore torturing humans, always have, especially when they beg for their pathetic little lives, or their mates.

_Sympathy?_ No. I have no sympathy for her, I am not capable of sharing feelings with her. She is food, I am a predator . . . and I like to play with my food.

I just have got no clue why I haven't treated her as I have pets in the past . . . I torture them, like pulling the wings off a fly. I only need her to be able to utter a word on the phone, that's all . . . and only twice more before the money comes in! She can fucking talk with broken bones.

I headed downstairs, intent on having my usual fun. I had been left on my own since yesterday afternoon when I sent Riley to the Cullen's with the note from her, until this morning when the weather outside cleared and the asshole's phone would work. She called him. Made no sense to me, mumbling how much he loved her. James never wallowed in all that mushy shit. He loved me, I knew and that was all there was. She's delusional anyway, mumbling shit about the fireplace. Maybe I had better check the food supply for them, she could be dehydrated or something from thirst . . . or fear. I hope it's fear. Had to be, there was plenty of water and I was sure there was nasty smelling human food for them to eat.

That was going to be the only draw back to having shit loads of money . . . it would put me in closer contact with fucking humans. I would fly first class, stay at hotels, buy cars and shop, but all of that made me deal with them in one form or another. James and I had preferred to stay to ourselves in the woods, dealing with humans only when we were thirsty. Perhaps I could make a game of it in my mind, you know, see just how far I could go with them and how outrageous my behavior could get before they suspected something. Stupid cattle. I'd have to come up with something to tolerate being around them.

"So, enjoying the fire, bitch?" I spat when I reached the room where they sat. The snack for Riley was on the sofa looking whiter than me. She actually looked like she might die before we ever even drained her.

"What do you want? Is it time to call? What?" the scared little human said, taking steps backwards as I sauntered towards her. Something glistened around her neck. I had it in my hand before she even reacted to my stare.

"Diamonds? The boy buys you diamonds and puts your initials on a necklace? How sweet. They say that diamonds cut. I have personally never tried, but let's do an experiment," I said, grasping her arm and shoving the sweater up off of her forearm.

"Wonder if I can carve your husband's initials with this?" I said as I pressed the pendant into her arm and . . ."

"Riley! What the hell are you doing back here?" I asked as I turned to see him entering the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"Babe, aren't you glad to see me?" he asked as he put his fucking arm around me and attempted to kiss me.

"You idiot! You weren't supposed to come back here! They will have tracked your scent!" I yelled.

"Not a chance. I drove. Picked up a new car in Atlanta for us, baby. Oh, and I brought another battery for her phone, in case you needed it," he said.

I handed her the phone, the torture I had planned forgotten . . . Riley would never be able to resist the smell of blood if I drew it from her so she might just as well go ahead and make her phone call.

"Edward," I heard her in a small part of my brain.

Mostly I was concentrating on Riley. "Where did you get the battery, pet?" I questioned. He was sniffing the girl on the sofa, obviously interested in not wasting her if she was going to die soon. "The little black haired one, Alice. She gave me the battery at their house as I was leaving," he said calmly, still sniffing the girl.

"No. I'm fine, really. I'm okay. Victoria and Riley are in the room with me, though," she told him.

"You stupid son of a bitch! You brought it here? From her?," I said as I kicked the sofa he was leaning against all the way to the staircase on the other side of the room, flipping the girl up and onto the stairs. "You idiot!" I continued to scream as I stalked towards him, shoving the chair he stood behind off towards the fireplace.

"What the hell, Victoria. I thought it was a good idea! The battery in the damned phone could have died and you are hell bent on getting money from the fucker," he screamed in return, his tendons tensed and teeth glaring at me.

"They probably bugged it you ass! You have been nothing but a constant thorn in my ass since I made you, and I think your usefulness is over you little prick," I screamed as I lunged for him. He was an easy target.

"Shit! What the hell are you doing Victoria?" he said as I threw the arm I had just removed into the growing flames. I had inadvertently shoved the damned chair into the fire and it had flamed up instantly.

"I thought you loved me!" he screamed.

"Loved you! Loved you?" I had to stop and stifle my laughter, "You stupid boy. I loved a man . . .a man that the Cullen's killed over that little human," I said, noticing that she was over beside the injured girl on the stairs. It didn't matter. We would have to leave this house as soon as I ended Riley, and she stood no chance of getting away from me. I laughed even harder . . . the fat little thing seemed to be trying to get the injured girl up the stairs with her. Stupid fucking little human. They really did have no more sense than the cattle that they themselves bred for their own food.

I took my time stalking him, tossing things out of the way as I went, backing him into a corner. he was pleading, just like most of the little humans that we fed from as I ripped his head off and tossed it into the fireplace. Stupid little shit, had to complicate things. Whatever. Saved me the trouble of lighting another fire for him later. I headed up the stairs without giving his burning body a second glance.

"Oh girls!" I called out to them, stooping to pick up the phone that the stupid little cow dropped. Was there any limit to how dumb humans really were? Honestly, what the hell did he see in her? He was a vampire for goodness sake, she was beneath him in every way! Her only chance, take the phone and get outside so that she could tell him where she was, and she leaves it. Probably couldn't hold onto it and the other girl.

I quietly went to the room I had been using and gathered my things into my bag. No more Riley to have to fuck! God, I was so thrilled to finally be rid of him. All I had to do was grab the girls from wherever they were hiding, have my snack, throw the other girl in the car and find us another house, maybe further out this time. The money was being wired so it was no longer necessary for me to be close by. I had only chosen this house because we could drive to it before they could set up surveillance and watch the roads by satellite for the fucking silver Volvo that they were bound to figure out that I had. This new car that Riley had taken would fly under their radar. Huh, at least he had helped in that regard. I walked out of the bedroom.

"Girls! Ready to go? Come out, you can't hide!" I called to them. The asshole had left the front door open, though there was no scent that the girls had gone out it. I started to close it when I saw movement in the brush at the far side of the yard.

Werewolf! What the fuck was a werewolf doing here. Well, we would just see about that. I dropped my bag and headed out the front door. Werewolves had killed my friend and I would end this fucker here and now, but what the hell was a werewolf doing on the East coast? Too bad I didn't have time to alert him to the Cullens, maybe there were more of them and they could take them out for me, save me the trouble! Whatever. At least I would have the fun of ending this one before I had to deal with anything to do with the Cullens or the girl or the money. This was for Laurent.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

_"You don't need to thank me for that, bloodsucker. I love her, too, remember!" he said, hanging up the phone._

I swear, to be so smart, sometimes that leach could be just plain stupid. I remembered the conversation I had just had with him as I phased back to wolf.

_"That's my Chica! Brilliant! I'm not going nuts, it is her that I smell!" _

I loved wolf telepathy. We could run and track and smell while we communicated. No problem. It didn't matter if the wind was whipping around and howling or if there was rain and thunder because we were actually inside each other's heads. There was no distortion, no static or interference with the signal, just pure thoughts.

"Sam, we're close . . . I knew that was her I've been smelling!"

"Jake, the wind is shifting so much, I can't be sure which way the smell is coming from. We better be safe and keep following these tracks."

"The tracks are so crusted over it's going to take us forever, Sam . . . and she doesn't have forever."

"Fine. You go on ahead, I'll keep following the tracks, see what you can find and keep talking to me, so I know what's going on."

"Got it," I thought as I took off towards the direction the smell was coming from. Half an hour later, the smell was stronger than ever, but I couldn't really get a read on exactly where it was coming from. I decided to do a loop around a small area of houses that seemed to be scattered some distance apart. All the roads to these fuckers were already plowed and some of them even dry pavement they had been cleaned so well and salted. Fuck, people with money. You really could buy just about anything it seemed.

Huh. The smell was stronger over this way, but it only lasted for just a short time before . . . bingo. I followed a particularly strong whiff that I got, and there was only one house on the entire ridge, completely isolated several miles from all the other homes. I circled it, just to be sure, and when I crossed Riley's smell, it became a sure thing. Riley's scent went up to what appeared to be the front door. Well, I only went as far as the edge of the woods, but it had to go on up to the house, there was nothing else to go to. There were no other scents though, not anywhere around the entire house. I circled it to be sure as I waited for Sam to catch up to me. I heard her before I saw her. She was screeching at the girls.

_"Girls! ready to go? Come out, you can't hide!"_

At least it meant they were still alive! Then I saw her. Fiery red curls on her shoulders as she stuck her head out the door. She saw me as well, though I was just in the shadow of the forest outside the front of the house. I stepped out into the clearing and she moved down the front steps. She maintained a slightly crouched position, tensed and ready to fight as her lip seemed to curl up into what was probably intended to be a smile.

This was it. This was the leech that had killed my father and taken the girl I loved hostage. I had every intention of ending her here and now.

Sam screamed in my head, telling me to wait, ordering me to wait. Ordering me? What the hell was that about anyway?

Victoria approached, stalking me, and Sam was running full tilt to get to me, only moments away. A moment was a lifetime when it involved a vampire, though. I noticed behind Victoria that flames had started to lick the doorway she had exited from and smoke from the house was becoming heavy.

She lunged at me as I grabbed her torso in my mouth and flung her several yards away. She was on her feet in an instant and had her arms grasping me by the neck as I bit at her shoulder. Sam came flying out of the woods and took her by surprise, grabbing her head in his mouth as I pulled on her shoulder . . . and it was over. She lay in two separate pieces on the ground in front of us as I heard another vampire approaching.

Edward.

"Alright, Jake. This is our chance. We end him and blame it on the redhead." Sam thought.

"What? No!" I told him.

He used the alpha command as he ran towards Edward, forcing me to follow. I watched in horror as he grabbed the unsuspecting bloodsucker by the arm. The leech had obviously been totally consumed and focused on the house that he believed Bella to be held in, which was now obviously starting to burn and hadn't bothered to as much as read Sam's thoughts.

"NO!" I screamed at Sam, but he insisted, my steps getting closer to where he and Edward were fighting and his voice forcing me to do his will.

As I approached the fight, it was obvious that Edward was trying not to hurt Sam, but the same could not be said of Sam. His thoughts were murderous and he wanted nothing more than to rip the vampire to shreds and burn the pieces along with the redhead's.

This was not happening. Sam was the acting leader of my tribe and the alpha of the pack . . . but Edward was my friend. He and Bella were my best friends and Sam had no justification for his actions, other than years of legends and traditions based in fear and hatred. This wasn't happening. I could not allow this to happen.

"Stop fighting. Release him," I demanded.

I felt the power surge in my bones and I think I actually grew in stature. I was the rightful heir to be Chief and I was the rightful alpha. I knew it. I had known it all along, I had just been running away from my responsibilities, from anything that reminded me of my father. My words could not be overlooked. Sam had been acting in my stead and the words of him as the alpha had been hard to resist . . . but not impossible. My word was different. It felt like law . . . it was absolute and could not be ignored, not by a pack member anyway.

Sam backed off and ran into the woods as I phased to human form. Edward had run towards the house, circling it and trying desperately to find a way into the home that was now fully engulfed in flame. One arm was already burned badly as I tried not to grab it while I held him back from entering the flames.

"Edward, no. You can't go in there. We have to hope she got out, Edward. We have to hope," I told him as he dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

Emmett, Rose and Esme arrived as I was holding him back, Esme moving quickly to hold on to him trying to comfort him. I slipped to the bushes and slid on my pants as I saw Jasper and Alice arrive as well.

The fire department siren was blaring as the trucks rolled in. Sam had stayed in wolf form while I had restrained Edward and had managed to throw Victoria's parts into the flames before anyone else arrived. He had then left, or at least he was keeping his distance in the woods. Charlie arrived with Sue and Emily in tow. I explained briefly what had happened as they all broke into tears as well.

We stood, herded back by the fire department and Charlie fielding questions as to why the hell we were out in all this weather anyway. All we could do was wait. The fire department would put out the flames and look for bodies. We couldn't go near the flames anyway, the result of trying was evident on Edward's arm. Alice retrieved bandages from the first aid box the fireman carried to wrap the arm so that it would not be seen. It wasn't like it looked like a normal burn, anyway, and they had to try and reduce the risk of exposure where they could.

"Ma'am, I'll take a look at his arm myself, if you don't mind," the fireman told Alice as she started to walk back towards Edward.

"No need. We're Dr. Cullen's kids. Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Highlands Hospital? It's not a severe burn and we're driving him there to meet my father momentarily. Thanks anyway!" she said as she flitted back to Edward.

"Victoria ran out of the house and fought with me. Sam and I took her out and threw the pieces on the fire," I told Jasper as the rest of the family listened. I left out the part about Sam trying to kill Edward, though I knew the teeth marks were there in his arm and shoulder for all to see.

"I tracked her scent here, Jasper. The scent had stopped coming from the house by the time Victoria emerged, but it's all around. She had apparently been throwing pieces of hair in the fire for quite some time for it to be all around like this," I told them.

I had seen a lot of things in my short life that were sad, my father after my mother died, my fathers death, his funeral, Bella when Edward had left her . . . but nothing compared to how he was as he sat there on his heels.

Edward was completely devoid of life. Tears stained his face and his black eyes showed bottomless pools of pain and torment as he stared at the burning house. Alice and Esme tried to cover the arm in venom to help it heal before they covered it in gauze to stop the onlookers.

"I can't see anything, Edward. Nothing. It's probably just because the dogs are here. Honestly, let me go off by myself and see. We just don't know yet, Edward. Please don't give up hope yet, we just don't know!" Alice begged him.

Charlie talked to Carlisle at the hospital, telling him there was no point in coming out till they heard something, especially since he could not leave the hospital anyway. There had been an enormous accident and injuries from a bus that wrecked while travelling in the storm.

The fire was dying down somewhat as night approached. The flames were confined to the rear of the house and what appeared to be an underground area, still burning. A fireman approached, "Excuse me folks. This was lying just inside the front door and we were wondering if any of you recognized it?" he asked as he held out the ash covered necklace that Edward had designed and had made for Bella.

Other than a few sharp intakes of breath, it was stone still and quiet as we all looked at the too familiar necklace.

Edward moved for the first time since he had sunk to his knees, hours ago. He stood and, shaking, took the necklace in his hand like it was the most delicate flower that had ever bloomed. He stared at Alice for a moment, then Esme, before turning to walk slowly away in the direction of home.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

I had stayed with him on the road to Cashiers when it first happened and he was frantic. I stood protectively in front of him on Tuesday when his irate father in law had threatened him. I had stocked the house with her blood type and all the surgical gear that I thought might be needed and medical supplies to deliver the baby, but I felt completely useless to my family.

"I know, Petal, but I need to be there with Edward. He's far more important than any damned position at the hospital," I insisted.

"Of course he is. That's not why you're there and you know it. This family goes to great lengths to protect ourselves from being discovered, from standing out among the humans and you are there, covering for us just as you always do . . . protecting all of us, Carlisle," Esme told me insistently.

"But if I had just gotten to the road in time, Petal. If Edward had been able to reach me when he first called we could have stopped them," I mused.

"No. You don't know that. It might have forced Victoria's hand and she could have killed Bella there in front of you. Stop this this minute. Rose and I are leaving for the courthouse in Franklin momentarily. It's only Wednesday morning and we have until Friday, Carlisle. She has to keep her alive to talk to Edward every eight hours if she wants the money," my wife reminded me.

"You're right. I know you're right," I admitted. "Is everything prepared for when the power goes, gas for the generator, food for the hu . . ., I mean our guests?"

"Yes. Sue went down to Walmart in Clayton with Edward last night and stocked up."

"Edward? Edward went?" I asked, amazed that he would leave the mock control room that Jasper had set up.

"Yes, he insisted on going himself. Sue was telling me that he saw a young woman with a baby at the store . . . a child named Masen . . ."

"Oh dear God, no. He didn't need to have that happen to him. Is he okay?" I asked, worried sick about my oldest son.

"Carlisle, Sue said he opened his wallet and emptied it of cash, you know he keeps several thousand on hand. Anyway, she said he walked over and insisted the young woman take the money. It was heart wrenching. He told her that he had a son named Masen that was in danger and he'd like to help her son. Apparently he knew she didn't have the funds to buy what the baby needed and he wanted to help. That's the kind of man he is. That's the boy that you raised, Carlisle, and I'm so very proud of him," she told me. I knew that if she could cry, tears would be flowing as she spoke now.

The power did in fact go out during the night on Wednesday at the hospital as well as at home. Both places had emergency generators that would kick on automatically. The storm had knocked out any chance of satellite communications though, rendering the phone that Bella had with her useless, so there were no calls from her. Edward last spoke with her on Tuesday evening, allowing Charlie to speak to her as well.

It was difficult being at the hospital twenty four hours a day. A human could not continue indefinitely without sleep and I had to make a point of going to my office for a few hours at a time and pretending to rest on the sofa. It was infuriating to waste time, but necessary to keep up the pretense. Of course, any doctor worth his salt could do forty eight hours without sleep and it was Thursday morning before I retired to my office. The timing was perfect in that Edward called, telling me that he had just spoken to Bella, and that she had suggested that she was trying to get her scent out the fireplace by sitting in the draught of the fire and throwing cut bits of her hair in the updraught to get them to the outside. Brilliant. My new daughter amazed me at every turn.

Jake and Sam were still following Riley's trail and Jake had told Edward that he thought he smelled Bella . . . undoubtedly the fireplace! Edward was waiting for some confirmation back on the tracking device that Alice had managed to have Riley take with him and the two things together, along with the narrowed search area that Jasper had come up with were starting to give me real hope that she could be found. Apparently Jasper had also discovered, as he was investigating all aspects of the new satellite phones that Edward had gotten all of us back at Thanksgiving, that the phone had the ability to tell us where it was, a GPS that would give the phone's exact position when accessed. The mechanism was activated simply by pressing the correct button on the phone and Edward was sitting on ready for Bella to call again, determined to find a way to tell her about the button without Victoria understanding. If Bells could only press the button, Jasper could locate her instantly.

Jasper was amazing with electronics. Rose, Esme and Emmett were heading out to the area where Jake was searching to see if they could pick up anything and Edward was going as well. Jasper had managed to rig something so that he could listen to the call Edward was going to receive from Bella and work all his magic from a distance, allowing Edward to go and be as close s possible to where we though they were holding her. Thank God. Edward needed to be right there, staying at home was not helping his sense of uselessness.

Things had been relatively quiet at the hospital. A sprain here and a break there from people trying to play in the snow. One case of hypothermia from a child that had stayed out too long and a man had burned his hands pretty badly when a log had rolled out of his fireplace and he had lifted it to throw it back in.

We had just gotten a radio call from the authorities that a large bus had wrecked out on the highway with multiple severe injuries that were being transported in route to us. I alerted the emergency room staff and set preparations for their arrival underway, just as the call came in from Charlie.

They had found Victoria. Jake and Sam had killed her. There was no trace of Riley, other than his scent entering the house that was now totally engulfed in flames. Dear God, no . . .

They were all there. Everyone, other than me. Waiting. Edward . . . well Charlie said Edward was on his knees and hadn't moved. Jacob had apparently had to restrain him from entering the burning house to look for his wife, and one of his arms was badly burned. I realized I needed to get to him just as the ambulances started arriving. Surely I could orchestrate this and leave shortly. I methodically had the exam rooms filled, concentrating on anything that could be life threatening first. There were many. They just kept coming. God, would it never end! I had to get to my son before he did something stupid . . .

_**Author's note: Okay, okay! Please don't hunt me down and slay me! Riley and Victoria are dead, Jake has taken his rightful place, and we will find out what happened to Bella, honest!**__** Renee and Phil are still on a cruise, they know nothing about this, I'm not ignoring them!**_


	76. Chapter 76  Discovered

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

_**Author's Note:** _ There was an error in the ending of the last chapter, it was corrected but some of you had already read it. You might want to re-read the last few paragraphs of the last chapter, just to make sure you are on track! Sorry about that! I'm actually trying not to leave you hanging, it's just hard not to when more is revealed with each point of view! Don't shoot me! Updates are coming sooner than promised, at least! Thanks to all of you for reading my attempts at writing! Your reviews, comments and opinions make this worth the effort for me and literally make my day. If you are enjoying the story, or if the angst is driving you nuts, share it with me!

**Chapter 76 Discovered**

**EPOV**

I had not allowed myself to be this hopeful since she was taken. Jasper had met me halfway up the stairs bursting with excitement because he had come to the same conclusion I had.

Charlie followed us into the library as Jasper checked Riley's location on the map. He called and let Jacob know about the fireplace and Bella's scent, then I spoke with Jacob, seemingly repeating what Jasper had just told him.

"Bella called. There is a fireplace in the room where she's being held, and she's trying to get her scent out in to the open air where we can track her."

"That's my Chica! Brilliant! I'm not going nuts, it is her that I smell!" he yelled.

"I'll wait to see where Riley starts out on foot, then join you Jacob," I told him, "And Jacob . . . thanks man. I mean it. Thank you for being there for her."

"You don't need to thank me for that, bloodsucker. I love her, too, remember!" he said, hanging up the phone.

I turned to explain to everyone what Bella had realized about the fireplace only to find that Charlie had already told them. Sue had her arms around Charlie's neck and Emily was jumping up and down with Alice as Emmett high fived Jasper and Esme stood there with Rose, eyes wide as though she just couldn't believe it.

"Esme, you go with Rose and Emmett and see if you can catch a whiff of Bella in the area I've narrowed the search to. Edward is going to stay here till we see where Riley is headed, then he'll be out there with you as well. Jacob and Sam are already close, they followed Riley's tracks back through the snow and now Jacob swears that he smells Bella," Jasper told them.

Esme, Rose and Emmett left and Sue and Emily went into the kitchen to clean up after breakfast. Charlie, Alice, Jasper and I were in the library.

"So, Bella has one of these new smart phones. The old ones seem easier to use, simpler," Charlie commented, turning the phone over and examining it, "It was down all day yesterday because of the storm?"

"Yes. It works directly off the satellite rather than being dependent on the cell towers. It gives it range all over the world and makes it so that there is no place that doesn't get service," Jasper explained.

"I've heard of these, but only as something in the James Bond movies and CIA stories and such," Charlie informed us, "Not something that your average every day person would have."

"I got them for us when I found out Bella was pregnant, Charlie. I gave Renee one as well, thinking that she might need to talk to her Mom about . . . things. I wanted her to always be able to reach her, and I wanted to always be able to reach Bella so that I would know where she was and if she was alright," I explained.

"Well, I suppose if money is no object, this would be the way to go alright. Huh. This thing gets the Internet too?" he asked.

"Yes. It receives emails and you can take photos and send them and you can even press this button," I showed him, "and it will tell you the weather wherever you are."

"So, the phone knows where it is?" he asked, continuing to distract me from the screen I was viewing, and starting to annoy me.

"Yes."

"And what does this button do?" he asked, showing me a button simply labeled LL. I had never cared before . . . but I cared now. I heard the realization dawning in Jasper's mind.

"Edward, that button locates the phones current longitude and latitude and relays it. It _relays_ the location to the phones on the primary contact list . . . Edward!" Jasper looked ecstatic.

"Charlie, Thank God for your inquisitive cop instincts!" Jasper all but shouted. He was absolutely elated.

"Jasper," I said in disbelief, "You mean all she has to do is press that button and her phone will send a signal telling us exactly where she is?"

"Yes. Yes it will. You just have to find a way when she calls to tell her without Victoria hearing, and that will be tough," Jasper warned.

I couldn't believe it. We had the capability of locating her all along and none of us realized it. I was an idiot. I had purchased the phones myself, probably too caught up in being with Bella and Renee to even listen to the sales pitch. Thank God Charlie had gotten inquisitive about the _fancy_ phones!

"Charlie, you're a genius! If I can just figure out a way to tell Bella without Victoria understanding what I'm telling her, we can locate her in minutes." I told him excitedly.

I double checked the area that Jasper had narrowed the search to and decided to go there and wait for her call. Jasper rigged my phone so that he could hear the call as well and pick up on anything Bella told us with no delay. Finding where they had her held was only the first part of the problem, but it was a step in the right direction. I still had to get her away from two angry vampires . . . and she was so fragile compared to us. She could be injured so severely just by having one of us knock into her too hard and send her flying across the room. I had to protect her, as well as my son. I ran to Cashiers, the phone held tightly in my hand so that I could feel the vibrations if it rang. It was close to three o'clock and she would be calling me soon.I knew that Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jacob and Sam were all relatively nearby, continuing their search for Bella, and they would be alerted by Jasper as soon as we had a definite location coming from her phone, Jasper and Alice would run here full tilt as well. there were so many possibilities, Riley's tracks, Bella's scent and now the possibility of a signal from her phone directly to us . . . we were getting so close . . .

The phone vibrated in my hand, and the caller id verified what I had been hoping for . . .

"Bella."

"Edward."

"You sound off, sweetheart, has she hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine, really. I'm, okay. Victoria and Riley are in the room with me though."

I heard Victoria. She was shouting at Riley in the background and there was a loud noise as though something large was knocked over.

_"You stupid son of a bitch! You brought it here? From her?_"

"Bella! Bella! Listen while they are fighting, press the button on the bottom left of the phone that is labeled LL. Press it so I can hear you over all the commotion, Bella.

I heard another loud band and Victoria calling him an idiot. Bella was talking to someone else, desperately trying to get an answer from the girl named Bree.

"Bella, Bella . . . talk to me," I virtually yelled into the phone. I heard Riley in the background screaming,

_"What the hell, Victoria. I thought it was a good idea! The battery in the girls phone could have died and you are hell bent on getting money from them."_

"Edward," she panted, sounding out of breath," they're fighting, Edward . . ."

_"Shit! What the hell are you doing Victoria?"_

I heard the loud, metallic ripping sound that could only mean one thing . . .

"Oh my God, Edward. She ripped his arm off!"

"Bella! Bella!" I shouted. I could hear her labored breathing, struggling with something . . . and various muffled bumps. It sounded like she was dragging something.

_"Loved you! Loved you? You stupid boy. I loved a man . . .a man that the Cullen's killed over that little human."_

"Edward. I love you. I love you!" She sounded desperate and out of breath.

"I love you, sweetheart . . . ," I said as I heard the phone clatter as though it had been dropped.

"Bella! Bella!" I called into the phone, but there was no answer, only Riley's voice, pleading with Victoria not to kill him. I continued to listen as more ripping and tearing sounds could be heard, then only the not so quiet crackling of a fire.

_"Oh, girls!"_

Oh God. Victoria had finished Riley and she was looking for Bella. I looked down at my phone and took the message that was flashing . . . it was coordinates. She had done it! Bella had pressed the locator button and her location was flashing in front of me. There was only one vampire still there, or in one piece anyway, and she was stalking my girl. I needed to get to her, and now. I took off with more speed than I thought myself capable of.

Her smell was getting stronger with each stride I took. I could smell Bella clearly now . . . and I could hear a struggle. Victoria. Her mind was a range of emotion, but at the forefront was revenge. Werewolves had killed her friend Laurent, and she wanted to end the two that were in front of her. Sam and Jacob were fighting her.

Jacob's thoughts were single minded . . . kill the bitch that killed his father so that he could get into the house and find Bella. Bella. There was an urgency there that . . . oh dear God. The house was on fire! That was why he was in such a desperate hurry to kill her, not taking his time to torment or enjoy the kill. I ran faster. I would be there in moments.

I saw red hair separated from a body as I approached, but I didn't slow down. I was hell bent on getting to that house and finding Bella, so much so that I neglected Sam's thoughts. If I had read his mind a split second before I ran past him I would have been able to avoid his teeth sinking into my shoulder and arm. His thoughts were murderous. He was commanding Jacob to help him end me and burn the pieces along with Victoria's and blame my death on Victoria. I knew he hated us but this was beyond anything I had imagined. The man had accepted the hospitality of my home, grudgingly yes, at his wife's insistence yes, but he was there none the less. But to turn on me this viciously. I couldn't fathom it. From where he gripped me, I could so easily reach over and snap his neck, ending him. Some things even wolves did not heal from, but my thoughts centered on Jacob.

Jacob was resisting the command from Sam to come and help. He had only to grab me and, if I wasn't fast enough to break Sam's neck, they could rip me in two. Jacob was approaching, drawn to move forward by Sam's Alpha voice in his head. As I watched, Jacob's appearance changed. He grew taller, fuller around and somewhat more menacing as I watched. He growled loudly, his voice reflecting the command in his mind.

_"Stop fighting. Release him."_

Jacob was assuming the authority that had always been his, and Sam had no choice but to comply, removing his teeth from my shoulder and dropping me to the ground.

I paid no attention to the wolves as I heard Jacob phase to human form, I had to get to Bella. The house was fully engulfed in flames now. I headed in the front door feeling the flames on my arm as I entered only to feel myself being jerked backwards. Jacob had his arms around me from behind, restraining my unburned arm and forcing me away from the fire.

"Edward, no. You can't go in there. We have to hope she got out, Edward. We have to hope," he kept telling me.

I could not bear the thought of her burning, of loosing my wife and son. I dropped to my knees, overwhelmed for the moment with grief. I had already circled the house and I knew there was no evidence or scent of her having entered or left on foot, yet she had to have been there. I just talked to her from here . . . I heard Victoria on the other end of the phone, and the crackle of the fire. No, she had to have been here . . . dear God . . . in there . . .

I stared into the house and the flames that were consuming it. She was so fragile, so delicate . . . and the house was a raging inferno. "Bella! Bella!" I screamed as my mothers arms encircled me and venom flowed down my face. There was nothing for me. I felt nothing but pain and emptiness. Bella had been right, I had a heart and a soul because my heart was breaking as I sat there, realizing that she and Masen were gone. I could never have felt so desolate, such a bottomless pit of despair, had I not had a soul.

My mother and sister were tending to my wounds. They noticed the jagged, torn teeth marks, along with the burns and were spreading venom on them in an effort to help them heal. There was no point. It would never have time to heal. They wrapped it to keep it from view, as emergency personnel were arriving, firemen and medics. The arm didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"I can't see anything, Edward. Nothing. It's probably just because the dogs are here. Honestly, let me go off by myself and see. We just don't know yet, Edward. Please don't give up hope yet, we just don't know!" Alice begged me.

We sat for what seemed like forever, the flames dying down with the firemen's efforts and night approaching. A fireman approached us holding his hand out to us as though to show us something.

"Excuse me folks. This was lying just inside the front door and we were wondering if any of you recognized it?" he asked as he held out the ash covered necklace that I had designed and given to my wife.

I heard a few sharp intakes of breath around me, as well as my own as realization overtook me.

I stood for the first time in what must have been hours. I felt myself shaking as I took the necklace in my hand. It was Bella's. My Bella . . . God, she was gone. I met Alice and Esme's eyes for only a moment, I had to get home. I could barely see through the venom that poured from my eyes and down my face, but I had to get home to Bella . . .

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

I asked one of the medics for the exact location of the accident, and it made no sense to me. I thought perhaps it had occurred near where Bella's stunt with the fireplace ash could have left her scent falling on some of the victims . . . well, one of the victims. When I had returned from helping move a critical care to the OR I had smelled her. A young woman about Bella's age lay on a stretcher unconscious, her face bruised and her ribs apparently broken. The nurse said that a young pregnant woman with short brown hair had driven her in and orderlies had gotten her out of the car. The woman that had brought her in was no where to be found. How odd. Why the hell would this young woman smell like Bella?

My phone rang, it was my wife calling.

"Petal, what's going on?"

"Oh, Carlisle," she cried. Though no tears would ever fall, my wife was sobbing almost uncontrollably.

"Petal, how is Edward? His arm?"

"Alice and I coated it with venom and bandaged it, Carlisle, but it doesn't matter. We're going to loose him, Carlisle. There is no way he is going to survive loosing her," she cried.

"Oh My God. We don't know that she's gone!" I tried to tell her, but she cut me off.

"Carlisle, no one could have survived that fire, it isn't possible," she sobbed.

"Petal! Have they found a body?"

"What?"

"Have the fireman found a body?"

"We'll no, but the fire is still burning in places," she said softly.

"Listen to me. Until her body is found, we can't be sure. Do you understand, Petal, we can't be sure!" I insisted, "Petal, there is a young woman here who has Bella's scent all over her. She has to have been near Bella, there is no other explanation. The nurses say a young pregnant woman drove her here, then left."

"Carlisle . . ."

"I think it was Bella. It had to be her. You all stay there and wait to see if a body is found. I'm going to see if I can talk to the girl. She was unconscious when she came in, but they are trying to revive her now. Has Alice seen anything?"

"No. She can't see with Jacob near."

"Ask her to go off by herself and try her best to see anything to do with Edward or Bella. Anything, Petal. Call me back, please," I asked as I made my way to the room the girl was in.

I approached the door as the intern emerged.

"Dr. Cullen," he acknowledged me as he walked out.

"What have we got here?" I asked, gesturing to the girl on the stretcher in the room he just emerged from.

"Multiple broken ribs with a lung puncture, possibly a slight concussion. She has some bruising on her face and a black eye that appears to have been there a day or two, the lung puncture is fresh. Appears that she was ruffed up a few days ago and then it was added to today. She's starting to come around but she's pretty incoherent. Keeps mumbling something about fire," he told me.

Fire. Dear God, could it be . . .

I walked into the room and placed a cool hand on the girl's forehead and she flinched away from me immediately, starting to scream for me not to hurt her. I removed my hand and she stilled, opening her eyes, well, the one that wasn't swollen shut.

"It's alright. No one is going to hurt you. You're at Highlands Hospital and you're safe," I told her calmly.

"Safe? Safe?" she repeated, somewhat incoherently.

"Yes, you're safe now. I'm Dr. Cullen and . . . ," she cut me off.

"Cullen? Cullen?" she screeched, grasping my lab coat as though it was a lifeline.

"Yes, dear. Calm down. What's your name?" I asked.

"Bree, Bree Tanner," she whispered. Had I not been a vampire, I never would have been able to hear her. This was the girl. This was the girl that Victoria had captive with Bella. It had to be.

"Bree, do you remember anything about how you got here, who brought you here?"

"Bella. Bella drove me. There was a fire . . . ," she said so softly.

"Is she alright, Bree. Is Bella alright?"

"She's fine. She was holding her belly . . . she kept saying she had to get to Edward . . . Edw . . "

She passed out again, just at the intern returned with the supplies he needed. I ran outside to use my phone with some semblance of privacy.

"Petal, has Alice seen anything?" I asked almost frantically.

"Carlisle, what is it?" she asked.

"Bella. Bella was here. She drove the girl, Bree here to the hospital, but she left almost two hours ago," I told her.

"Here, Alice wants to talk to you," Esme said.

"Carlisle. We have to get to Edward. He wants to die. He decided to burn their house with him in it, Carlisle," Alice told me. Dear God.

"When, Alice, did you see?" I asked.

"He's going to wait till he has her with him. He wants her body with him, Carlisle, so he can burn both of them together in their bed," she explained. I heard Charlie gasp in the background, having heard what Alice was telling me.

"Thank God," I exclaimed, relieved, "Alice, you're sure he's waiting to have her with him?"

"Yes. Why, is that good?"

"Because, Alice," I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice, "Bella is alive. He won't be able to have a body to find, at least not as of a couple of hours ago. Bella dropped Bree off here at the hospital, I just spoke with Bree. Bella drove her here!"

The cheers of my family in the background were deafening. They heard me over the phone, of course, and were overjoyed. Now we just had to find her, as well as Edward. There was only one place that Bella would have headed . . . probably the same place Edward headed . . . home.

**Emmett POV**

I couldn't believe my ears. My baby sister had gotten out! Not only had she escaped, but she had apparently managed to get the other girl to the hospital. God, I hoped Bella wasn't injured.

"Did Bree say anything about Bella? Was Bella injured?" I asked loud enough for Carlisle to hear on the other end of the phone.

"Tell Emmett that I don't know how Bella is. Bree is unconscious now and I can't ask her any further questions," Carlisle said on the phone to Esme.

Damn. It was just like her to take care of someone else.

"If she was hurt, she would have gone in and found Carlisle, right?" I asked out loud.

"Maybe . . . or maybe she would just want to get to Edward," Rose answered.

"Yea. But she had no way of knowing where he is," Jake added.

"Well, the last time he talked to her, he was out looking for her, so that's no help," Jasper exclaimed.

"Every other time she talked to him he was at home, wasn't he?" Charlie asked, "If I know Bells, she'll head home. She hates hospitals and doctors, been around them too many times in her life."

"Can she drive in this?" I asked Charlie, gesturing to the snow.

"Road's clear all the way to your Dad's house, Emmett. Edward's driveway is tough, though. Not sure they plowed it all that great. Probably not used to doing it, since the house is so new," Charlie explained, having driven a car to get here. The rest of us had come by foot, so he was the one that knew about the driving conditions far better than we did.

"Well, in any case. We know she's not here." Sue smiled, relieved as she stood with her hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"Thank God for that," Esme whispered.

"What the hell happened to Edward's shoulder, Jake," I asked, knowing that wolf teeth were the only thing other than another vampire that was capable of hurting him.

"He saw that Sam and I had Victoria in pieces, so he took off towards the house. I phased and pulled him back just as he started in the front door," Jake told us.

"He was going in there?" Esme gasped.

"I thought you guys were invincible, indestructible and all that," Charlie queried.

"We are, Charlie. Except for fire. It's the one thing that will destroy us completely," Rose told him.

"And he was headed into the house?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"He sure as hell was. I had to drag him away. He was determined to get to her, regardless . . . ," Jake recounted.

"But . . ."

"I know, Charlie. I know," Jake said, hugging Charlie awkwardly, "He loves her."

"Well, the venom will help his arm to heal. It'll take time, but he should be alright," Alice told us.

"Yes, but what the hell were the teeth marks in his shoulder about?" I asked, looking directly at Jake.

"Sam," Jake said, by way of an answer.

"Sam?" Emily gasped.

"Yes. He ran off into the woods," Jake told us, a fury showing in his dark eyes, "Let's talk about this later. We all need to get to the house. If Bella isn't there, we still need to find her!"

Rosie called from the other side of the garage, "Over here guys!"

We all moved to join her as she excited explained that the last car to leave was diesel powered.

"They make diesel powered cars? Luxury cars like the folks up here drive?" Sue asked.

"Yes, the Volvo C30, Audi A3 TDI and the A4, Lexus HS 250h and ES 350 not to mention the Cadillac CTS and BMW 335d," my Rosie told us, "but this smells like the Cadillac. It was the last car pulled into this garage, and I think I can follow it."

"Damn, girl," Jake exclaimed, looking at Rose in amazement, "How do you know all that?"

"Alright then. Keep your phones on you. Rose will cover the road with Emmett. Charlie, you take Sue and Emily and see if she is at the house. Alice, Esme and I will go to the hospital and see if Carlisle has gotten anything else out of the girl, and if Alice can see anything," Jasper planned it out.

"What about Edward?" Esme asked.

"Mom, he dropped his phone as he walked off. We have no way of reaching him," I said. I guess they had all been wondering why someone hadn't called to tell Edward the news.

"Fine. Then Jasper and Alice can go to the hospital, I'm going to follow Edward. Someone has to make sure he doesn't harm himself before we can let him know that Bella didn't die in that awful fire!" Esme insisted, as she took off in the direction he had headed.

~oooOooo~

**Alice POV**

By the time we arrived, Carlisle was not at the hospital. The staff told us that he had said he had a family emergency, and he had taken off apparently quickly enough out of the parking lot in his car to be noticed. The girl, Bree, was in x-ray, so we sat and waited to see her. I laid my head back against the emergency room wall, my hand in Jasper's as I tried to concentrate on Bella. I got a short glimpse, nothing more than a flash as I cried out, "Jasper, she's in pain. She's in so much pain!"

I saw the gurney approach carrying the small girl. She was similar in stature to Bella herself, with much longer straight hair . . . and she was younger. Bella had told Edward that she was a college student at Clemson and that she had been taken last Saturday afternoon on the way to watch her boyfriend's band rehearse. Clemson wasn't all that far from here, a couple of hours in a car. Surely someone was looking for her. Jasper walked outside to place an anonymous call to the authorities at the University, alerting them that a girl named Bree had been injured and taken to Highlands Hospital. I waited till the attendants had made her comfortable, then I went into the tiny exam room to see her.

She was awake. Her face was a mess, and I doubted she could see me clearly through the one eye that wasn't swollen completely shut.

"Hi, Bree. I'm Alice, Bella's sister," I told her quietly. She looked around as though she was frightened.

"It's alright. You're safe. Victoria is dead and you are in the hospital," I assured her.

"Victoria is dead? You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure. Can you tell me where Bella is?" I asked her.

"She wouldn't stay! I tried, I tried!" she insisted, frantically looking around.

"Quiet, it's okay. You're safe. Do you know where she was going?"

"She said she had to get to Edward, her husband. She thought she was having contractions. I told her that if she was in labor, she needed to stay here and just call him, she needed to be at the hospital to have the baby . . . but she wouldn't listen. She was determined to get to him and nothing else seemed to matter," Bree explained.

"That's my sister. She didn't even think to come in and call, did she?"

"No. She was frantic. She only wanted Edward," she said, calmer than before, "She really loves him, and that baby. She kept talking to the baby, Masen isn't it? She kept talking to him almost the whole time we were locked in the basement," Bree recalled.

"Don't worry. Now that Victoria is gone, we'll find her. She probably just drove home, that's all. You feel better and I'll come back to see you tomorrow, okay?" I told her.

"Okay then . . . tomorrow," she said as she drifted back off to sleep.

I found Jasper just outside the emergency room doors to the parking lot, still on the phone to family members. I stopped cold, Jasper reaching to hold me as a vision flooded my mind . . .

Masen . . .

"Jasper, I just saw Edward . . . he's holding a newborn baby!"

"Come on, darlin' . . . we have to find them!"


	77. Chapter 77  Delivered

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 77 Delivered**

_I noticed that she was over beside the injured girl on the stairs. It didn't matter. I laughed even harder . . . the fat little thing seemed to be trying to get the injured girl up the stairs with her. Stupid fucking little human. They really did have no more sense than the cattle that they themselves bred for their own food._

**BPOV**

I pressed the button on the phone that Edward asked me to as I ran to the stairs to check on Bree. I was already worried about her, she had been lying on the sofa for an entire day and had not gotten to her feet when Victoria came into the room. Victoria had kicked the sofa that she was resting on, causing it to skid across the room and tumble over, landing her up on the stairs.

"Bree, Bree," I screamed as I tried to get her to hear me. Her legs were on the stairs above her head and she seemed dazed as I tried in vain to get her attention. A loud metallic screeching sound ripped through the air and I watched in horror as I saw Riley's arm torn from his body and flung into the fireplace.

"Oh my God, Edward. She ripped his arm off!" I all but yelled into the phone.

I had to get Bree up . . . I had to get us out of here and this might be our only chance, running while they were too busy fighting each other to notice. I grabbed Bree under the shoulder and half dragged her up a couple of the stairs. I couldn't do it and hold onto the phone. I had to let go . . . I had to let go of Edward.

"Edward. I love you. I love you!" I shouted, barely hearing him tell me that he loved me as the phone fell from my shoulder, both my hands pulling at the half conscious girl. I managed to get her up the stairs and on her feet, her arm around my shoulder and mine around her waist. As we stumbled towards the front door, I saw the car keys on the kitchen table and realized we had no chance of escape on foot and took advantage of having seen the keys just lying there.

There was a sleek, black sedan parked closest to the kitchen door in the garage, the keys dangling from the dash. Though I had the keys to the Volvo in my hand, I put Bree in the back seat of the black car and hit the button to raise the garage door, cranking the car, slamming my door and stepping on the gas with the car in reverse seemingly all in one motion. I backed into a snow drift in my haste to turn around so that I could drive forward, the area having been plowed recently. I sped down what must have been the longest driveway in creation at speeds I had never thought of using before, determined to make it to the highway and far enough from Victoria that she would not be able to follow. I had the keys to the other car, so i knew she could not use it to come after me, but that really didn't matter with vampires. She was much faster on foot than she would have been in a car.

Bree needed medical attention and though I wasn't inclined to admit it, I realized that dragging her up the stairs had caused the small contractions that I had been having for a day or so to escalate into something else altogether. They were now serious contractions, and my belly felt rock hard as I rubbed circles on it attempting to sooth myself as well as Masen.

"We got away from the bad lady, Masen. Don't be scared. Mommy is driving us far away from her and we're going to go find Daddy. I know you're scared, baby . . . I'm scared to, but we can do this. You and I can do this. Don't bite Mommy, Masen, trust me. We will find Daddy, just do not bite Mommy. The squeezes you feel just means that Mommy's body is getting ready to push you out the way it's supposed to. If your Daddy wasn't a vampire, it would be the natural way for you to come out of Mommy, Masen. Just trust me. Everything will be just fine, baby. Don't be scared. Just relax and think of it as Mommy hugging you. I love you baby boy. That's right, just relax and feel Mommy hugging you."

I kept trying to talk to him aloud, to comfort him and admittedly to reassure myself. Edward had insisted that Masen could not only hear me, but that he understood . . . and I hoped to God he was right. There was a sign on the main highway directing me to Highlands. Good. I would try going that way, seeing as I had no idea where I was. I started to see signs for the hospital, and since Carlisle worked at the only one anywhere near Highlands, my hopes were growing. I came to a fairly straight stretch of road and ventured a glance at Bree in the back seat. Blood was running from her nose and mouth,and she seemed to be struggling to draw in air, but she was still breathing.

I pulled into the emergency room and straight up to the emergency door, opening the back door and getting Bree to a sitting position. She was awake and saw that I was in pain, guessing that I was in labor.

"Bella, you need to get inside. You need a doctor," Bree gasped, fighting to draw in enough breath to speak. "Send someone for me, Bella, I can't breath and I know I can't walk," she managed to say between gasps.

I ran inside. The hospital was crazy busy, obviously some huge wreck had just happened as there were injured people sitting in the waiting room and lying on gurneys in the hallways. I got the attention of an orderly. I suppose a very pregnant woman, shoeless and coat less in this weather would get attention regardless. The orderly grabbed a stretcher and headed outside with me. Together we got Bree onto the gurney and he started to push her inside, insisting that I looked like I needed to come in as well. I turned quickly, despite their pleas, and got back into the car. I needed Edward and I needed to be in my own home. This wasn't a delivery that could be made at the hospital and I wasn't willing to chance that Carlisle was there. He was probably out with the rest of my family looking for me. Surely someone would be at home, holding down the fort if it was only Sue or Emily.

I drove through town and headed down the mountain towards home, hoping that Victoria wasn't following. The streets were clear of both ice and traffic as I sped by, the town apparently closed due to the power outage and the street lights were not working. I drove down the winding mountain road towards Walhalla and turned off on the road leading to our houses. Carlisle's driveway looked completely free of snow while mine and Edward's was a bit rough and I felt the car slide more than once before I turned it off, leaving the keys in the ignition.

I parked in front of the house, all the lights were on and I remembered . . . of course Edward would have equipped the house with an emergency generator. His frail human wife would require heat if the power went out. I laughed at the thought, in spite of the intense contraction I was having.

"Hold on, Masen. We're home. We just have to go inside and find Daddy. Relax, don't bite. Everything's okay little one."

I knew right away that none of my vampire family was home, they would have heard me approach and been at the car door almost before it had stopped moving. I honked the horn hoping Sam or Emily or Charlie was inside, but nothing. No sign of anyone. It didn't matter. They would check back in soon, they always did.

Snow was piled high on the walkway. Untended and forgotten, it was knee deep as I tried to get to the front door. I was never so glad that it wasn't a long walkway, but it took forever to manage it, my hands sinking into the snow almost as often as my feet. When Victoria had kidnapped me, I wasn't wearing shoes and the snow was caked on my socks, freezing my feet. The lack of a coat would also have been a huge problem if I had to be in the weather for long. The pink sweater that Alice had me try on was warm, but it could never stand up to the temperatures outside right now. Thank God I had chosen to grab the keys and take the car. Even if we had made it away from Victoria on foot, I snorted, like that would have happened, Bree and I would surely have gotten frost bite if not frozen to death in the cold.

The front door was unlocked and I sighed heavily, as I closed it against the freezing cold outside. I was home. I leaned against the door and took off my snow encrusted socks, leaving them on the floor as I crossed the living room. I realized that even just that short walk in the snow had my feet totally numb. I picked up the receiver on the land line phone that sat on the table next to the wall just to make sure there was no dial tone. It was dead. The storm had apparently knocked out all the power as there were no lights anywhere since I left the hospital, and the phone lines would have gone with them. I headed up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to be snug in my bed and wait for Edward. I needed him and at least in my bed I would be able to smell him and maybe, just maybe everything would be alright.

I discarded the pink sweater I had been wearing all week along with the grey sweatpants, leaving them on the floor as I stepped into the warm shower. Tears streamed down my face as I stood, letting the last few days wash away. I washed my hair and I used Edward's body wash, the scent comforting me as it filled the steamy shower. I dried myself off as best I could, there was no way I could reach some places with my belly as large as it was. It felt like it had gotten huge in just the last few days. I towel dried what was left of my hair and noticed that my left shoulder was still really stiff and sore, but at least I could use it. I stared in the mirror at my hair. It still reached my shoulders, but the majority of the length that once hung down my back in soft waves was gone. It didn't matter. Edward wouldn't care. I was home.

Our bed which either myself or Edward meticulously made each and every morning was kind of a rumpled mess. It looked as though Edward had crawled into the middle of the bed and gotten beneath the covers at some point, only partially folding them back to escape his self made cocoon when he had gotten up. I crawled into the same spot that he had obviously occupied and folded the covers over me, my hands holding my belly as yet another contraction hit.

I spoke out loud . . . soft, quiet words of love and comfort, soothing myself as well as Masen till I dozed off to sleep, waiting for my husband to return home.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I took the necklace in my hand. It was Bella's. My Bella . . . God, she was gone. I met Alice and Esme's eyes for only a moment, realizing that I had to get home. I could barely see through the venom that poured from my eyes and down my face, but I had to get home . . . I had to get home to Bella . . .

I turned away from the fire that had ended my world and headed towards my house. I needed to be home. I could smell her there and wrap myself in our bed and feel as close as I ever would to her again. I slipped the necklace over my head, letting it hang just over my heart where she would always remain.

I was nothing if not logical, and logic told me that there was no way my wife had lived through that fire. The locator on the phone had her in that house and I had spoken with her only minutes earlier. She was there, with Victoria. I had heard the crackling of the fire over the phone when I spoke to her. I easily picked up Victoria's scent coming from the front door where she had walked out to the fight with the werewolves, but there was no scent of Bella ever leaving the house.

Wait to be sure. I had to wait until her body was found. I wanted her with me. I would not make the same mistakes as in Romeo and Juliet. I smiled remembering the countless times I had watched the movie with her, always remarking about how stupid he was to kill himself before he was sure. I would not do that to her, I would never even take the chance of doing that to her. I would be sure . . . I would hold her in my arms again and know that she was gone before I joined her. It would be hours before they would be able to recover the bodies of Bella and the other girl and then they would call me as her next of kin. I would have to make the identification. It would be a simple enough act to steal her and bring her home, once I was sure.

In the mean time I needed to smell her, to think of her and my son and relive each and every moment I had spent with her in the last two years. Perfect recall. It would be both heaven and hell.

I slowed to a walk as I neared my house. I could see the lights coming from it now, no other lights in any other homes or businesses had been on with the power off and the lines down. I could smell Bella from here. I convinced myself it was because I was just so acutely attuned to her, especially right now, that I was picking up week old scents . . . and relishing them.

A strange car was parked in front of the house, one I had never seen before and I wondered who the hell was there. Though I listened, I could not hear anyone's thoughts. Odd. I was close enough to pick up a faint heartbeat, but no thoughts. I quickened my pace. I wanted no intrusion into my privacy right now.

My mind was playing tricks on me, a cruel joke perhaps. I knew that heartbeat, those heartbeats . . . but it couldn't be. The car smelled of Riley . . . and Bella. I followed the tracks from the car, the path showing a small person stumbling as they made their way into my house. I opened the front door and my eyes were drawn to the puddle of water in the floor surrounding a pair of socks. Bella's socks? No . . .

I looked in the direction of our room . . . the direction from which the soft breathing was coming from, and the heartbeats . . .

I raced to the door of my room, afraid to enter, afraid that my mind had concocted all of this in my grief . . . it couldn't be real . . . she was gone, I had lost her and my son in the fire.

I opened the door and was immediately assaulted by her scent. I stared at our bed and the girl that was in it. I was barely able to move. Each step was forced, each movement planned. I didn't want the vision to fade with my movement, to disappear like a smoke ring when the air was stirred. Slowly, methodically I made it to the edge of the bed. My wife appeared to be lying there, a somewhat pained expression passing across her face as she slept. I listened, mesmerized by the sound of her heartbeat and that of my sons. I lifted the covers to slide into bed next to her, stopping to notice her freshly showered strawberry smell compared to the somewhat smoky, dirty smell coming from my clothing. I stood back and removed the pants and shirt, the sleeve and part of the side of the shirt gone anyway, having been burned off of me leaving me in only my boxers as I slid into bed beside my wife.

I had only just snaked my injured arm under her pillow and wrapped my other arm around her, burying my nose in her hair when her naked body completely stiffened. In the blink of an eye her face buried into my neck and her arms wrapped around my torso and held me to her like iron manacles. She said nothing . . . she barely even took a breath until I felt her inhale deeply against my neck.

"It's alright sweetheart . . . I'm here . . . I love you . . . it's alright, baby . . . I've got you," I continued to tell her as I held her to me and stroked her hair softly, breathing her in.

Masen was frantic. His thoughts gave way the fear he was trying to calm as he felt his world squeezing in around him. I placed one hand on her belly and it took only a moment to know that she was in labor, her belly rock hard with a contraction. She was calm, still even. She had wanted nothing more than to sleep until I arrived, and Masen had provided that for her. Now that he knew I was there, he was scared. He relayed all the words of comfort that Bella had told him,

_"We got away from the bad lady, Masen. Don't be scared. Mommy is driving us far away from her and we're going to go find Daddy. I know you're scared, baby . . . I'm scared to, but we can do this. You and I can do this. Don't bite Mommy Masen, trust me. We will find Daddy, just do not bite Mommy. The squeezes you feel just means that Mommy's body is getting ready to push you out the way it's supposed to. If your Daddy wasn't a vampire, it would be the natural way for you to come out of Mommy, Masen. Just trust me. Everything will be just fine, baby. Don't be scared. Just relax and think of it as Mommy hugging you. I love you baby boy. That's right, just relax and feel Mommy hugging you."_

God . . . my wife was incredible.

"Masen, your Mommy is right. Daddy is here now and Mommy and I will get you out. Mommy can't wait to meet you. Try to relax and do not bite, Masen," I reassured him and his mind seemed to calm somewhat.

"It's alright, sweetheart, I'm here," I spoke softly into my wife's ear as I felt her begin to shake. "You can do this Bella, we can do this. Everything is going to be fine, love. I've got you, I'm right here," I murmured softly as I stroked my hand from the top of her head to her hip and over again.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared, Edward!"

"I know, love. Me too. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, so very sorry I didn't protect you from her."

"Stop. Just stop, sweetheart. I have you now and that's all that matters."

"Victoria is dead, Jacob and Sam ended her and threw her in that house that burned," I told her softly.

"She burned Riley. I saw her rip him apart, Edward."

"Shhh, it's alright now. It's over and from what Masen is telling me, he wants out, sweetheart."

I pulled back from her, cupping her face in my hand so that I cold look into her eyes, "Are you ready to have our baby, sweetheart? I think he's beyond ready to meet us."

I tried to sound confident as I spoke to convince myself as well as my wife. I kissed her softly but with all the emotion and love that I held for her.

"I need to see just how dilated you are, sweetheart," I said as I gently allowed my hand to go beyond her hip and rest between her legs. She hitched her leg up over my hip, allowing me access and I could not help but stroke her soft folds a few times before I allowed my fingers to enter her. I continued to kiss her as I felt for her cervix and my wife moaned. We were about to have a baby and my wife fucking moaned against my lips, rocking her hips into my hand.

Her cervix were 100% effaced and almost fully dilated. I had no idea why she wasn't writhing in pain and screaming with the force of the contractions she was almost continually having at this point. I continued to kiss and stroke her, as she seemed to need that from me right now, and I certainly needed her.

Masen was indeed allowing her to remain calm, placing the thought in her head that she was not in pain and that she could do this calmly, assuring his Mother by forcing her to have thoughts of everything being alright.

"Bella," I said as I removed my fingers from her and kissed her one more time, "I need to get a few things, Bella. I'm just going to the kitchen to get some supplies and I'll be right back." Her eyes looked panicked as I tried to comfort her. "I have to get the supplies to deliver our son, sweetheart. He's not going to wait for Carlisle, he's coming now. I'll be right back."

She nodded, releasing her grip on me and rolling on to her back as I flew down the stairs. In the back of the cabinet that normally held the first aid supplies, I found a box containing a sealed sterile surgical kit complete with sponges, scalpels and sutures along with gloves, trays and everything else I needed, including an IV set up. There were pints of Bella's blood type in the refrigerator and several vials of morphine and other drugs that might be needed during a delivery. Carlisle had obviously been very thorough.

I had been away from her all of a split second when I found myself back at the top of the stairs, and I made the decision to run to the nursery and grab a few baby blankets as well. I was determined to deliver them both safely through this.

I turned the lights on in our bedroom, causing Bella to blink with the harsh light hit her eyes, but I would need it. I had to take every precaution that I could, though my sight in the dark was almost as good as in the light.

Her eyes, however saw many more things now that there was light, and though she had not noticed the venom soaked bandages covering my arm . . . she noticed them now.

"Edward, you're hurt!" she yelled, more distressed now than she had shown yet in front of me. She struggled to sit up and pulled me down to sit beside her, ghosting her hand over the bandaged arm and noticing the raw hand.

"It'll heal, love. Let's take care of you."

"Tell me what happened."

"Bella, we need to . . . , " she cut me off.

"Tell me!" she demanded, one hand softly weaving into the hair she loved at the nape of my neck while the other hand seemingly tried to will the arm to heal by moving over it and tracing up and down it again and again, never really touching it.

"I tried to get into the house, Bella. The house they held you in was burning and I thought you were inside. Jacob held me back or I would have been inside that house, thinking I was with you."

"Edward," the word came from her lips softly, almost like a sigh. The hand that was in my hair traced down the chain that hung around my neck and to the soot covered necklace of hers that I wore. Her eyes met mine and I didn't need to read her mind to know the question on her lips next.

"The fireman brought it to us and asked if anyone recognized it, love. I took it and put it on. I thought I had lost you, Bella," I said as my arms held her to me, tears streaming down my face as I inhaled her scent, reassuring myself that it was really her and she was alive and with me.

"It's alright," I told her as another contraction wracked her body. Even Masen wasn't able to keep this one in check and she tightened her grip around my neck, held her belly and screamed softly. I wiped the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs and kissed her softly, trying to reassure her.

There would be no time for a Cesarean birth. I felt her abdomen, realizing that Masen's head was turned down and he was entering the birth canal. We were having this baby the normal human way and I could only hope it was possible.


	78. Chapter 78  Arrival

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 78 Arrival**

_We were having this baby the normal human way and I could only hope it was possible._

**EPOV**

I threw the bedclothes to the foot of the bed, leaving only the bottom sheet and laid her gently across the bed, propping her up with all of our pillows. I had scooted her rear almost to the edge facing me and I had her feet flat on the bed with her knees bent. I had only ever done this with stirrups, but we would have to improvise. There would be no time for a Cesarean birth. I felt her abdomen, realizing that Masen's head was turned down and he was entering the birth canal. We were having this baby the normal human way and I could only hope it was possible. I left for a split second to grab linens from the bathroom closet and to retrieve the one thing that I had prepared in case we needed it . . . a large stainless steel syringe that I had filled with my own venom. Bella would survive this birth, one way or another.

I held her hands as she struggled to continue breathing through the now almost constant contractions. I could not see Masen's head yet, but I could feel it and I needed to do an episiotomy to keep her from ripping. It was a simple cut to the thin membrane of vaginal wall to keep it from tearing so that it could be stitched together after the birth, healing much nicer than if I allowed it to tear. I doused my hands and arms with alcohol and quickly put on gloves before I cut her ever so slightly with the scalpel, trying to ignore her scream. There had been no time for the shot of Novocaine to take effect. Her blood held no call for me as it dripped down my hands.

No sooner had I relieved the tension this way, the sac that contained the baby bulged out, forming a large bubble. It had not ruptured and my scalpel did not even mark it, much less make a cut. I bent forward and easily tore a large hole in it with my teeth, careful to swallow as much of my venom as possible first. Clear fluid spilled over the edge of the bed and onto my legs as I knelt there, continuing to talk to my son and wife, telling them both how much I loved them and how well they were both doing, and reassuring Masen that he was alright, just to relax and let this happen and reminding him not to bite. I had no idea if his bite was venomous or not, though I thought it might be, and I tried not to even think about that possibility.

I had heard Esme as she entered the house some moments ago, but she did not come into our room. She stood and called Carlisle, her thoughts letting me know that he would be here in minutes and that she was there if I needed her.

My father might arrive in minutes, but I wasn't sure he would not beat my son's arrival. Masen's head was crowning now and I tried to hold Bella's hand, knowing this was the most painful part and encouraging her to breath and now to push when she felt the desire. We were doing this, she and I. We were going to have a son that I delivered . . . and it was all going to be okay . . . we could do this . . .

"Edward!" she screamed, "Oh God, Edward! I can't do this!"

"Yes you can baby, you're both doing great," I encouraged them, "another big push, come on Bella, his head is out sweetheart. Breath. Give me another big push, his shoulders need to come out Bella, come on . . . push baby. You're okay Masen, it's almost over son, stay calm."

"Edward!"

I continued to run my finger around inside her opening, making sure there was room for Masen's head to emerge as her contractions pushed him further and further out of her body as I continued to talk softly to them. He was scared, really scared. I heard the turmoil in his mind as his instincts told him to get out of there, to tear his way out to survive while his mind told him to trust me, to trust that his Dad would get him out. He didn't want to hurt his Mom, he loved her but he was just so scared. He was fully capable and more than strong enough to get himself out, one way or another but he was trusting me. As soon as he set eyes on me he was fine. I smiled down at him as I suctioned his throat and nose and he smiled back in return.

"That's it, son. It's me, Daddy. You're okay, everything is going to be just fine. Remember not to bite, son. You must not bite Mommy even now, Masen," I told him as I wiped his face, removing the blood and fluid so that he could see clearly. I turned my attention back to Bella.

"Breath, Bella. Masen is fine, breath for me. One more push, sweetheart, just one more and we'll have our son. Come on, love, push."

She was tired and I knew it. Her blood pressure was going up and I needed to relieve some of the pain. She would be fine as soon as he was out, the pain would be over almost immediately once he was delivered and her blood pressure should react almost as quickly. I couldn't spare a hand to hold hers or comfort her with, so I continued to talk to her and to Masen, hoping he could help her.

"That's right. You tell her, Masen. Mommy needs to stay calm and push, everything is fine now, isn't it son?"

"Good . . . good sweetheart . . . keep pushing . . . keep pushing, baby, just a little more . . . yes!"

"We have a son, sweetheart! He's fine. You did it, Bella. I never thought I would be a father, but you did it, love," I said as I held Masen and stood to lean over her and kiss her lips, tucking a strand of sweaty hair behind her ear. It was the first time I noticed her hair was much shorter than it had been.

"Edward," she said as I kissed her, "He's so beautiful! He looks just like you, sweetheart. I love you both so much!"

I moved to sit on the bed next to her, holding our son on her stomach for her to see. I was hesitant to let her hold him because I was unsure about Masen being calm enough to continue to control himself and not bite. I grabbed one of the blankets I had gotten from his room and wrapped him in it, his beautiful eyes wide with wonder at seeing us for the first time. His eyes were dark, not a color yet really, and the thick hair covering his head was matted and wet, his skin covered in blood and still bearing the thin coating of cheesy substance that he was born with so I had no idea just how pale he really was. He had a full compliment of shiny white milk teeth and he smiled at us as he examined our faces and we admired his.

"I'm going to lay him here on the bed beside you so that you can still see him while we finish this, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed softly as I moved off the bed.

I opened his blanket so that I could get to the umbilical cord, grabbing the surgical scissors to cut it as Masen stared at me. Nothing. The scissors did nothing to the cord but temporarily dent it in. Bella watched, looking from the cord in my hands to my face and back to the cord.

"Edward?" she said, a small amount of panic crossing her face.

I smiled, touching the back of my hand to her face and rubbing along her cheekbone. Turning to the baby, I did what most every other animal in nature did when they had a baby, and I severed the cord with my teeth, easily biting through it.

"He has a heartbeat like his Mom, sweetheart, but he seems almost as tough as his Daddy is," I told her, pausing to give her lips a soft kiss. I wrapped him back up and moved to take care of her.

"I need to deliver the afterbirth, love," I told her as she continued to stare at our son and allow him to wrap his tiny fingers around her pinkie.

I pressed on her stomach to help move the placenta along and keep the uterus contracting. She frowned at me and I apologized to her, explaining why it was necessary and how sorry I was to be hurting her. I was a little concerned that I get all of the afterbirth, as the consistency was obviously vampire in nature and I wanted to be sure that her uterus was unhurt and that the bleeding would stop. Everything seemed normal, well . . . as normal as a half vampire birth could have possibly been. I had only delivered a few babies in medical school and I considered asking Carlisle to come in and make sure that I had done everything correctly, but I was comfortable enough with what had happened that I didn't want to embarrass Bella by having him examine her. She only required a few stitches and the Novocaine seemed to be working so she really never realized that I was sewing her up. I took the tray with surgical implements along with the tray that I had placed the placenta and afterbirth in and put them on the bench in our shower, stopping at the linen closet on the way back to get fresh bedding. Bella was so small she took up less than half the bed and I placed a fresh mattress cover and sheet on half the bed along with pillows at the head of the bed. I lifted her and placed her on the fresh linen, sitting up with the pillows at her back against the headboard with a towel under her, carefully handing her the baby still swaddled in a blanket. I placed him in her arms as she sat up leaning against the pillows in such a manner that his mouth could not reach her skin. The soiled linens were crumpled into a ball and on the floor of our shower in an instant, the wood floor of the bedroom cleaned and the rest of the bed neatly made.

She looked like an angel sitting there on the bed, gossamer curtains hanging down and gathered at the corner posts. I sat beside her, still wearing only my boxer briefs as I admired my wife and son.

"He's here! He's here and he's really ours, Edward . . . yours and mine! We have a son!"

"I know, sweetheart. You amaze me, you did so well. How do you feel? Is anything hurting you?" I asked as I held her hand, continually monitoring her heartbeat and blood pressure.

"Is this my husband talking, or my doctor?"

"Both," I said smiling. "Are you sure you're alright? I need to get you an ice pack to put here," I said as I let my hand drift between her legs.

"Your cool hand feels good. I bet an ice pack wouldn't be nearly as good, Edward," she said as she raised an eyebrow.

"You have stitches love, so you need to know to be careful. No straining when you go to the bathroom and wipe carefully so that you don't pull them, and no lifting anything for a day or two, okay?"

"Yes, doctor," she smiled, beaming at me. God she was beautiful.

"I think there are a few people that are waiting to meet this little guy. Are you up to it?" I asked he as I kissed her again.

"Yes. But Edward," she smirked looking down at her bare chest, "Shouldn't I at least have a gown on before our family comes in?"

I totally forgot that my wife was sitting in bed naked, with covers only partially pulled over her body. I retrieved a gown from her drawer and slipped it over her head, holding Masen while she put he arms in and tucked it around herself.

"Now we can let the family meet him," she said.

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

I knew when he walked away that someone needed to stay with him. I had apparently lost a daughter and grandson, and I was loosing my son as well. He did just as I thought he would and headed straight for his house, needing to feel close to Bella and heading to where her scent and memories would be the strongest. I felt my body shaking as I followed him, my tearless sobbing was uncontrolled and I could only imagine how my son was feeling.

The unbridled joy that filled the house the moment he discovered that she was there, alive and in their room was indescribable. I heard them, of course, but I lingered outside for a time before I went into the house, unwilling to intrude on their reunion. Edward knew I was here and he would call me if he wanted my help. He was apparently quite busy preparing to deliver their baby.

"Carlisle, she's here! Bella's here at her house," I told him as I heard a sigh of relief from his lips.

"I'm in the car, Petal. I'll be there shortly. Where's Edward?"

"He's here as well. I followed him here from the fire and Bella was apparently already here, Carlisle, they're having the baby. Edward is upstairs with her delivering it right now!"

"How does she look, is it going well?" he asked, seeming desperate for imformation.

"I have no idea, sweetheart. I'm downstairs and I haven't intruded. I'm sure he knows I'm here and he's talking to her and Masen, telling them how well they're doing and to stay calm."

"Petal?"

"They need to be alone, Carlisle, unless you think there's going to be a problem."

"I have no idea how he will manage the birth, Petal. We had planned to take the baby surgically. There was never any intention to let her deliver it normally . . . the legends told us that didn't work out well for the mothers. Edward must have found a way."

"Well, from what I'm hearing with him telling her to push, it sounds like they are having it the normal way and he keeps telling them both how well they're doing."

"I'll be there momentarily."

Charlie, Sue and Emily walked in, just as I was rummaging around in the kitchen, putting the first aid cabinet back in order where Edward had obviously dropped several items in his apparent haste to get what he had needed. I left out what I would need to tend to his arm as soon as he would let me.

"Esme?" Charlie called to me, the questioning look on his face asked everything all at once.

"She's here, Charlie. They're upstairs, Edward is with her."

"Oh thank God," he said as he turned and took a hasty step towards the staircase.

"Charlie," I said, gently putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, "She's having the baby. I haven't gone up to disturb them."

"Here? Now?" he shrieked. "Don't we need to get her to a hospital?" he said, panic stricken.

"No Charlie, it's too late for that,. It would have never happened anyway . . . the baby is too special . . . too different. It would attract too much attention and the staff would not know how to handle it anyway. The child's father . . . vampire, remember?" I reminded him.

"Oh God!" he sighed, his face now a mass of worry.

Carlisle arrived and walked into the house and over to stand by me, putting his arms around me in a tight hug.

"Are you alright, Petal?" he asked, knowing I was beside myself before thinking I was loosing all of them.

"Yes. I'm fine. Edward?" I asked, a questioning look on my face.

"Fine. He's doing just fine," Carlisle answered.

We heard Bella scream and it seemed to go right through Charlie as well as Sue and Emily. I nudged Carlisle, thinking his reassurance would mean more than anything I could say.

"It's normal, Charlie. Delivering babies is almost always a loud affair," Carlisle told him calmly, his eyes giving away his excitement.

"Carlisle, shouldn't you get up there? She needs a doctor, and the baby . . . you need to deliver the baby!" Charlie said, beside himself now and becoming frantic.

"Calm down, Charlie. I can hear everything from here. Edward is already almost through delivering the baby. Masen is almost out," Carlisle told him. Charlie looked at Carlisle and I like we had lost our minds. An explanation . . . a reminder really, would help.

"Edward has delivered babies before, Charlie . . . although certainly not a child that was part vampire and not his own, but he is quite capable. Medical school, twice . . .remember?" Carlisle reminded him.

"But Carlisle," Charlie said and took steps toward the stairs. I was on the stairs in front of him before he realized I had moved.

"Please listen to Carlisle, Charlie. Do you really think Bella would want her father to walk in while she was giving birth? Hum?" I told him as gently as possible, cocking my head and staring at him so that he would get the message I was trying to send.

"You're right, I know you're right. It just seems wrong for Carlisle not to be up there, he has so much more experience at that sort of thing," Charlie said, turning to stare at Carlisle. Sue moved to stand by Charlie and put her arm around him to sooth him.

"You can here them from here, I mean other than my daughter screaming?" Charlie asked.

"Every word, Charlie. In fact, let me give you a play by play," Carlisle said using terms that Charlie could relate well to.

"Her respiration is fine, though her blood pressure is a little high right now, pain causes that and it will probably go down as soon as the shoulder passes out of the birth canal. Bella is lying on their bed and Edward is suctioning Masen's nose and throat and telling them both how well they are doing and that they are almost finished. Bella is quite tired and he's trying to encourage her to push, he has to get the shoulders out."

We all heard as Bella screamed again, even louder this time.

"_Edward! Oh God, Edward! I can't do this!"_

Emmet, Rose and Jake had come in while Carlisle was explaining and stood statue still, taking in what was happening. Time seemed to stand still as we all stood and waited.

"Carlisle, are you sure you shouldn't be up there with them . . . ," Charlie pleaded, but he was cut off by yet another scream from Bella and Edward's voice, loud enough for even the humans to hear,

"_Good . . . good sweetheart . . . keep pushing . . . keep pushing baby, just a little more . . . yes!" _

We waited. Nothing. More time passed . . . nothing. No baby crying. No sounds of a newborn at all. The quiet was deafening.

"Carlisle?" Charlie said quietly, his question implied.

Jake, as well as my family heard it, of course. Edward's quiet words to his wife, and hers to him.

"_We have a son, sweetheart! He's fine. You did it, Bella. _

_I never thought I would be a father, but you did it, love."_

"_He's so beautiful! He looks just like you, sweetheart. _

_I love you both so much!"_

"They have a son, Charlie. He's fine," I smiled, "Bella is telling Edward how handsome the baby is and how much he looks like his father. I'm sure they'll call us up there soon, he knows we're all here."

Charlie just shook his head, "I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to this vampire thing."

We all laughed as Sue kissed his cheek and hugged him while he turned red with all the attention focused on him.

"Well, I'm sure my daughter is going to be hungry after all this, so I'm going to make dinner for her. Anyone want to help?" I asked.

"Sure, I'm in," Sue said as we headed into the kitchen to keep ourselves busy.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I spoke normally, calling each of their names and they were beside us in a flash, obviously forcing themselves to wait till I called them in, Bella's father scrambling in the door after them with Sue and Emily.

I disappeared into the bathroom with Carlisle to tell him the details of the birth and for him to examine the afterbirth and make sure all was well. I knew he would be fascinated with the fact that the amniotic sac had to be ripped open using my teeth as did the umbilical cord, as nothing else phased it.

"You did well, son. I couldn't have done better myself. Congratulations!" Dad said as he patted me on the back. A frown crossed his face as he looked at my shoulder and arm. Venom was still leaking from it and he wanted to tend to it as soon as possible.

"Soon, Dad. Let me sit with them for just a few more minutes first and I need to get Bella an ice pack," I said running a wash cloth over my tear stained face and torso and removing Bella's necklace, placing it by the sink. I walked to my closet and pulled on some jeans, not even attempting to pull on a shirt over my arm and shoulder.

Carlisle's mind raced over everything, but he was centering on the fact that there were gouges and rips in my shoulder that had obviously been caused by teeth, and he wanted to know what happened.

"Sam," I said by way of answering him. I turned to look at him to explain,"Sam grabbed me as I ran past where he and Jacob had just finished off Victoria. He wanted Jacob to help him rip me apart and then blame it on Victoria."

"No!" Carlisle exclaimed in a quiet exhaled breath.

"Jacob refused. I read his mind as they struggled between them while Sam had me with his teeth shaking me. I didn't want to hurt him, but I was prepared to snap his neck if I needed to. Apparently Sam was using his position as the Alpha to command Jacob to help him, and the Alpha command can not be ignored," I told Carlisle as he listened intently.

"Jacob refused, assuming his rightful place as Chief of the Quilette tribe and Alpha of the pack in order to be able to command Sam to let go of me. He really is a good friend to Bella and me, Dad," I told my father.

"I'd say so, son. I knew Sam was hostile towards us, but I didn't realize he was capable of that kind of treachery. Does Emily know?" he asked.

"They all know. Emmett asked me where the teeth marks came from when we were still at the fire and I told them, though I didn't give any details. Sam ran off and I have no idea where he is or what he intends to do, only that Jacob commanded him to release me and leave me alone," I recalled, feeling thankful for Jacob's friendship even more now.

"Well, this will have to be dealt with, but right now is for you and Bella. Let me go take a look at my new grandson," Carlisle said, patting me on my unhurt shoulder as we walked back into my bedroom and watched the crowd that was gathered around my bed.

Bella was beaming as I went to the opposite side of the bed so that I could crawl over and sit beside her. Carlisle stood beside her at the edge of the bed looking at Masen.

Masen's thoughts were all over the place, but he seemed happy and comfortable, though he would need to feed soon and I started to wonder if he would nurse from Bella, or if he would be . . . thirsty.

Carlisle lifted him, cradling him in his arms and announcing that he wanted to take him into the bathroom and clean him up so that he looked more presentable for his parents. Bella looked a little uncomfortable at the loss of her baby in her arms, but she didn't object so neither did I. Carlisle and Esme headed off towards the baby's bathroom with Rose following closely, an outfit for the baby in hand.

I didn't like the idea of Masen being so far away from me, but I knew that everything they needed to bathe him was in his bathroom, not ours. My Dad wanted to check him over and make sure everything was alright. He was also curious as to just how many vampire qualities had been passed on to the baby, and there was no one I trusted more with my son.


	79. Chapter 79 Masen Charles Carlisle Cullen

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** _I want to thank everyone that has reviewed and given me their opinion and thoughts on this story. I have something to ask of you. I want each of you to tell me the answer to a question, short, long, the more detail the better, but I need to know._

**What should happen with Sam? **

_Do they kill him, does Edward? Does Jacob punish him? Is he sorry or is he hell bent on destroying the Cullen's. How does Emily react when she sees him? Do they just leave and go back to the res? Here's your chance. Someone gets to write this chapter, at least the idea for it. I have a few, but I just can't decide . . ._

_P.S. The story is not over, not by a long shot. Bella is still mortal, Tanya and Aro have not come to visit, and the twins that Alice saw in her vision . . . well, never ever bet against Alice! I have house guests coming this week, so I doubt thee will be another update till next Tuesday, but at least I'm giving you this chapter a day early!  
_

**Chapter 79 Masen Charles Carlisle Cullen**

**Rosalie POV**

Edward spoke with Masen as though he was almost an adult, like he understood what was being said to him. "Masen Charles Carlisle Cullen, I'd like you to meet your grandfather, Carlisle," he told him. It was the first time I had heard his full name.

Carlisle carefully slipped his hands under Masen and lifted the baby away from Bella. He was the first one to hold him, other than his Mom or Dad, and I was green with jealously. Rationally I knew that he needed to make sure the baby was fine medically, but emotionally I just wanted to feel that baby in my arms. I had always longed for a baby and Bella had been wonderful at making me feel a part of the whole experience since the moment in Rio that I found out she was pregnant.

Everyone nodded and commented at how much they liked the babies name. Charlie looked like he was tearing up knowing that his daughter had named her son in part after him. In what seemed like a rare display of affection, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. It was fitting that he had both his grandfather's names along with Edward's.

I thought Bella was going to come off that bed when Carlisle suggested taking Masen to his room to clean him up. You could see the fear cross her face at the idea of being away from him, but she contained it. Edward's expression was just as distraught, but he followed her lead and said nothing, allowing Carlisle, Esme and I to leave the room with Masen in Carlisle's arms.

Masen had yet to cry, and he seemed quite content for his Grandfather to be holding him. Carlisle took him to the changing area that was set up in his bathroom. He laid him on the blankets there and unwrapped the blanket he was swaddled in, exposing him to our view. It seemed as though the baby was studying us just as intently as we were studying him.

He was tiny, just under seven pounds, and perfect to look at in every way. Perfect.

"Is he alright, Carlisle?" Esme asked, standing beside him and observing him poking and prodding here and there. She looked at the small nub that was left of the umbilical cord at his navel. "How will that fall off on him, Carlisle, if his skin is like ours? Didn't Edward have to bite through it?"

"Yes, he did. I have no idea how it will work. There are a great many things that we will just have to wait and see about on this young man, aren't there Masen?" Carlisle said, directing his question towards the baby. Masen stared intently at Carlisle, appearing to examine him as well.

"He appears to be absolutely fine, Petal He has a heartbeat as you can hear, and blood runs through his veins, though it seems to be a mixture of blood and venom. His heart rate is slower than normal, as though he really doesn't need the blood as much as a normal human would, and his skin is almost as hard as ours. His body temperature seems to be cooling off and I think it will be something less than a normal humans. I can't tell his eye color yet, they appear to be black right now . . . fascinating," he mumbled, "I think his eyes will change colors like ours do, reflecting hunger and emotion."

"His little fingers are long and slender, like Edward's," Carlisle said, "and his hair . . ."

"He has that same copper top of hair as Edward has, only a touch darker and curly!" I exclaimed as Esme rinsed the shampoo off his head.

Masen smiled, showing off his teeth to us for the first time as the warm water washed over him.

"He is just gorgeous," I said, unable to contain myself any longer.

"Ten fingers and ten toes have never looked so very perfect to me before," Carlisle mused as he held him up so that Esme could dry him. She took him in a towel, wrapping it around him and handing him to me. To me. I got to hold him. I touched the back of his knuckles that were grasping the edge of the towel. His skin was hard, yet so smooth . . . just like ours. He turned his hand over and his tiny fingers wrapped around my finger, and it was love at first sight. Aunt Rose would officially do anything for this little one . . . anything.

"Well, now that you've determined what we already knew . . . that he is perfect in every way, you can go and take care of my son. Edward's shoulder needs tending, Carlisle. I took bandages out in the kitchen, hoping he would let me take care of it but it would be better for you to have a look at it. It's bad. I know that the damage from teeth will heal, but the burns . . . I'm worried about the part of his arm that was burned. I don't know how he's using it, how he managed to deliver the baby with it like that. I couldn't see just how bad when I wrapped it at the fire, but I've had glimpses of it now and it's going to need some care to ever heal properly," Esme told him worriedly.

"Alright, Petal. I can see that I'm not wanted here, anyway," he teased. "You ladies need to play with the baby. Don't be too long, though. Bella was hesitant to let me take him at all and Edward only allowed it because she said nothing," Carlisle cautioned, leaving to go tend to Edward.

Alice met us in Masen's room as we came out of the ensuite. She was bubbling and bouncing up and down in typical Alice form having laid out the softest one piece sleeper in a powder blue. I looked at her in surprise, "Alice? No designer outfit, no little shirts and jackets with shoes and socks?"

"Please. Rose, don't be ridiculous. Of course he's not wearing a jacket and shoes, he's just born and he hasn't ever worn clothes before. I want him in something so soft and comfortable that he will like wearing them," Alice insisted, " . . .and it is a Louis Vuitton." We both laughed, it was just so Alice!

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"You sure you're okay, Bells?" Charlie asked as he gingerly sat on the bed beside her with Jake, Sue, Emily, Emmett and Jasper looking on.

"Fine, Dad. I'm fine now," she said squeezing my hand and pausing a moment to stare at me. I saw the slight wince that cross her face and excused myself to get her an ice pack, returning before they had realized I was gone, really.

Charlie looked at me, stunned to see the icepack in my hand so quickly, but Bella took it all in stride like she always did. I raised the covers on the side of the bed where I had been sitting opposite where everyone was standing and slipped the ice pack between her legs, pressing it against the stitches I had given her and feeling to see if the towel was soaked through yet. She was fine for now, and I tucked her covers around her, noticing the surprised look on Charlie's face out of the corner of my eye. I guess he was just not prepared to see me touching her so intimately, even though it had all been hidden by the covers.

"Don't worry Dad," Bella told Charlie, "Edward is just being my doctor right now, that's all. He knew that I was starting to get uncomfortable and needed ice for my stitches." Jacob chuckled as Charlie looked from Bella to me and back to Bella.

"Well, this Dr. Cullen is about to insist that my son let me tend to his arm," Carlisle declared as he walked into the room. "Once I examined Masen and found him to be absolutely perfect," he said, his eyes twinkling as he stared purposefully at Bella, "the ladies threw me out. They're finishing up his bath and dressing him."

"Dad, I don't want to leave Bella right now," I almost whined.

"Son, when do you ever want to leave her?" he smirked, but continued to insist, "You need to let me tend to you, you're hurt."

"Carlisle, can you do it in here with him sitting with me?" Bella asked, squeezing my hand.

My Dad's eyes softened, "Of course. I'll be right back."

He returned with supplies both from the bathroom and the kitchen and placed them on the night side table, noticing the large stainless steel syringe that laid there still.

"My venom," I said, by way of answering his unspoken question. He looked at me, wanting to know for sure that he had heard me right.

"The syringe is full of my venom, Carlisle. If something had gone wrong, if there had been a problem and she was not going to make it, I was prepared to change her," I told him.

Jacob's eyes went wide.

"Change her?" Charlie questioned, his mind showing that he had no clue what I was talking about.

"Yes, Charlie. If Bella was not going to survive the birth, I was prepared to change her into a vampire to keep from loosing her. Vampire venom can heal almost anything."

Charlie was stunned. He did not say or think a single thing, he just stared first at me, then at Bella and back to me. Jacob's mind was not so quiet. He had known, deep down somewhere, he had known I would save her that way if I needed to, but having it confirmed was hard for him.

"Well, if you don't mind, it will come in quite handy right now, son," Carlisle exclaimed. I moved to sit on the other side of the bed where he was now standing. He removed the bandages that Esme and Alice had put on my arm, revealing burnt pieces and oozing whitish areas. The normal skin covering was completely gone in places and the large tears that the wolf's teeth had left were starting to heal, but they still looked somewhat nasty and menacing as they showed where he had clamped down across my shoulder and onto my chest.

Sue turned her head and Charlie grimaced a little as the whole thing was laid open to view. Emily quickly ran out of the room, not wanting to be seen dealing with the emotion she felt for what Sam had done.

"That's fucking gnarly, bro. I bet that hurts like a mother!" Emmett exclaimed when he saw it.

Alice and Jasper had arrived moments before, Alice going immediately to supervise Masen's outfit while Jasper came to check on me. He had silently entered the room and stood, agreeing with Emmett. There was another emotion showing on his face . . . anger. Rage was more descriptive of what he was feeling. He had every intention of ending Sam before the day was over for doing this to me.

Bella reached to hold my other hand while Carlisle debrided the burns, placing the discarded pieces in the tray I had used for the surgical utensils and cleaning the arm and bite area. He used the syringe to coat the arm with venom, washing it over all the burned areas as well as the bites. It helped the bite marks immediately, the burns would take a bit longer to right themselves.

It had been the longest three days of my existence, and neither of us had come through it unscathed . . . but we had come through it.

Carlisle finished washing the last of the venom over the teeth marks and bandaged the area probably more to keep Bella from wincing at it than to actually help it heal. She was obviously having a very difficult time seeing me injured, and I understood. It killed me to see anything wrong with her. She ran her thumb over the back of my hand and continued to squeeze it the entire time Carlisle was tending to me.

"I think that's about it, son. I need to coat it in venom again in the morning, but I think it will heal relatively well, though you'll always have some scarring," Carlisle told me.

"Thank you, Dad," I said moving to stand. I know that Bella wanted to see each and every one of the people in the room, and they wanted to see her, to know that she was really safe and alright . . . but I needed to tend to my wife.

"Could you all excuse us for just a minute, please," I asked.

"I'll go and get you some food, Bella," Sue said, "Esme was making dinner for you, she thought you'd be hungry after all this excitement."

"Thank you, Sue. I am pretty hungry," Bella admitted.

I walked around to the side of the bed nearest where Bella was sitting, my brothers having said their goodbyes and told Bella they'd be back in just a little while. They had a hard time dealing with the thick smell of blood in the room and had needed to leave anyway. Charlie continued to sit stubbornly beside his daughter.

"Charlie, I need to change the padding under her and check on her stitches. You probably don't want to stay, but . . ."

Charlie cut me off, "Yes, well, shouldn't Esme or some one do that, Edward?"

"Dad! Edward just delivered our son. He stitched me up himself, and I can promise you he's seen more of me than . . ."

"Alright, shhhhhh! I get the picture," Charlie said, rising quickly to his feet and averting his eyes, "I'll be downstairs. Call me when you, er well, when you finish . . . okay?"

"You'll be the first one I call, Charlie," I said, amused at both of them.

I sat on the edge of the bed and kissed my wife. Really kissed her. It had been so long since we had shared a quiet moment without an impending crisis and she was here, really here and safe.

"I love you, sweetheart," I said against her lips as I held her, kissing down her jaw to her neck, inhaling the warm scent of her.

"I love you, Edward. I was so scared I would never see you again, that Masen might not make it, Edward. I have never been so afraid in my life," she said, clinging to me and tears streaming down her face, "I just love you so much more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone . . ."

"Well, you are here, and you're fine, love," I told her, kissing her again, "better than fine."

"I need to use the restroom," she told me shyly, and I threw back the covers and helped her to put her legs off the edge of the bed and slide down so that she was standing, holding on to me. I walked her slowly into the bathroom, and left her sitting on the toilet while I took care of the bed. I needed to get her some pads. Carlisle nor I had thought of it because we had never even considered a vaginal birth. She needed them now, though, as she was bleeding through the towels I had her sitting on and blood was never a good thing around vampires. I replaced them quickly and freshened up her pillows before I helped her back to the bed.

"Sweetheart, I need to press on your belly, well on your uterus for a minute. I'm sorry, it won't be comfortable, but it's important," I told her as I felt her abdomen. She winced and grabbed at the sheets, and it killed me to know that I was hurting her, but it was necessary to help the bleeding to stop.

"Edward, will I be able to nurse Masen, breast feed him I mean?" she asked as I covered her.

"Do you want to, love?" I asked.

"I would like to try, I mean . . . well . . . if he's part vampire, will it have a huge effect on him like it does you?" Her eyes were wide with the weight of the question she was asking.

"Well, I hardly think it will have the same effect on him that it does on me," I smirked, watching that gorgeous blush cover her face and drift down towards her chest. I tried to hide it, but I'm sure the furrowed brow gave me away.

"Edward?"

"Bella, I think Masen is venomous. I tasted it in his blood when I bit the umbilical cord. It's probably too dangerous for you to try and nurse him. He's amazingly intelligent, but he is just a baby. Any quick movement, a flinch, anything at all really and his teeth could cut you so quickly. I think, Bella, given your . . . cravings, that he might be . . . thirsty."

I was afraid of the reaction my wife would have, hearing that her newborn infant might want to drink blood, and I felt completely guilty that I might have passed that trait on to him. She didn't bat an eye, surprising me as she did at every turn.

"Alright," she said, not batting an eye, "I'll make him bottles of each, milk and blood and see which one or both he needs. Maybe when it's quiet and you're with me we can try letting him nurse from me. I just want to try."

"That's what we'll do then, love," I said, relief washing over me. She accepted the vampire portion of me completely, and she obviously felt the same way about our child. "Let me go get you another ice pack. Sue is heading up here with food, and Alice, Rose and Esme will be returning our son to us shortly," I told her.

I went to the kitchen, finding Carlisle there putting away some of the first aid supplies and assessing what he needed for my arm, as well as for Bella. He had realized, as I had, that we had none of the necessary feminine products that Bella would need.

"I'm going to go to the hospital and the pharmacy, Edward. Bella might need something for pain, and she needs some feminine items as well. I won't be gone long, besides, the folks at the hospital will think I'm checking up on how well my interns are handling the emergency and that's a good thing," Carlisle smiled.

"Thanks, Dad. Thanks for everything," I said, staring into the face of the man I admired most.

"Edward, I'm just so sorry you couldn't reach me when they took her. If I had . . ."

"Dad. Victoria would probably have killed her on the spot if we had confronted her. Everything is alright. I know you're there for me . . . for us, Dad. I love you," I said as I hugged him. I waited till I caught his eyes with mine before I spoke the next words to him. "I want you to know . . . I'm glad you changed me. Carlisle, if you hadn't changed me when you did all those years ago, I would have never met her. I would never have lived long enough for her to be born, and we were meant to be together. Thank you for that." For the first time in my life, I truly believe that if Carlisle could, he would have been shedding tears.

As he started to leave for the hospital, he considered taking some of the blood we had stored in the refrigerator back to the hospital. I interrupted his thoughts, "Carlisle. I'm not sure, but I think Masen may be . . . thirsty. Perhaps you should leave some of the blood, just till we see what he will want . . . or need."

I ran back upstairs with the ice pack, getting Bella situated just as Rosalie walked in carrying our son.

Our son. I was a father. I was a hundred and ten, and completely sure that I was entirely too young to be a father. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Sure, I knew the medical side, what the text books said would happen with Bella's body and her emotions. I knew the physical needs of a child, well . . . a human child. I had no idea about Masen and I was tremendously grateful that he was able to communicate with me because, to some extent, he could tell me what he needed. All I could do was love him and my wife more than anything else in the world, and try. I would try and meet their needs, try to be there for them . . . try to be the best husband and father that I was capable of being.

Masen looked entirely different now as Rose placed him into Bella's arms. He had my thick head of untameable hair, just slightly darker and slightly curly. His skin was porcelain, just like mine though it had a somewhat different sheen to it and it seemed softer . . . of course that could just be because he was a baby. His skin was flawless and his eyelashes long and dark stretching out from his bright eyes. I had hoped he would have the beautiful heart shaped face that Bella had, but I stared into the eyes of a creature that looked, for all intents and purposes, just like me. It was as though I had cloned myself and added a tinge of Bella to the mix.

I wanted to see brown eyes looking at me, but they were black. He was hungry. I placed my pinkie in his mouth and he immediately started sucking on it without trying to bite. I pressed the tip of my finger against his teeth, however, and they cut my finger. Human teeth didn't have a prayer of doing that.

"He's hungry, Edward. I need to feed him," Bella said, looking at me for an answer.

"Sweetheart, his teeth are vampire," I said showing her what they did to the end of my finger, "and though we can tell him not to bite, and he can try not to bite, he has venom . . . just like I do."

"Then it's decided. I'll make him bottles like we discussed, sweetheart. I bought a breast pump as well, just in case. It's in his closet."

"I'll get it for you," Rose said. It was as good a reason as any to leave the room. None of my family, other than myself and Carlisle would be able to stay near Bella for long until the bleeding subsided.

Esme brought soup up to Bella and insisted she eat it, "I'll hold Masen for a bit, you eat. You need the liquids to replace the blood loss as well as to make milk for the baby, Bella." My Mother gathered the baby in her arms. Masen was only an hour or two old, so he wasn't in need of feeding right away and was perfectly content to stare at his grandmother and be played with by his aunts and uncles, not to mention both grandfathers. She headed out of our room and downstairs with him and I could hear them all downstairs making silly noises at him and commenting on just how beautiful he really was and how thankful they were that everything had turned out well.

Rosalie returned with the breast pump and I watched, fascinated as Bella seemed to know exactly what to do with it and in minutes had a small amount of liquid emptying into the attached bottle.

Carlisle returned from the hospital and brought the supplies to our room, leaving them in the bathroom. He came out and sat at the foot of the bed, neither of us embarrassed to be witnessing Bella expressing milk. Of course, she was pretty well covered now that Dad was here anyway. He held out a small plastic object that looked like a small funnel announcing that it was a nipple shield. Apparently human women sometimes used them when their babies had the habit of biting.

"It won't stop vampire teeth by a long shot, but it might help him to remember not to bite. I thought you might be interested in trying these," he said, leaving a box of them on the night stand. "Have you discussed how you plan to feed the baby?"

"I wanted to nurse him, Carlisle, but Edward said his teeth were like his Dad's and that it was too dangerous, so I was making him a bottle. And we weren't sure whether or not he might be . . . you know. Whether he might want to follow your diet."

"So you're not sure whether or not the baby will drink blood. Is that it?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes. I made him a bottle of what you had in the refrigerator, but Bella wanted to make him a bottle of breast milk. What should we do?" I asked as Bella finished pumping and put a nipple on the ounce that she had gotten out for him.

"Try the mother's milk first," Carlisle encouraged Bella, pointing to the bottle she had just expressed for him.

Neither of us had any idea if this would work, but it made sense that the milk his Mom had for him wouldn't hurt him at the very least . . . and maybe it would be just what he needed, despite the vampire in him.

"Esme, we need Masen," I said as though she were in the room with us, and she appeared at the door with the baby.

Bella took him, cradling him in her arms and talking to him. She looked up timidly at me as she gave him the nipple. He sucked greedily, making his Mom, Dad and grandfather smile as they watched him. We had Masen safely out with us, and maybe, just maybe we could do this . . .


	80. Chapter 80  Breastfed

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I know that I said there would be no update till Tuesday but, like Christmas, once I have something I can never wait to give it to the person it's for (forgive me if Tuesday's chapter is late). Besides, everyone needs a little lemon for the weekend, huh? Yes, I know, she just had the baby, but this is fiction and you know how Edward and Bella are!

**Chapter 80 Breastfed**

_Bella took him, cradling him in her arms and talking to him as she gave him the nipple. He sucked greedily, making his Mom, Dad, and grandfather smile as they watched him._

**EPOV**

"Well, he definitely likes home brew," Emmett commented, watching from the door and listening to the somewhat loud sucking noises coming from Masen. "Edward, could we see you down stairs for a minute?" my brother asked. I didn't want to leave my wife or baby.

"Why, Emmett? Can't it wait?" I asked, "Masen is having his first bottle."

"No. I don't have to be a doctor to know you're loosing too many fluids and you haven't hunted in a week. You're eyes are blacker now than they were when you went months without feeding. You can come downstairs with me nicely, or Jasper and I will carry you. You don't want us to make a scene in front of the baby do you? Jake has a present for you out back and you should be more polite when people give you things," Emmett declared. He said it in jest, a smile in the corner of his mouth and his eyes twinkling, but his mind told me he was absolutely serious.

Bella laughed at me as my son cut his eyes over to me, continuing to suck his bottle of milk.

"Fine, fine," I said as I followed him out the door, "Now I'm outnumbered." Even Carlisle snickering at me as I left. I heard he and Bella discussing how stubborn I was as I headed out the kitchen door with Emmett. Just beyond the patio, I saw what my brothers had in mind for me. Jake was in wolf form, a deer held by the neck in his teeth.

"I brought dinner, bloodsucker. I thought you'd better have yours first before I ate," he shouted at me with his thoughts. His thoughts went further though, as did those of my brothers. I was loosing so much venom from my burned arm that I had become fairly weak. I really did need to feed if I wanted the arm to be able to repair itself and hunting would have been difficult. I bit into the neck of the animal, draining it in minutes and dropping it in front of Jake.

"Thanks guys. Really. Thank you. I needed that more than I thought."

"Hell yea you did. That arm is worse than you think big brother, it's draining you and if what Alice saw was . . ."

"Emmett!" Jasper cut him off, "Let Edward get back upstairs and take care of Bella. We can discuss his hunting with us tomorrow."

Okay, they were trying to block me. Maybe it was something about Sam or whatever, I didn't care. I just needed to be with Bella, to know that she really was alright.

"Feel free to actually get some sleep with your wife tonight, brother. We're both watching your house for you tonight," Jasper added. Jacob's thoughts told me that he too would be outside making sure all stayed quiet.

I walked back in, Charlie, Sue and Emily were gathered in the living room watching TV with Alice and Rose and talking about Masen. Charlie looked up when I walked in. "You mind if I go say good night to my daughter, Edward?" he asked.

"No, Charlie, by all means, say goodnight to her. She needs to rest and sleep, but I know she wants to see all of you. She's giving the baby a bottle," I told him. I didn't have to say it twice. The man was taking on vampire traits he was up those stairs so fast with Sue right behind him.

Emily walked over to me, her distress apparent. "Edward, I just don't know what to say. I am so very sorry for what Sam did, sorry that you got hurt," she said, her eyes meeting mine.

"It wasn't you, Emily," I told her, by way of comforting her.

"It was the man I love, Edward. That speaks volumes about me. I'm not sure what happens from here, but I just want you to know how glad I am that you and Bella are safe, and how sorry I am that Sam tried to hurt you," she insisted.

"Thank you, Emily. We'll talk tomorrow. Tonight, I need to be with Bella. I'm sure you understand," I told her as I headed up the stairs.

Masen was showing no signs of getting sleepy, and I watched as my wife sat there holding him wilting in front of me, she was so exhausted. "Esme, Rose and Alice asked if they could watch Masen tonight and try feeding him as though he were thirsty. What do you think?" Bella asked me.

I looked to Carlisle and he nodded in agreement, "I think it would be worth a try. He is your son, Edward, and Bella did have those cravings while she was carrying him," he remembered. I listened to Masen for a few moments and knew that he was indeed thirsty, and that bottle feeding during the night would be a good thing for my Mom and sisters to take care of.

I leaned in to kiss Masen's forehead before my Mom took him for the evening. I stopped short. Masen was staring up at me with the most blinding smile, and green eyes. "Bella!" I exclaimed, "Look!"

"Edward! They're not black anymore. They're so beautiful! Didn't you have green eyes as a human, sweetheart?" she asked, her beautiful chocolate eyes staring at me.

"He did. His eyes were just that shade of green, Bella. I remember them clearly because they were just like his mother's," Carlisle shared.

"Well they are just gorgeous, I think we can all agree to that! I wonder if his . . . feeding will change them?" Esme queried.

"I guess you'll be the first to know. Thank you, Mom, for taking him for the night. I would normally never have him away from one of us while he is this little," I said, "but Bella needs a full night's sleep to recover from this a little bit and if the truth be known, I'm kind of spent myself. I know we're never supposed to tire, but I feel incredibly tired and drained."

"Finally he admits it! You are not totally invincible, brother!" Alice laughed, "Get some sleep, we'll be back in the morning," she said as she flitted out of the room with Masen in her arms.

"Well, Bells. Glad to have you back, real glad," Charlie stammered, "See you in the morning baby girl. Edward." He kissed Bella on the head, nodded to me, and followed Alice and the baby out the door followed by everyone else as they congratulated us and told us how glad they were to have us home and safe and to have the baby safe.

I got up and closed the door behind them and moved to hold my wife in my arms. I took the pumping apparatus from beside her in our bed and sat it on the floor as I moved to sit beside her. I watched her wince as I messaged the top of her uterus, explaining to her that the uterus needed to continue contracting, however uncomfortable it was to her, so that it went back to its original size and expelled all the blood, etc. She mentioned that it had cramped and hurt while she was pumping and I told her that was normal, that it would do that every time Masen nursed, but that as the swelling and sensitivity went away, she would stop noticing it. I told her it was a good thing and to consider the good it was doing her, instead of hating it if she could.

I showered quickly, not wanting anything not squeaky clean to be near her, including me. I adjusted her pillows and slid her down in bed before getting in on my side and snaking my arm under her pillow. She molded herself to me and was asleep in minutes, her warm breath and even heartbeats a balm to sooth anything that was wrong with me. I changed her pad and the linens under her several times during the night without waking her, my touch never seeming to disturb her. The bleeding was lessening significantly and for that I was grateful. I awoke early the next morning, my wife's hand stroking me intimately as she curled tightly against me.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I said as I kissed her lips and hugged her to me.

"It wasn't a dream," she said.

"What wasn't a dream?" I asked, moving her hair out of her face.

"That we had a baby and he's fine. That you and I have a son."

"No, Bella. That was a dream come true. I hear him downstairs. He's sleeping, love. Why don't you let me get you something to drink and you can go back to sleep for a few more hours," I offered.

"No. I don't want a drink. I think I need to express some milk, you know, so that thing happens and helps my belly to get smaller again," she suggested.

"I'll get the pump for you, sweetheart."

She kept her arm over me, gripping me to her. "Not to be to drippy sentimental about this . . . but I thought I'd never get to be here, in bed with you again, Edward. I love you so much, and I missed you so badly," her voice drifted off as though she were contemplating something.

"I want you."

I stared at her.

"God, Bella, I want you too, so badly sweetheart, but you just gave birth to our son. We can't make love for a month or so. I know we never discussed it because we never thought he would be delivered normally. You have stitches, and we have to wait for your body to recover from the birth," I explained as I held her to me and kissed her again.

"I know all that, Edward. What I want is for you to help with my recovery," she snickered as she traced kisses along my jaw, her tongue licking my bottom lip and tangling with mine as she kissed me passionately.

I pulled back and looked into her gorgeous brown eyes filled with emotion. She put her hands on either side of my face, telling me she loved me and gently pulling my mouth toward her exposed breast.

"Bella!"

"Sweetheart, please."

"Bella, I can't. We can't."

"Edward, if I can't make love with you, I at least want to feel you close and know the passion you feel for me. Besides, consider it helping me to cause those contractions you say are so beneficial. If the baby nursing will cause it then you . . ."

She didn't have to explain any further. I gently rolled her to her back and pulled her gown over her head, stroking her cheek and kissing her lips, her chin, her throat. I ran my hand over her belly where my baby had been and finally, I allowed my lips to kiss one of her breasts as my hand held the other. She moaned beside me. She knew what that would do to me . . . and she moaned. I might be a father now, but I was still a vampire, not to mention a horny seventeen year old, and she knew which things I would find impossible to resist. I took her nipple gently into my mouth, her body arching against me as I sucked gently. It took little effort to obtain the thick substance she was now producing.

I resisted the urge to pin her down, to insure she could not move or escape from me. This was my wife, not my prey and I would not treat her that way. The rest of my reaction, however, was not controllable. My length responded immediately, and I came continually as I nursed from my wife, thrusting again and again against her leg as I lay beside her. I felt her wince and I forced myself to draw back to look at her.

"It's alright. I promise, Edward, I'm fine. The contractions this causes are just more intense somehow when it's you. Please, please don't stop. Your skin feels so good against mine."

I moved my body to cover hers, wanting her to feel some portion of as good as this made me feel. The baby was no longer in the way as I laid fully on top of my wife for the first time in weeks caressing her face, her hips, any part of her I could reach as I latched onto the other breast. This was different than the other times, this time there was actually a considerable amount of fluid that I was receiving from her, and I swallowed the warm sweet liquid greedily as my orgasms continued to wrack my body and mold my form to hers.

It was a ridiculous thing to do. She had given birth not 12 hours ago, but she wanted this and if the truth be told, I needed this . . . and she knew it, God love her somehow she knew. She held me tenderly, lovingly stroking my hair, my shoulders and back and weaving her fingers into the hair at the nape if my neck.

I forced myself to let go of her breast and gently rolled onto my back, pulling her onto her side with me. She snuggled in close and positioned her leg over me, my cool skin seeming to feel good against her stomach and thighs, not to mention her overheated core that she was pressing against me. It was going to be a very long month. There was nothing I could do to make her feel closer, sexually, and no way to let her enjoy an orgasm at this point. Her body was too spent and just simply too sore. If there was anything I could do, holding her, kissing and stroking her, or even what we had just done, I would be there for her. I wanted her to know just how loved she really was.

**BPOV**

He was asleep when Esme brought my breakfast to me. I heard her at the door, trying not to disturb us and I rolled away from Edward, making sure he was covered and sat up in bed, slipping my nightgown oer my head.

She brought the bed tray over with all my favorite breakfast foods from crispy bacon to oatmeal with fruit and eggs and pancakes in between, but she couldn't stop staring at Edward.

"Sit with me," I gestured her to sit on the side of the bed, "How's Masen?"

Her eyes focused on me again, leaving Edward for the first time and she answered, "He is just wonderful. Bright and alert but more than willing to sleep soundly for a few hours at a time between feedings."

"He wanted the blood then?" I asked her.

"He seemed to," she answered, though her attention was elsewhere.

"Esme, what's wrong?" I asked as I sipped my orange juice.

"Edward. I'm sorry dear," she said as she shook her head as though to clear it for another look, "I have been with him for over 80 years now, and I have just never seen him sleep."

I looked over at his boyish face, serene and happy. He looked as though he didn't have a care in the world.

"You did this for him, Bella. You brought him that peace that you see on his face. He has been unhappy with what he is and brooding for almost a hundred years . . . until now. You are so good for him, Bella, and I am just so thankful for you in his life . . . in all our lives, dear," she said as she gently gripped my leg to emphasize her words.

"Esme, you have all been so nice about accommodating my needs. I love being a part of your family. Thank you," I told her, "thank you for everything."

"Just looking at my son lying there content . . . sleeping for heavens sake. Bella, it's nothing short of a miracle," Esme said, her tears could be heard in her voice.

Edward rolled towards me, his arm narrowly missing the tray of food as he snuggled close to me, his face finding pillow where my shoulder should have been with me now propped up to eat. He opened his eyes and stretched, only just seeming to be aware of Esme's presence.

"Morning, Mom," he said as he scooted up in bed so that he could reach to kiss me, then resting his head on me just above where the tray sat.

"I'm glad to see you eating, love," he told me groggily.

"Well, I never actually understood till now. Edward, you actually sleep!" she exclaimed.

"Yea, I do," he told her matter of factly, "but only when Bella is with me, and usually only after . . ."

"Edward!" Esme interrupted him, "You didn't! For heaven's sake son, she just had a baby and you've had medical training. You know better and you can't expect her to . . ."

Edward just lay still and looked at his Mom, his face covered in a huge grin.

"Esme, it's alright," I interrupted, attempting to stop her tirade and realizing I was going to have to embarrass her to get her to listen. Edward lay still, an amused look on his face.

"Esme! Yes, he sleeps sometimes after we have sex, but he also sleeps even better after he consumes fluids from me."

She gasped.

"No, no. I don't mean blood, Esme," I quickly corrected her thinking.

"Mom. If I nurse from Bella, like Masen will, it has this effect on me," he said, waiting for her reaction. He was nothing if not a tease.

"Edward, really! I've never heard of such a thing! That's for the baby, not for you!" she gasped, shock showing across her face.

"Mom, ask Carlisle. I've discussed this with him, and you will be more comfortable with him explaining it, I promise you," Edward continued to tease her, "But I'll explain if you really want me to," I looked at him, horrified.

"Then explain, son. I'm your Mom and there should be nothing we can't talk about," Esme encouraged. Edward raised his head and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I noticed the edge of his lips turning up into a smile, and I couldn't help myself. "Go ahead. Tell her, Edward. I couldn't be more embarrassed than I have been the last day or so anyway," I told him, my face heating as I spoke.

Edward laughed the most beautiful laugh. It was wonderful to hear something so lighthearted coming from him after all we had been through together. If he enjoyed telling her this, I was all for it.

"Mom. When ever I have fluids from Bella, blood from her period or secretions from her breasts, I um . . . I pin her down like she was prey and I come continually for however long I'm drinking. It has lasted the better part of an hour before," he smirked, "though I resisted pinning her down this morning because I was afraid I would hurt her."

"Oh my God, Edward. Well. I see. I never heard of such a thing, but leave it to you two," she laughed. "I guess even a vampire would need to sleep after, well . . . after, you know, expending that kind of energy for that long. You had better go out and hunt today. You need all your venom to get that arm well, and it sounds as though you used a lot of it young man!"

Edward laughed, the sound I loved to hear most in the world as he answered her with a simple, "Yes, Mom."

I finished my breakfast with a promise from Edward that he would hunt today, what a relief. After what had had happened this week, I was afraid it would be difficult to convince him to leave me, even long enough to feed himself. He was weak this morning, though he tried to hide it from me. When he got up to move the breakfast tray for me and take it downstairs, the reason for his weakness became apparent. When I moved the pillow that he had kept his shoulder and arm somewhat hidden under all night while he held me, I saw that the sheets, linens and the pillow itself were soaked through with the fluid that was oozing from his arm. I was scared. I knew that fire was the one thing that would destroy my husband, but I didn't understand the effect that this massive burn was having. Didn't venom heal things? Weren't vampire's bodies supposed to repair themselves? He was just starting to relax somewhat after the kidnapping, then Masen's birth and I didn't want to change the mood he had been in when he laughed so freely with Esme this morning. I would talk to Carlisle, I knew he would be by sometime today and probably several times to check on Masen.

"Look who I found downstairs," Edward said as he walked in holding our son. He was so gorgeous, well, both of them. Edward's face was so full of joy and absolute love for the baby he held that it took my breath away. I had gone to the restroom while he had taken my tray downstairs and cleaned up a bit, placing towels over the wetness from his arm that was on the bed and straightening things up a bit from where we had been sleeping, though I didn't really make the bed. I knew we were probably going to lounge on it all day. He walked over and sat beside me as I watched them. They were my whole world now.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I cooed to Masen as he smiled brilliantly back at me. He seemed to have grown overnight, his features more defined and shaped after being squished during his birth. He was beautiful, thick mahogany colored hair that seemed to have copper in every strand as it curled around his square little face. I lifted the tee shirt I had put on, exposing one of my breasts and placed one of the nipple shields over my nipple. The panic that crossed Edward's face did not go unnoticed, but he said nothing as he handed me our son.

"Masen, you must remember not to bite your Mom. It's very important, son, or she won't be able to fed you this way, do you understand?" Edward asked him as though he expected an answer. Surprisingly, Masen looked back at him as though he had answered him, his eyes dark with what I could only guess was hunger. He turned his head to me and started rooting and sucking, trying to find my nipple to feed from. My poor husband sat there, strained with tension as he was probably poised to grab the baby if there was any indication in his mind that Masen would bite me. His small hand grabbed a fist full of breast as he latched on and I cried out, scaring the hell out of Edward as he tried to assess what had happened.

I loosened his grip using my other hand, a bruise already starting to form where his strong little fingers had pinched the flesh tightly on the tender skin of my breast. "No, Masen," I told him as I held his hand away from contact with my chest. He looked up at me with the most remorseful look, I would have sworn he was telling me he was sorry. Edward confirmed that, indeed he was saying he was sorry he hurt me as I looked with amazement at my child. How had this happened? How in the world was the baby this intelligent at this early age? I thought newborns weren't even supposed to be able to see a foot or two in front of them, focused that is, but this baby looked at me as though he could count my eyelashes with ease. Though I was used to the uncanny suction that Edward had, no doubt the vampire part of him coming into play, the baby's ability to suck was almost greater. After only a couple of minutes, I had to change sides. It felt like he was sucking my toes up through my nipples he was sucking so hard.

Did I mention the smacking? Masen's t_able manners_ left something to be desired, as I was certain the entire house heard him suckling and slurping his way through his meal.

"I think he is enjoying that almost as much as I do, love," Edward whispered in my ear, causing me to blush.

"Well, it's a totally different feeling when you do it. It makes me feel completely different than feeding our son."

"I certainly hope so," he said as he nuzzled my neck and kissed my jaw. I had the feeling that Edward needed to be close to me, not exactly being comfortable with sharing me . . . even with his son. I took my free hand and wound it into the hair I loved at the nape of his neck and kissed his lips, repeatedly until Masen put a hand on Edward's chest and pushed him away, eliciting a huge laugh from my husband.

"Well, little man, if I'm going to share her with you, you'll have to share her with me as well."

I had done it! Masen had nursed and not even bitten the breast shield. He was staring up at us with the most content expression, his eyes an emerald green with just a tinge of burgundy around the outer rims, no doubt from his meals during the night. I didn't have much milk yet, it supposedly took a day or two to _let down, _but Masen had seemed to enjoy himself none the less.

"Eddie! Breakfast!" I heard Emmett call from downstairs. Edward rolled his eyes and sighed, "he knows I hate it when he calls me that."

"They're worried about you. Edward, I saw where your arm was last night . . . under my pillow. You are loosing a lot of fluid, sweetheart. If they've brought you breakfast, please go and drink . . . please?" I urged him.

"Good morning!" Carlisle called from our doorway. "How's my grandson this morning?"

"Sleeping," I replied, "Waiting for his father to go and have his breakfast, since Masen and I have both had ours."

"Fine. Fine. I'm going," Edward said, grabbing a long sleeve tee shirt from his dresser and going to the bathroom to change, no doubt to keep me from seeing his arm. Edward left as Carlisle deposited some things in our bathroom and came to sit by the bed in the rocking chair that Rose had brought in from the nursery.

"So, how's young master Cullen this morning?" he asked, knowing full well the answer to his question.

"He is full, content and asleep, Grandpa," I answered with a smile, "Have you had a chance to check on Bree?"

"Yes, dear. She's doing just fine. It was touch and go there for awhile though, she's lucky you brought her to the hospital when you did yesterday," he told me. I was thankful that she would recover, but something else was on my mind right now. Carlisle spent a good bit of time examining Masen from head to toe and taking measurements of everything. The baby could not care less and slept soundly in spite of his arms and legs being lifted, his head being measured and his umbilical cord being checked.

"Carlisle, I know Masen is a big concern and we need to monitor him and everyone is fussing over me, of course, but I'm worried about Edward." Carlisle's eyes wouldn't meet mine as he continued to stare at the sleeping baby. I put my legs over the side of the bed and scooted away from the headboard, moving the pillow to show my father in law how bad Edward's arm was loosing liquid. I just stared at him, waiting for a response.

"I know, Bella. There are more wet dressings in the trash downstairs. I don't think he wanted us to see them. Bella . . . it's rare for a vampire to be burned, especially badly," he chuckled, "We tend to avoid fire at all costs, as you can imagine. A severed limb will reattach with almost no trace of it ever having been apart, a cut will heal instantly. A severed head can usually be reattached with no ill effect, but this burn . . . well, it's just not healing yet. The surface cells apparently play a key role in our ability to heal, and most of his on that arm have been burned away. I'm concerned that he may loose the arm."

"Carlisle, no!"

"Dad. Stop scaring her, " Edward scoffed as he returned to sit beside me, his eyes a slightly lighter shade but no where near the golden color I was used to.

"Edward, it's serious, son. You know that. It should have healed during the night, yet it's still leaking and I saw all the discarded bandages, son." Edward just looked at the baby and said nothing. Apparently Masen was a good prop to avoid talking or looking people in the eye. I reached out and placed Masen in the middle of our kind sized bed and stood, taking Edward's hand.

"Both of you come with me," I said heading into our bathroom where I had seen Carlisle place supplies. I flipped on all the bright lights so that I could see clearly as well, and stood in front of the counter.

"Okay, take off the shirt," I told my husband, my hands on my hips.

"Bella!" he chided, his head cocked to the side trying to make it like I was being seductive,"Not with my Dad here."

"Stop joking, Cullen. Take it off. Now."

Carlisle put his hands in his pockets and fidgeted, a chuckle coming from him as Edward sighed and pulled the shirt over his head with his unhurt arm, slowly pulling the entire thing down the injured arm. Carlisle unwound the wide gauze that wrapped the arm, at least to the shoulder, and for the first time I saw clearly the extensive parts of my husbands arm and shoulder that were completely raw and oozing a clear liquid. The teeth marks from the wolf that had been horribly jagged and torn were almost completely healed, only pinkish traces of them remaining. The burn was the problem.

"Edward, you need to feed again today, at last once a day for awhile. You're loosing way too much fluid from this arm. I want to try something," he told us, reaching for a tray of syringes filled with a reddish liquid. "I extracted the liquid from the discarded umbilical cord and placenta. For humans, they contain stem cells. I'm not sure what effect it will have on us, but I think it will help your arm to coat it with this," he suggested. He pulled Edward to the sink and gently washed his arm, gingerly patting it dry . . . Edward was unable to hide the pain that crossed his features. There was nothing he could give a vampire to lessen pain. I held his other hand tightly as his Dad spread the liquid from one of the syringes over the arm, coating it and then wrapping it in plastic to try and keep the liquid against the arm for awhile. He helped him put the sleeve over the tee shirt over it, and back on over his head. I was never so thankful to have a doctor for a father in law than at this moment. This was serious, and he would do everything he could to ensure that Edward recovered . . . intact.

"Let's see what this does for a couple of hours, son, and go from there. If it helps, like I think it will, we have enough to do a few treatments," he told us as we walked back into our bedroom to check on Masen, who was still sleeping in the center of the bed where I placed him.

"The troops are waiting to see you this morning, Bella. Especially your father. Are you up to it?" Carlisle asked.

"Give me a minute in the restroom, Carlisle, and send them up," I told him, watching Edward go to the rocking chair and sit, holding his son.

"Is Jake here? I mean, I assume one of them brought you a deer and he would probably finish it after you drank," I asked.

"Well," Edward laughed, "actually your Dad is cleaning it. He wants to cook some venison for dinner out on the grill. Emmett got breakfast for me this morning. Jake left earlier to go and find Sam."

"Oh," I gasped, "Sam. What's going to happen to him, Edward?"


	81. Chapter 81  Burned

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** There was a lot said about the clever idea of using the umbilical cord and placenta stem cells to help heal Edward's arm. That bit of genius did not come from my brain, but was suggested by my amazing friend melanieintn, without whom these chapters would probably be unintelligible!

**Chapter 81 Burned**

_"Oh," I gasped, "Sam. What's going to happen to him, Edward?"_

**BPOV**

It was midday on Friday, my son having been born yesterday, January the 6th, and my family was waiting to see me. I had yet to leave my bedroom since Edward delivered our son, and though everyone had been in to see me, I wanted to go downstairs to the living room and feel a part of my family again.

"Let's go downstairs so that I can see everyone and have lunch," I suggested, "then you and I and Masen can come back upstairs and he can nurse, while your father changes your bandage."

Edward looked up from the rocker with Masen in his arms, "Okay, love, but you'll need to go change pads before we go down there, the bleeding is less but there are still quite a few vampires around here you know," Edward laughed such a happy, carefree laugh. It was amazing just to stare at him, sitting there holding our son. I had all but forgotten about the bleeding. Edward masked his natural desires for my blood so completely that it was sometimes easy to forget that side of him, the part that was forever vampire.

When I came out of the ensuite, Edward had changed the linens on the bed and made it, straightening the room in the process. Masen was sleeping in a bassinet that had been brought into our room. It was just beautiful and I had not seen it before.

"Edward, when and who got this for us?" I asked as I touched the silky soft material. There was a faint hint of blue in the otherwise white material that lined the padded sleeping area and draped down the corners, tying at each corner of the legs to reveal a shelf stocked with diapers and changes of clothes for the baby. It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, made of delicate wrought iron in the shape of vines with a canopy just like our bed.

"I got it, love. I had it made to match our bed. I thought you might like it better that way and this could stay in here till Masen is a little bigger. You really shouldn't be carrying him any distance yet and I knew you wouldn't want him in a different room when he was just born," he said as he put his arms around me and kissed my forehead. "It's also a little stronger than most baby beds . . . I thought Masen might need something a bit more difficult to tear apart."

"How did I get so lucky to find you, sweetheart," I told him. Stupid idiotic tears were welling up in my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. I tucked my face into his chest to hid them from him, but I should have known better. He smelled them instantly and pulled away, cupping my cheeks in his hands as I stood with my arms around his waist.

He gently rubbed away the tears with his thumbs, worrying that he had upset me or that something was wrong, "Bella, what's wrong, love? Is something hurting you, did I say something wrong? I can return it if you don't like it or we can let Masen sleep in . . ."

"No, no . . . I love it. It's so beautiful," I told him as I touched the wrought iron vines with my fingers, "It's perfect, Edward, just perfect."

"Why are you crying then, love?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face as he held me to him.

"I'm just so glad to be home and the bassinet is so beautiful and I just love you so much, Edward, you're so thoughtful," I managed to say between sobs, "I'm not sad at all. I'm worried about your arm and no nothing is hurting, just a little uncomfortable I guess you would say."

"Ahhmmm," Carlisle was at the bedroom door looking quite sheepish.

"Come in, Dad," Edward told him, his arms still holding me as he tucked my head against his chest.

"Alice said you might need me, though she didn't say why," he said, stepping into the room with his hands in his pockets.

"We were just about to come downstairs and visit with everyone," my husband continued.

"Well then, I'm here to carry Bella down the stairs," he said as he stepped toward me, "If you'll allow me that is."

"Dad, I can do that if you bring Masen."

"Son, you don't need any pressure on the surface of that arm and even though Bella weighs next to nothing, Masen weighs even less. Please humor me," Carlisle said, turning his attention to me. "And you, young lady need rest. Your body is going a little crazy right now with hormones, you're all of a sudden not pregnant any more and your body is starting milk production and your emotions will be all over the place. It's perfectly normal, just don't let it bother you. Either of you."

"Tears come out of nowhere in a woman during this time and you just have to accept it and not worry, Edward," he said as he looked at my tear stained face and Edward's wet shirt. "Go wash your face and Edward, you change your shirt. Your arm is soaking through it somewhat anyway. I'll wait for both of you right here with my grandson and we'll all go downstairs."

Edward reached in our dresser and grabbed another shirt, following me into the restroom and closing the door behind himself. He walked over to me as I stood in front of the sink and turned me to face him, kissing me softly, his tongue barely tracing my lip as I opened my mouth to him. He increased the kiss and it became full of all the love this man had for me, all there in his kiss.

I washed my face and helped him change his shirt, as much as he protested that he was fully capable of doing it himself. I just laughed at him. We opened the door and joined Carlisle in our bedroom as he stood holding Masen and talking to him. He handed the baby to Edward and gently lifted me to carry me down the stairs. It finally dawned on me that Alice had sent Carlisle, not only to reassure myself and Edward about my crazy emotions. But because he was the only one, other than Edward, that was capable of being so close to me while I was still bleeding, however slightly. You had to love Alice.

Everyone was just doing their typical activities downstairs, Esme, Emily and Sue were in the kitchen cooking something that smelled delicious while Charlie watched the game on the TV in the kitchen with them. Emmett and Jasper played Call of Duty on the flat screen in the living room. Rosalie and Alice were in the library and as soon as they heard me downstairs, they called for me to come in there with them. Edward sat on the sofa with his brothers but it was only moments before Charlie came in and asked to hold his grandson. I smiled at him and slowly walked to see what Alice and Rose wanted me for.

It figured. As soon as I saw the screen and the choices of baby clothes that appeared, I knew that even though we weren't leaving the house, we were shopping. Leave it to Alice to find a way.

"Okay, here are the rules. Masen can not have more clothes than will easily fit in his closet and drawers at any given time. No exceptions. Understood?" I directed my comment towards Alice in particular, "and no outfits that cost more than any one's salary would be in a week." Alice looked at me, her lips pressed together and her jaw set, "Bella, really! You're not giving me a lot to work with here!" She pouted her lips and showed me several dozen choices of outfits that she and Rose liked. I had to admit, they were really cute and soft looking. Alice was big on making sure he was comfortable and liked the feel of his clothes and for that I was grateful. We chose over half of the outfits they had selected and I wandered back towards the kitchen, leaving them to fight over who got to pay for the clothing.

"Carlisle, is Bree able to talk on the phone?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, Bella, she should still be heavily sedated. Would you like me to find out for you?"

"I really would, Carlisle, I want to talk to her before she leaves the hospital. In fact, I probably need to talk to her as soon as she can have a visitor," I added, "She has no idea about vampires, she was completely out of it when Victoria ripped Riley's arm off, but she did see Victoria do some pretty amazing things, like flipping over the bed with both of us on it. I just want to smooth it over, that's all."

"Ah, a true Cullen, dear. Flesh out the facts and cover your tracks," he laughed. I'll call and see how she's doing. Her parents were headed to the hospital when I left, but I doubt she is really conscious yet.

"Thank you," I said as Carlisle headed out on the porch to make the call.

"How are my guys doing?" I asked as I stood behind the love seat. Charlie and Edward had moved from the sofa where the wild video game continued between Jasper and Emmett and Charlie was holding Masen sort of in between them as they both admired the baby and each of his little movements. Edward, of course, knew what Masen thought about the entire situation and I was anxious to hear it. I put a hand on each of their shoulders, my husband and my Dad, and leaned in between them to kiss my son on the forehead.

"What do we do about circumcising him, Edward?" I asked shyly. I knew that it was normally done within a day or so of the baby being born . . . at least that's what all the books said, and I wondered when or if we would have it done to him.

"It might be a bit difficult to manage, sweetheart," Edward told me, looking up to stare into my eyes.

"I just thought it was important for guys, you know . . . ," I hesitated, feeling the heat increase in my cheeks as I was sure I was blushing furiously.

"Of course you'll circumcise him," Charlie humphed, "You don't want him made fun of at school after gym class and in the showers do you? Kids can be kind of brutal about such things you know."

"I'm not sure he'll ever be going to public school, Charlie, at least not till he's big enough to understand that he has to keep our secret, and that could mean years from now," Edward added.

Carlisle walked back into the room, having been listening from the porch while making his call. "Well, there's no physical reason to do it. The foreskin retracts perfectly so there is no problem with cleanliness or function. I guess it's just up to what his Mom and Dad want," Carlisle interjected. The debate that started was not one that I had meant to set in motion. Sensitivity versus cleanliness, natural verses not being made fun of in gym . . . there were lots of arguments both ways. It was Edward that brought up one of the most important points . . .

"Sweetheart," Edward said looking somewhat sheepish, "scissors and scalpel alike did nothing to his skin. I had to bite through the umbilical cord, remember?"

"You what?" Charlie asked, stunned, his mouth remaining open after he finished his sentence.

"Charlie, his skin is much like mine, absolutely impervious to anything that would cut it . . . except vampire teeth," Edward told him. You could hear the sharp hiss my father made by his sudden intake of air. "Well, that's something that is. Really? Huh. Well, we won't have to worry about him hurting himself so much then will we. No skinned knees or worrying about him playing with scissors as a kid," Charlie chuckled.

"Unless you want me to do it with my teeth, he won't be getting circumcised, Bella," Edward said, looking cautiously at me, not wanting to upset me. He had obviously already considered all of this.

"Teeth? Did he just say with his teeth?" Charlie asked Carlisle, clearly still confused.

"Yes, Charlie. The only thing that is capable of breaking the skin is vampire teeth," Carlisle assured him, his hand on Charlie's shoulder as my Dad stared at his grandson. I would have loved to have the capability of reading minds right now, just to know what my Dad was really thinking. Edward chuckled somewhat under his breath and I would have to remember to ask him about it later.

"Hell yea only vampire teeth can hurt the little squirt! See, I told you he was more like us than you thought," Emmett bragged to Jasper, shoving him on the shoulder as they continued to play.

"You actually think having the foreskin removed is worth making Edward bite it off with his teeth, moron?" Jasper taunted, "In my day it really wasn't ever done anyway. I couldn't help but laugh as the males in each group argued their opinion on what seemed to be quite a touchy topic. Jasper and Carlisle seemed to be defending the uncircumcised masses while Charlie was clearly in favor of having it done. Edward obviously did not relish the thought of doing that with his teeth, so it was unclear as to how both he and Emmett felt about it. It seemed to be a serious issue among the guys, no doubt fueled by testosterone.

I wandered into the kitchen, leaving the circumcision discussion to the father, grandfathers and uncles. Though I had equal say in the matter, along with Edward, it seemed more of a Dad thing and I would let them sort it out and discuss it with Edward later. To tell the truth, I was kind of sorry I ever brought it up in front of all of them, but their input would probably be helpful. The only experience I had was with Edward, and he would probably like his son to be like him.

"What smells so good in here?" I asked, nosing around at the stove and lifting the lids of the pots that were cooking. Sue playfully smacked at my hand with a wooden spoon, "Scat! Go sit at the table. Lunch will be ready in a minute."

"I made some fresh sweet tea, dear," Esme said as she brought a glass to me, "You'll need to drink more if you're going to nurse Masen." I laughed to myself. The expression on her face and the hesitation in her voice told me that she really meant _Edward and Masen_, and it was funny to see her stumble, if only slightly, over her words. Apparently I snorted somewhat instead of laughed and Emily wondered if I was alright, thinking the tea had gone down the wrong way.

"Come eat, Charlie," Sue called and the four of us sat down to have lunch at the kitchen table. Edward joined us, pulling a chair up beside mine and putting his arm around my shoulders.

"This is really great stew, and the cornbread is out of this world," Charlie commented, his eyes showing his pleasure with the taste of the food.

"Well, Esme made the cornbread, so neither of us can take credit," Emily said as she crumbled some into her bowl.

"That's just amazing. A woman that doesn't even eat and she makes food that tastes this good. It's real good, Esme, real good. Thank you," Charlie told her.

"You are just so welcome, Charlie. I love to cook for Bella, and it's nice to have all of you as well. It's not like I can put a deer or a mountain lion on a plate and serve it to my other kids, or Carlisle," she laughed. You would have thought that comment would have been awkward . . . but it wasn't. I marveled at how well Sue and Charlie as well as Emily had become comfortable with my new family. Edward smiled widely beside me, so I knew their thoughts must have been genuine and even somewhat amusing to him. I would really have to remember to ask him about it later, as well as about the circumcision.

"So, where's Jake?" I asked as I ate. Emily's face immediately winced and she stared into her soup bowl, refusing to look up. Edward answered me quietly, explaining that Jake had gone out to find Sam. I immediately dropped the subject, sensing that something unpleasant was going on.

Jasper had talked Carlisle into playing the video game with Emmett, and he sat with Masen in his arms, talking to him about the game.

"Shooting people is upsetting him," Edward called to them.

"Who?" Emmett asked.

"Masen. The game is upsetting to him," Edward said as he stood to go and get the baby.

"He really doesn't like it," Jasper said, amazed. "I can feel it rolling off of him, he's uncomfortable with the images and he doesn't understand. He wants his Mom or Dad!" Jasper told us, absolutely at a loss for words.

Edward took him in his arms and I continued to strain to hear their conversation. It wasn't a large distance between the living room and the kitchen, and certainly the space was open, but the video game was loud and kind of blaring in the background.

"He's calm, Edward. The instant you took him, he settled down," Jasper continued, sitting on the edge of his seat, his face displaying a look of sheer wonder.

"It's alright, son. It's just a game that your uncles and Daddy like to play. No one is really getting hurt and uncle Emmett isn't really mad at anyone, I promise," Edward said to Masen, starring at him in his arms.

"Hell no I'm not really mad, buddy," Emmett told him, "It's just a game. You pretend to be mad, that's all little buddy."

"Yes, I'll explain _pretend _to you later. I know, you're thirsty. I'll get you something," Edward told him, heading toward the refrigerator. He reached in and took out one of a half dozen or so prepared bottles. They were not see through, and neither were the nipples and I was grateful for that. "Let daddy feed you, yes, I haven't gotten to fed you yet have I little one," Edward cooed to the baby as he sat back down beside me and put the nipple in Masen's mouth. Something was off. The baby's features seemed to shift slightly, the look of a predator skirting his features even at his tender age. I wondered if it was just my imagination, but then I heard the slight purring coming from him. Masen was definitely his father's son, and I accepted it completely.

Edward was good at giving him a bottle and not allowing what was contained in it to run down the side of his mouth, or even out in the open at all. Part of it was probably for my benefit, so that I wouldn't actually see my son drinking blood, but part of it was also because I was sure the blood was human and that it was at least somewhat difficult for the vampires in the room, other than Carlisle, to endure the smell. Luckily, Masen finished the bottle in record time and Edward placed it in the dishwasher and started it immediately.

"Bella, would you come with me for a minute?" Edward asked, holding his hand out to me and handing the baby to a thrilled Esme.

He led me to the far end of the living room, to the piano and had me sit in the chair beside it, no doubt thinking the hard piano bench would be uncomfortable after just giving birth to Masen the day before. He was right.

Edward began to play. I recognized the tune as Debussy's Claire de Lune. As he finished the piece, the tune morphed into Esme's lullaby and then into the lullaby that I knew he had written for me. It was melancholy and full of longing in the beginning and then hopeful before becoming sad and desperate, returning to rich and full of love in the end. I expected the piece to be over, but Edward continued with a new piece . . . heavy and dark and scary for a moment before the richest most harmonious sounds I had ever heard started to emerge, becoming lighter and airier and filled with unabashed joy. He finished and there was not a sound to be heard, everyone entranced with the music that filled the house. My husband got up and came over to my chair, kneeling in front of me and kissed me softly.

"The last song was for Masen, but you probably already guessed that," he said as he kissed me again.

"It was beautiful, sweetheart," I said, tears in my eyes and hugging him to me, his arms encircling my waist," I love you." It was all I needed to say . . . and all he needed to hear.

"Carlisle broke the silence, walking over to us and speaking to Edward, "Let's go upstairs and make sure you keep that arm of yours. We can't possibly do without your playing around here." Edward let out a chuckle, moving to allow Carlisle to pick me up and head up the stairs with me. Masen had just fed, I had eaten lunch and visited with my family, and Edward's arm needed tending.

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

Damned bloodsuckers. We could have had him, we could easily have taken him out and the rest of them would never have been the wiser. He's the one that reads minds. We could have blamed it on Victoria and been heroes to the leeches, killing the vampire that kidnapped Bella and killed Billy and Edward I thought as I trotted along on the crackly snow. Idiot. What the hell did they do to him? He was raised just the same as I was, the same legends, the same customs and beliefs . . . hell, he was the Chief's son for God's sake! He knew the stories of the tribes past as well or better than any of us.

I wonder if it was just his love for the girl, or if it's the money. They set him up for life, that's a fact . . . Black Swan Racing. Damned bloodsucking leeches.

I had the bloodsucker. Dumb as shit. He didn't even know what hit him when I grabbed him as he tried to run past me. I had him in my mouth, the wimp. He didn't even fight back, just kept me from holding him down with my paw so I could rip his fucking head off. Damn that Jake. All he had to do was follow orders, just grab the bloodsucker, I would have done the rest. No one would ever have known that it was us and maybe we could have found a way to take out more of them before we went back to La Push.

We had killed the red headed leech already and her cold stone body lie there on the ground with the very convenient house fire blazing to throw her and the other one into and be done with them. I never considered that Jake would turn leech lover, not when we had the chance to get rid of them. It was fine to uphold the treaty in the light of day, but this . . . an opportunity when no one would ever know . . . blows my mind not to take it. I don't give a damn if they say they only eat animals, him and his kind were the cause of my Emily getting hurt when they came after the other leech lover, Bella. She made her bed, let her lie in it with the filthy stinking soulless damned.

He dropped from my mouth . . . I had no choice. I tried to fight it, to hurry and end the leech, but the Alpha command had to be followed, and Jake was the rightful Alpha and tribal Chief. Damn him for choosing this moment to assert his authority!

I dropped the leech and left, heading as fast as I could to find Emily and get her the hell away from them before they retaliated. I couldn't risk them hurting her over something I had done. I reached the Cullen houses in record time, but they were empty, absolutely no one at home. I could only guess that they all went to the fire to find out if Bella had been inside. I ran back there, hoping to find her and get her away from them before Jake phased and explained or Edward hurt her to get at me.

I rushed back through the forest, my feet flying over the frozen ground in my haste to find my wife before any harm cam to her. They were all there, back at that damned house watching it burn and the firemen work to put out the blaze. I saw a fireman hand Edward something, and him turn and walk towards me with no regard for the fact that I was there, just beyond the tree line. He had to have known, his senses were stronger than that, surely.

I tried to move toward him, to take him out but my paws would not budge. It was as though they were nailed to the ground and the only way that I could move was away from the bloodsucker. My commands were never that strong, I had to give them more than once quite a few times and then they were encroached on. Not this command though, it was so fucking strong that I could not go against it, though I tried with all my might. I sat there, helpless, not 20 yards from where he passed and I could do nothing, not even follow him.

Emily stood with them, her arm around Sue and one of the leeches. She was crying. Shit, how was I supposed to get to her with all of them there? She and Sue and Charlie finally broke off from the bloodsuckers and got in Charlie's car, seeming to head toward the house. She didn't seem like anyone had hurt her. I followed in the woods along side the road, determined to at least protect my mate and wait for my chance to get her away from them.


	82. Chapter 82  Skin or no skin?

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 82 Skin or no skin?  
**

_"Let's go upstairs and make sure you keep that arm of yours. We can't possibly do without your playing around here."_

**Carlisle POV**

I didn't want him to know just how worried I was about his arm, but I was certain he knew I was blocking him somewhat. I had taken time to make some phone calls and pour over ancient journals in my library during the night, and my fears were confirmed this morning when I saw that the arm had not yet healed . . . didn't seem to be healing much at all in fact and Edward was loosing a lot of fluids . . . well, fluid. The only liquid in our body was made of venom in one form of another.

Hearing him play the piano, only furthered my determination to help his arm heal. It wasn't as though he was human and in danger of infection or gangrene, or the arm causing the rest of the body to fail, it just wasn't healing and it was draining his strength.

"Isn't he amazing, Petal?" I said to Esme, my arm around her as we stood and listened to the sounds of Edward's life. His music had been just that, it had been his life for over 90 years and now it reflected love and hope and happiness. He used to use the piano and his playing for comfort, and I suppose he still did to some extent, but Bella seemed to provide everything that my son needed.

Thank God she had been found, escaped herself really. I suppose everyone helped to some extent, Edward forcing Victoria to allow him to speak to Bella every eight hours and draw out the ransom drop off at Alice's request, Sam and Jacob killing Victoria. Everyone played a part in her recovery of course, each of us doing all we could. Jasper had been amazing with his surveillance and expertise with the electronics.

"Edward is an amazing man, Carlisle, he is so much like you. You couldn't have chosen a better companion," she told me, her arm around my waist.

"She is just so perfect for him. I can't imagine our family without her, though she has been with us such a short time," I mused.

"Well, she'll always be with us. She wants to be changed and Edward agreed to do it. I'm not sure either one of them expected her to come through this pregnancy human."

"You're right, Petal. He was prepared to change her, he had venom in a syringe by the bed. I saw it and asked him about it when I first dressed his arm and he freely admitted that he had planned to change her if there was any indication that he might loose her. They are so in love, and now a baby . . . I had no idea, really. I know the legends, the incubus, but there is no discussion of the child that could result, only that the mother never survived . . . till Bella."

"She came through the delivery with flying colors, didn't she Carlisle?"

"She did, Petal. Edward did an episiotomy just to keep her from tearing so that she would heal better and he put the stitches in himself and delivered the afterbirth beautifully. There should be no complications from the birth for her. They could even have more children if they want to," I whispered as I kissed her forehead. She seemed surprised at the thought, as though this had been a one time thing.

"Carlisle! Do you think they might try and have another baby?" she asked anxiously. I knew what she was thinking, that we would all love another little one around, but there were so many unknowns. How would this baby grow, would it progress normally or at an incredibly fast rate, as it had in utero? Would it be immortal or just enjoy exceptional longevity?"

"Petal, you don't actually think that Edward would intentionally go through all the worry about Bella's safety again do you? He agreed to try and have this baby, only try. If there had been the least complication, they had both agreed to terminate the pregnancy. I just don't think they would knowingly take the chance again."

"Well, you had better have a talk with them before she gets the all clear to have sex again, Carlisle. I hope you've thought of an effective way to prevent her from becoming pregnant because as often as they . . . well . . . you know. I just don't see how they'll avoid it," Esme told me laughingly.

I walked over to Edward after the music had stopped and he shared a moment with Bella, suggesting that we needed to tend to his arm. He allowed me to lift Bella and carry her upstairs rather than doing it himself which only reinforced my feelings of how bad the arm really was.

We went directly into the bathroom off their room and Bella once again helped Edward to pull the shirt over his head without using the burned arm as much. Once over his head, she pulled the shirt slowly off of the damaged arm, the cellophane wrap staying somewhat intact. Once I unwrapped it, I was once again faced with the fact that the arm, though making some minor effort to heal, just was not significantly improving. It was still quite raw and draining, and I could see from looking at Edward that he was quite weak from the fluid loss.

"You are going to need to feed again today, son. You are loosing everything you're putting in right now and you need to keep your strength up."

"Are the stem cells not working at all, Dad?" he asked, concerned.

"Somewhat. It's definitely better this afternoon than it was this morning, just not significantly better. I was hoping to see healing occurring. It's helping, though, and I have a few more treatments available, courtesy of your wife and son," I said, smiling at Bella. She looked so worried, and though I was worried as well, she needed to rest and not be stressed right now after just having given birth.

I needed to take her mind off the arm, so I brought up the new song he had composed, "Your mother and I loved the new piece you played, did you compose it recently?"

"It had been running through my head for awhile, Dad, and I tinkered with it the last month or two at night while Bella slept. I wanted it to be a surprise for her," Edward smiled, squeezing the hand he held of Bella's.

"Well it was just beautiful. Your compositions continue to amaze me son, each one even more complex and beautiful than the last though each time I don't think it possible to improve on any of them," I frowned reflexively, a habit I did not normally indulge myself in, "I don't see how you managed to play with this hand, though. You need to stop using it so much and let it heal." The arm really was burned quite badly and truthfully, I didn't understand how he had managed to burn the arm to this degree yet the rest of his body was unharmed.

I washed the arm, I suppose you'd call it debriding the burn but there really wasn't anything to remove other than fluid. I took another syringe full of the cells I had obtained from Bella's afterbirth and coated the arm and hand with it, making sure this time to wrap the hand as well to deter him from using it as much.

"That's it for now. Take it easy son, and you need to feed. I'll go and get you something, meet me in the back yard in half an hour, alright?"

"Thanks, Dad," Edward said as he followed Bella back into their bedroom.

"You, young lady, need to rest," I said looking at Bella pointedly, "Masen has eaten and is being occupied downstairs and Edward is about to have an afternoon meal. I'd like you to take a nap. You'll need your rest if you're determined to nurse this baby. New parents are up at all hours and while Edward doesn't need any sleep, you do."

I walked toward the door to leave, Edward tucking her into bed as I exited the room.

Jake had just returned and wasn't willing to talk about what had occurred with Sam except to assure Emily that he was alive and well and that they would both speak with him tomorrow.

As I walked through the living room, there was a heated discussion about the pros and cons of circumcision going on. Jasper was arguing that it was a mutilation of the body and detracted from the male having all the pleasurable sensations that God intended for him to have and Emmett was insisting that though he was circumcised, he had all the pleasure he ever needed. Well, we would need some facts to go on to settle this I supposed, so I took the liberty of going into the library to access the internet.

I stopped abruptly in the doorway to the library. I should have known, of course, but it just never occurred to me to think about it. The mock control room, rivaling anything NASA ever put together was gone. Gone. There was no trace of the tables and massive screens and surveillance stations. Only the two desks, each with a lap top on it remained . . . the way Edward had set it up when he furnished the house originally. I moved to sit at his desk and clicked on the screen. I wanted a history of circumcision in the US, just to check the reasons and facts behind the procedure. It would be a moot point, the final decision rested with Bella and Edward.

"Boys," I called. Emmett and Jasper were by my side instantly, staring at what was before them on the screen.

_**1901**_** "Another advantage of circumcision ... is the lessened liability to masturbation. A long foreskin is irritating per se, as it necessitates more manipulation of the parts in bathing ... This leads the child to handle the parts, and as a rule, pleasurable sensations are elicited from the extremely sensitive mucous membrane, with resultant manipulation and masturbation. The exposure of the glans penis following circumcision ... lessens the sensitiveness of the organ ... It therefore lies with the physician, the family adviser in affairs hygienic and medical, to urge its acceptance." Ernest G. Mark, Circumcision, American Practitioner and News, vol. 31 (1901): pp. 121-126.**

Let's look at this from a medical and historical point of view, shall we. Edward was born in 1901, and these were the views of the times. Only 15% of males in the United States, other than people of the Jewish faith, were circumcised. This was mainly because most babies were born at home, not in a hospital and home births did not include the baby being circumcised, unless they were Jewish and the Rabbi did the procedure.

"Man, that many little dudes never had the flap removed? That just sucks, Emmett sighed.

"It so does not _suck_, Emmett. Can you not read right there that removing that _flap_, as you call it, lessens the sensitivity of the organ," Jasper gloated, "That means I get more pleasure out of sex than you do!"

"Damned if that's so, brother, and it sure as hell didn't stop me from jerking off as a kid. Hell if I had jerked off any more often the damned thing would have been raw," Emmett exclaimed. "Did not being circumcised cause you to jerk off a lot, Dad?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know if I'm a good indication, Emmett. My father being a Vicker and preaching about God and penance day and night and the sins of the flesh may have unduly influenced my actions, though I have little memory of it," I told them. "Let's see, here is a clip from a couple of years before I changed Edward. It doesn't look like the attitude towards it had changed any."

**1915 "Circumcision not only reduces the irritability of the child's penis, but also the so-called passion of which so many married men are so extremely proud, to the detriment of their wives and their married life. Many youthful rapes could be prevented, many separations, and divorces also, and many an unhappy marriage improved if this unnatural passion was cut down by a timely circumcision." L. W. Wuesthoff, Benefits of Circumcision, Medical World, vol. 33 (1915): p. 434.**

"What kind of a stupid attitude is that?," Emmett continued. "Rosie, come in here, you gotta see this shit."

"What, Emmett?" Rose said, reading the screen.

"They sound like women didn't like or want sex in 1915, what kind of shit is that?"

"Emmett! Language!" Esme scolded as she entered the room.

"Sorry, Mom, but this is ridiculous, These articles are making it out to seem like women don't enjoy sex and that men wanting it ruins marriages," Emmet exclaimed.

"Well, you know, proper ladies were taught not to act in a wanton manner, Emmett," Esme explained.

"You don't want me acting in a wanton manner, sweetheart?" Alice asked as she walked in and stood beside Jasper, her arm around his waist and her eyebrow cocked as she tilted her head to stare at him.

"Course I do, darlin'. Men wanted it back then as well," he added, "They just didn't speak of it in polite company."

"That's true. Women were taught that sex was something they had to endure if they wanted a husband and family," Esme added.

"That's just archaic," Alice added.

_**1941**_** "[Routine Circumcision] does not necessitate handling of the penis by the child himself and therefore does not focus the male's attention on his own genitals. Masturbation is considered less likely." Alan F. Guttmacher, Should the Baby Be Circumcised?, Parents Magazine, vol. 16 (1941): pp. 26, 76-78.**

"I don't think that being circumcised helped one way or another. I used to care for young boys in our town and they seemed to always be sneaking their hands down their pants whether they were circumcised or not," Esme added, "It's just a natural thing for boys."

"Hell yea it is," Emmett expounded.

**1971: 90% of the U.S. male population circumcised "There are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period." Committee On Fetus and Newborn. Standards and Recommendations for Hospital Care of Newborn Infants, 5th edition. Evanston, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. 1971. p. 110.**

"Look at that, it wasn't till '71 that they were really willing to admit that there was no medical justification for circumcision unless the foreskin would not retract," I pointed out.

"How are you supposed to get a blow job with all that on there?" Emmett asked, concerned.

Alices eyes twinkled, and Jasper said nothing, but smiled. Esme, however was not so discrete.

"I don't think having foreskin or not having it makes any difference for that, boys."

"Mom!" they both said in unison.

"What?" she exclaimed, "It isn't as though all of you aren't privy to listening to everything we do! You have all done it because I've heard you over the years."

"Mom!"

This time all of them, Rose and Alice as well chimed in. It wasn't as though they didn't know . . . vampire hearing left little to the imagination and as hard as we tried to ignore things we heard, we heard them none the less.

"Well, the foreskin retracts and stays behind the back ridge of the gland when an erection is present, so it would present no problem for any of the things you all are considering right now," I told them.

**1994: 60% of newborn males in the U.S. circumcised "Circumcision causes pain, trauma, and a permanent loss of protective and erogenous tissue ... Removing normal, healthy, functioning tissue for no medical reason has ethical implications: circumcision violates the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 5) and the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 13)." Leo Sorger, To ACOG [American College**_** of Obstetrics and Gynecology]: Stop Circumcisions, Ob Gyn News, 1 Nov. 1994, p. 8.**_

"Ouch! I'm glad no one ever did that to me," Jasper winced as he apparently thought about it, "It says right there that it causes so much pain that its traumatic."

"I can promise you that's true," Edward added, stepping into the library to join us. "What happened to lunch?" he asked sheepishly, one hand in his jean pocket.

"Sorry son, Jasper and Emmett were arguing the pros and cons of circumcision so I thought I would pull up a few historical medical thoughts," I explained. Edward stood and read the data we were viewing.

"How the hell would you know if it was traumatic or not, Edward? It's not like you remember being born and having it done," Emmett chuckled.

"That's true," Charlie added, entering the room to join in the discussion. "I know you guys say that you don't remember much about being human, but I don't remember anything about being circumcised, I was too little when they did it so I don't think it traumatizes them," Charlie added.

"Guys, there are not many things I remember from being human, but being circumcised was a requirement for going into the army when I was alive, and I wanted to be a soldier. WWI was well underway. I was circumcised when I was 16 years old and I still remember that it hurt like hell," Edward revealed.

"Dude! Holy shit, you had your junk cut on as a teenager! I bet it hurt like a son of a bitch!"

"Emmett! Language!" Esme exclaimed, cuffing him on the shoulder.

"Language or not, I bet that hurt like hell," Jacob added as he joined the discussion, "They had to have held you down or something, didn't they?"

"No, it had to be done for me to be accepted into the army and I wanted nothing more than to be a soldier . . . so I willingly had it done," Edward shrugged his shoulders, wincing as though he was remembering it.

"Surely they deadened it, Edward, a shot of Novocaine or something?" Carlisle asked.

"They did. Think about it, a needle several times into the head of your penis?" Edward elaborated as every male in the room winced. He looked around at all their faces, "Yea, that's what I thought."

"Eddie, after all these years, why didn't I know that about you?" Jasper asked, puzzled.

"I doubt we had any reason to ever discuss it," Edward answered, his eyebrows lifted and a questioning look on his face.

"Yea, it's not like we ever whipped out our dicks and compared! We never even go to the bathroom, so we could never have _accidentally_ looked over at each other and noticed the differences," Emmett commented.

"Dude, if I was human and I caught you staring at my junk, I would end you," Jasper warned.

**1998 Perpetrating sexual surgery on healthy non-consenting minors, under the legal age of informed consent or refusal, to purportedly prevent an unlikely and curable future infection, is unacceptable. Intentionally amputating healthy erogenous genital tissue from tethered, protesting infants is a surgical act of sexual sadism. Eileen Marie Wayne, MD, Letters (Circumcision - sexual sadism?), Infectious Diseases in Children, Vol. 11, No. 2, February 1998.**

"Wow, that last little bit of information on screen is pretty definite. Abuse and mutilation huh?" Emmett questioned, "So you're saying I'm mutilated, not a whole man?"

"Emmett!" Rosalie screeched.

"The real question here guys is if Bella and I want Masen to look the same as his father, which would be a decision she and I have to make," Edward said.

"True, son, but how would you do it if you decided that it needed to be done?" Carlisle asked.

"All that talk about having to bite it off was just kidding, wasn't it?" Charlie asked, horrified.

"No, Charlie. That would be the only way I know of that it could happen," Edward told him.

"What about wolves?" Jacob asked. We all turned to him. Werewolf teeth certainly cut through vampire skin, but I tried to understand Jacob's point . . .

"Jacob, dude, you're not offering to chew that skin off the baby are you?" Jasper asked, smirking. He could feel the disgust rolling off Jacob, that much I was sure of.

"No, no NO! That's just . . . no. Not happening. I was thinking though, werewolf claws might work pretty well," Jacob suggested.

"You know, that would work, Jacob. A claw could be used like a scalpel," I mused.

"What the hell? You going to hold his paw and guide the claw?" Emmett guffawed, "His paw is almost the size of the baby's head! You're likely to slip and cut his junk right off."

"No, Emmett, of course not," I scoffed.

"If we cut one of Jacobs claws though . . . ," Edward had a thought. "Jacob, is it like cutting a nail, it grows back?"

"Yep. Grows back. I'm game to try it if you're game to try and cut one of my claws after I phase," he added, chuckling to himself.

"That would take some balls, cutting a werewolves nails, kind of like a wild version of a pedicure," Rosalie laughed.

"Alright, well, those are the medical facts and I guess the decision can be made in a day or two. It would probably be a good idea to try and get that claw, Jacob, to see if it would cut our skin . . . that is if you're willing," I said. "It would have to be sterilized and we couldn't do that if it was still attached,"

"Sure doc, let's do it after we bring gimpy here some lunch though, okay? I don't want to be chasing deer with a limp," he laughed.

"Tell you what, you guys try declawing the werewolf out on the patio and Jaz and I will go get lunch for brother dear," Alice suggested.

"Fine, fine, but take Rosalie along as well, Sam is out there somewhere and three of you together makes me feel much more comfortable," Carlisle added.

"Oh no! I'm not missing seeing the mutt loose a claw," Rosalie insisted, a horrified look on her face.

"I'll go with them, dear. I don't really want to be around when you do that to Jacob and I would enjoy getting my son dinner," Esme added, hugging Edward around the waist. "Sue is enjoying some time with Masen right now anyway."

Esme, Alice and Jasper immediately took off to hunt and bring Edward something to drink. Jacob had suggested that we get a hacksaw or something to cut the claw and Rosalie had darted up to her garage saying something about a diamond carbide. Edward, Emily, Emmett and I walked out to the back patio, Emily ran to grab a coat because the snow was still quite thick on the ground and it was freezing outside. Power had not been restored to the area and we were still running the house on generator power to keep lights and heat for the humans.

Jacob stepped into the cover of the woods to phase and walked back shortly, growling in the direction of the woods . . . no doubt something to do with Sam. I wasn't worried about Sam's actions now that Jacob had phased because I knew he could hear Sam's thoughts and Sam had to obey him.

Rosalie ran back, a hacksaw in hand and Jacob put a paw up on the patio table, expectantly. I had never noticed before, but his claws were at least an inch and a half or two inches long and looked razor sharp.

"Use the left paw, Rose. He writes with the right hand and we don't know if this will make his hand sore or not when he phases back," Edward suggested.

Jake shook his head and huffed, but switched to have his left paw on the table as Rosalie brought the hack saw towards it.

"He wants you to use the forth finger, Rose, on the outside. He says it won't matter to him if he runs if that one is missing, in case it takes some time to grow back," Edward told us.

"Would he like color and polish with the pedicure?" she teased before switching nails and fairly easily cutting one of the huge claws away from his foot, the vein in it getting nicked and some blood escaping as Jacob flinched. He ran off into the woods, muttering something unintelligible about a blond bloodsucker, presumably to phase back to human.

"If we can cut through it, why would you think this will cut our skin, Carlisle?" Rosalie asked, still amused that the slight nicking of a vein bothered Jacob.

I took the claw and made a cut across one of my fingers. It cut easily and healed instantly, leaving a small line of a scar. "I have no idea why it works, Rosalie, but it does. Mythical creature, remember?" I suggested, shaking my head.

"Well?" Jacob asked as he approached.

"Cuts us like we were butter," Edward told him as a wide smile crossed Jake's face.

"Told ya," he said grinning, sucking his wounded finger into his mouth.

"Alright then, Edward. It would seem that we have a way of circumcising your son, if you and Bella decide that you want it done," I told him, twirling the claw in my hand. I looked over to Jacob's hand where the claw had been and gestured to him to let me see it. We watched as the nail grew almost before our eyes, and once I wiped away the small spot of blood, no trace that we had taken a cutting remained at all.

"It doesn't hurt, guys. No big deal. Just do me a favor and never tell Masen that it was my nail that allowed you guys to do that to him . . . if you do it. I say leave him the hell alone, I never had any problems not being circumcised, and neither do the rest of the guys in the tribe," Jacob shared.

Alice danced into the clearing, Esme behind her and Emmett followed carrying a terrified looking buck, almost larger than he himself was.

"Thought you might be really thirsty, brother," he said, placing the animal down and holding him by the horns till Edward walked over. We all tried to discretely line up in front of Emily, humans didn't really need to be near when we fed, but she realized immediately what we were doing and looked around us to see Edward snap the bucks neck and bite into it, dropping to one knee beside it to feed. Luckily he was faced away from us and still some ten yards away. A feeding vampire is not something that a human should ever witness, though I knew that Bella had watched him feed on their cross country trip.

Edward dropped the buck and drug it over to the table that he had set up for Charlie back at Thanksgiving when Charlie had thought we used it to dress animals when we went hunting with bow and arrow and rifles during hunting season. There was meat already in the smoker that Charlie had been tending all day, and now he would have yet another to cook for tomorrow. I was quite sure there was far more meat than Charlie would want to use, but it could be frozen for Bella's use later.

Charlie had chosen to stay inside with Sue and the baby, opting not to take part in any more things involving mythical beings than he had to. He knew Jacob transformed into a werewolf, but he didn't want to see it or be there and though he knew Edward and the rest of the family fed from animals, he was far from ever wanting to watch. The less he knew the better as far as he seemed to be concerned, and that was fine with me.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

"He's a cute little thing alright," I said to Sue. We were sitting on the sofa, minding the baby while the others carried on some kind of shenanigans, something about a claw from Jake when he was a werewolf so that they could circumcise Masen. Huh. Whatever it took I suppose, the boy needed it done.

"Seth and Leah turn into werewolves, too huh?" I asked her as we continued to play with the baby.

"They do, Charlie. They have since just after Harry died a year or so ago. I never see them like that, though. They always keep to themselves in wolf form," she told me.

"Well, that's something I suppose. Werewolves, huh," I mumbled. I looked into her eyes and asked the question I had been thinking since I got here and found out about the Cullens, "Did you know that Edward was . . well . . . did you have any idea that . . ."

She cut me off, "Yes, Charlie. I knew that Edward was a vampire. I have always known it." She looked down, kind of like she was embarrassed or something. "I talked with him that night at your house, you know, when they came to visit. I was afraid of him, of what he was. He assured me again that he would never hurt Bella. He brought up something that I, having grown up with all our tribal legends and hatreds, had never considered before."

"What did he say that made it easier for you?" I asked.

He said,

_"I never asked for this, Sue. It isn't a life I chose. I was 17 years old and dying of Spanish influenza when I was changed. I would have died otherwise. I have human feelings and emotions, just like you do. I was a 17 year old HUMAN male."_

"I had just never considered how they _got to be_ vampires, just that vampires, cold ones, were evil. I never thought about them not wanting to be vampires and having been human at one time," she told me.

"Huh. Guess that's right, I know that's right. That Edward, he's good to her, Sue, and she loves him. Now this," I said, gesturing to Masen. "Somehow he just cements it, doesn't he?" I laughed.

Masen smiled at us, every tooth in his mouth showing as he seemed to be exceptionally happy. I had never seen a tiny baby with teeth, but then I had to remember that he was half his father's son, and there were going to be some differences . . .

"There is a big buck out there for you to butcher, Charlie, if you want it," Edward told me as he came into the living room.

"Yea, yea I do," I told him. "We can put some of it in the freezer. I need to go out and check the smoker, anyway. Dinnertime will be here before you know it," I said as I got up, grabbed my coat and found a sharp knife before heading out the back door.

Dinner was uneventful. Carlisle and Edward had gone upstairs to tend to that arm of his and they came back downstairs, Carlisle carrying Bella and not letting her walk down the stairs yet. I knew she hated it, but she put up with it. Huh, it wasn't as though Edward was going to give her a choice. I only thought he was protective of her before, now, well I would be surprised if she got to go to the bathroom alone. It had been like pulling teeth for Carlisle to keep him down here long enough to get something for him to eat! Edward had the baby in his arm, so I guess she had taken care of nursing him while Carlisle had worked on Edward.

There were lots of questions about Sam at dinner, the Cullens sitting down with us, though they didn't eat anything. Jake had refused to answer anything, just saying that Sam was still being an ass, and Emily looked like she was going to cry a few times. I think that Jasper was doing that calming thing because each time she teared up he seemed to concentrate on her and she recovered herself.

Rosalie sat off to one side of the table and fed the baby a bottle and you could hear him sucking and slurping loudly.

"He has a good appetite, doesn't he?" Alice asked, but it was more of a statement,

"He really does. He is just as noisy when I feed him, except that he purrs," Bella told us.

"He purrs?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," Bella blushed, turning a color that was totally not normal. I looked at her, silently requesting an explanation and she looked to Edward. He smiled at her and hugged her to him, staring at the table before meeting my eyes, "Charlie, Bella says that when I'm content that I purr. Apparently it embarrasses her to think about it."

I must have looked at him like he was nuts because he looked away and back at Bells, exchanging glances with Carlisle in between. "Well, that's somethin' that is, Edward. I've heard of grown men sucking their thumb in their sleep, but not purring," I laughed. The rest of his family, especially Emmett just howled and Jasper was laughing so hard he was holding onto his sides.

I helped Sue and Esme clean up after dinner, Emily excusing herself early and going to bed. I think she was just really upset about Sam and wanted to be able to cry alone without it being noticed.

Everyone watched one of those real old movies like Casablanca and the girls loved it, the guys playing cards at the kitchen counter. Well, except for Edward and Carlisle. Carlisle sat on the love seat with Esme and Edward, well he sat in the recliner with Bells siting between his legs and leaning back against him with his arms around her. They took turns holding Masen, as he slept. After awhile, Edward said that Masen was hungry and Bells wanted to nurse him. Carlisle carried her back upstairs and I gave them a little while before I went up to say goodnight. Carlisle was still in the bathroom working on that arm of Edwards and Bells was sitting in the rocking chair, holding the baby.

I knocked at the open door and walked in. "I just wanted to say goodnight, Bells. I love you," I said putting a hand on her shoulder and gazing down at the spitting image of Edward in her arms.

"I love you too, Dad. I'm sorry I worried you," she said. I sat on her bed in front of her, clasping my fingers together with my elbows on my knees. I stared at her when I asked the next question. "How long have you known about all of this?" I asked, gesturing towards Edward.

"You mean about the Cullen's being vampires, Dad?" she clarified.

"Yea."

"Since just after I moved to Forks to live with you. Jake told me the tribal legends and I figured it out," she explained.

"And you really want this, Bells . . . I mean, you really are happy, right?" I had to ask.

"I really am happy, Dad. Really happy. I love Edward more than I thought it possible to love anyone, and you see how he is over me. He's all I ever wanted . . . and now we have the extra added addition of Masen. I love them, Dad, so much!" she said softly, tears forming in her eyes.

"I see that, Bells. I really do see how the two of you are over each other. I saw him while you were being held, remember. Never saw anything like that in my life, and being a police officer, I've seen a lot of people in bad spots and grieving, Bells. The boy is head over heals in love with you, and that's a fact. The question is, if he's immortal . . . are you planning to become what he is to stay with him, Bells?"

She looked at me with those beautiful deep chocolate eyes and I had my answer before she ever opened her mouth.

"Yes, Dad. I need to be like Edward so that I don't have to ever loose him."


	83. Chapter 83  Restored

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: **Well, real life is getting in the way again, and I don't have another chapter of _I Do . . . Hate You_ ready. I do, however, have another chapter of _HHH_ ready to go and I thought, for those of you that are reading both, you might enjoy this on a Sunday afternoon! Review and let me know what you think, apparently some of you did not like the last chapter so much and i do really want your honest opinions!

**Chapter 83 Restored**

_"Yes, Dad. I need to be like Edward so that I don't have to ever loose him."_

**EPOV**

We both heard her words from the bathroom where Carlisle had just finished dressing my arm again. He met my gaze and we both just stared for an instant before he dropped his eyes back to my arm and continued bandaging it. I had asked him to put an ace bandage over the cellophane and wrap it several times around my chest to hold it on the arm. I didn't want a shirt between Bella and I tonight as she slept. I needed to feel her close to me, to touch her skin in as many places as I could.

She had given birth to our son yesterday, and though I held her and slept in the early hours of this morning with her, the birth and the hours following it were as stressful as any had ever been.

I had come home yesterday to prepare things. I thought I had lost her and the baby as well, and I had no intention of continuing on in this _life_, if that's what this was, without her. I had come home to prepare a pyre for us both so that our ashes would at least always be together only to find her alive and asleep in our bed.

Asleep.

As if that should have even been possible as far into labor as she was.

Our son was a very powerful young man, even before he was born. He had calmed his mother and since her desire was to just go to sleep until I came, that's exactly what he enabled her to do.

Masen had the ability not only to read minds, as I did, but to enhance a persons own abilities to fulfill their deepest desires. He was also capable of placing thoughts in your head that you believe to be your own . . . and have you act on them and it was this last ability that had in reality saved Bella. Every time Victoria had come to Bella and Bree with the intention of harming them, _having a little fun with them,_ he had told me she called it, he had stopped her. He had made her think about keeping the humans alive so that she would get the money and made her focus on just how badly she wanted the lifestyle that came with having that much money. He had intensified her anger at Riley when he unexpectedly showed up and was intent on killing the hostages, leading to her dismembering and burning him. Each and every time Victoria had intended to harm his Mom, he had stopped her . . . even the time that Victoria flipped the bed with the girls on it, she had intended to do far worse.

I could not read Bella's mind, though I could read every one else's, and something within her not only kept my mind out, but allowed me the confidence and focus to obtain things that I truly wanted. I had absolutely no desire for her blood. I slept at will now. Masen was quick to let me know that he had helped with that. Though I did sleep occasionally with Bella after consuming fluids from her, even before Masen existed, I could now sleep any time I wanted to and wake feeling rested . . . unheard of for a vampire.

It was all because of my wife. My wife, God love her. She actually waited till she had me alone on an island before she told me she was pregnant. She knew that she would need us to be that far removed from anyone else to have time to let me process what was happening . . . to accept the possibilities without putting a stop to them out of fear. She knew I would stop anything that threatened to take her away from me, including terminating the pregnancy unless she had time to convince me.

I walked into our bedroom and saw her sitting there in the rocker holding our son. Her father was sitting on the bed in front of her, holding one of her hands. She had just told him how much she loved me and how she intended to become what I was in order to never have to loose me. Tears were one of the things Masen had enabled me to have, and I felt them starting with the realization of what was occurring. She was managing to keep her father in her life, at least for a few more years while molding seamlessly into my world.

"Shall I take the baby downstairs for everyone to share him while you get some sleep, Bella?" Carlisle offered.

"He's sleeping, Carlisle. I think we'll let him stay in our room in the bassinet till he wakes up and I feed him again, then he can come downstairs for the rest of the night and have a bottle. Edward will bring him down for me," she said, gesturing towards me as I stood beside her.

"Well, you get some sleep, both of you. Your siblings as well as Esme and I will be downstairs and outside. Don't worry about Sam or anything else for the night and we'll sort it all out in the morning," Carlisle promised, "Your body having a baby and your getting burned happened less than 36 hours ago, you both need time to recuperate and resting will do you worlds of good, even you, Edward."

"That's right, Bells," Charlie said, standing to leave. He leaned over and kissed his daughter on the head and gently stroked Masen's cheek with his knuckle before turning and heading to the door. "Goodnight, son," he said to me as he turned and headed out the door and down the stairs, Carlisle pulling our door to and following him.

Charlie waited for Carlisle at the foot of the stairs, questioning him about his grandson's birth and his daughter's health and wanting reassurance that the arm that Victoria had dislocated was going to be fine and that she really was recovering nicely from both the injury and the birth. After my father reassured him that all was progressing nicely as far as Bella's physical well being was concerned, Charlie asked about my arm and if it was healing and what he thought the prognosis was for recovery for me as well. The rest of my family had been listening to their discussion, of course, and stiffened as Carlisle explained that my hand and arm were not healing as fast as he had hoped they would, but that some small progress had been made. From his thoughts, I realized that Charlie had almost come full circle, he had once genuinely hated me for what I had done and the pain I had caused his daughter, now his mind was filled with acceptance of our relationship as well as something completely new . . . my new father in law actually liked me.

My thoughts returned to my wife and son as I took Masen from Bella, gently cradling him in my arm and placing him in the bassinet at the foot of the bed, managing not to wake him. I gently tucked the soft blue blanket around my son, treating him like a human baby as I was yet unsure just how essential human food and oxygen were to him. Bella excused herself to the bathroom, I was sure to change her pad and do her nightly routine. I placed a fresh towel or two on her side of the bed before I discarded my sleep pants and got under the covers to wait for her.

I was lying on my back, my eyes closed, lost in my own musings when I heard her approach and felt her slide into bed under the covers with me. She scooted and rolled towards me till her head was on my shoulder and my injured arm was under the pillow that her head rested partly on. She snuggled in to me and it was only then that I realized she wasn't wearing clothing either. We both had the need to feel close to each other, without even the slightest film of fabric separating us. She hitched her leg over my thigh and grasped me with her hand, holding on to my growing erection much like she had done when I had first brought her home from the hospital last summer and she was too injured for us to make love. It was the same now, though it was worlds apart in reality. We had come so far in the few months since we had been married. Such a short time, yet I was hard pressed even with my perfect recall to remember a time when she was not with me . . . probably because I did not want to remember it, I had no need of anything but her.

I flipped on the electric blanket to keep her warm next to me though I think the cool of my body felt good to her stomach and the inflamed area between her legs. I listened to the rhythmical breathing and heartbeats of my wife and son as I drifted off to sleep.

Masen awoke in the middle of the night and he was hungry. I ran my hand up and down Bella's arm that was stretched across my chest in an effort to wake her, but she was sound asleep. She had insisted that she be allowed to feed the baby when he woke, and I wanted to keep my word to her. I rolled to my side to face her and started kissing her cheek, her neck and her shoulder, calling her name softly until she responded. What happened was not, however the response that I expected. She tightened her grip on my length and her face, eyes closed, started searching for my lips. It was a familiar move, I should have expected it after the dozens of times she had acted exactly the same way, but I didn't. I wasn't thinking _ummm, I want to make love_, though that was there as well, I was thinking_ Bella wake up and feed the baby_. My dick, however, did not know the difference . . . or care. I was impossibly hard and she had her leg still thrown over me and her hips grinding against me.

"Bella, Bella love," I spoke trying to wake her, "sweetheart Masen needs you." That was all it took. Her eyes met mine and I saw realization finally there as she focused and kissed me before starting to sit up. I threw back my covers and went to the bassinet to get the baby for her.

"Edward, how do you know he's hungry, I mean, he's not crying. He hasn't cried yet," she asked as I handed him to her.

"He tells me, love. Would you rather I let him know that he needs to cry so that you'll know, too?" I asked.

"Well, no . . . not exactly. I just need to be able to know what he wants, too," she said petulantly.

"We'll figure it our, love. Whatever you want," I said as I kissed her forehead, handing her one of the breast shields from the package by the bed. I noticed her breasts were slightly larger and she smelled different, at least the fluid coming from them did as Masen slurped ravenously. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" she said, looking up coyly at me.

"Nothing, love. I just know how he feels, that's all," I said as I leaned in close to whisper to her, "I think he is enjoying those breasts of yours nearly as much as his father does." Even in the dim light, I could see the blush that covered her cheeks and spread down her throat throat and onto her chest. She was so beautiful. Minutes passed and she put a finger at the edge of where Masen's lips wrapped around her nipple and broke the suction, much like she did when she wanted me to switch sides the past few months. He gave her just as surprised a look as well. Greedily latching on to the other breast, he continued his meal as I watched my wife and child. It was a moment out of a fairytale, one I thought I would never experience

I slipped on some sleep pants and lifted Masen from her, placing him on the bed to change his diaper while she went to the restroom. I changed the bedding she had been lying on, realizing after I had gathered it that she was no longer bleeding. Amazing. She had come through the delivery as well or better than any woman I had ever heard of. I held our son, waiting for her to return to bed to be sure she was alright with me taking him downstairs for the family to have some time with and for them to give him his bottle. He seemed to enjoy nursing, though her milk had not really come in yet, but he craved blood as well. It was an odd mixture. Vampires drank, and all the fluid they consumed was used by the body to produce the various fluids needed . . . semen, saliva, moisture around the eyes, etc. There was no waste and no reason to ever go to the rest room. Masen consumed both, and he used his diaper as any other baby would. It would be interesting to see if, as an adult, he required only blood and no restroom usage, or if he continued to consume human food. Carlisle and I had no idea, really, and we were anxious for answers. He was healthy though, for now, and we would just have to watch him and see what it was that he needed.

"Are you taking him down to the family, sweetheart?" she asked as she returned, still naked. Her body was absolutely gorgeous. She never gained weight, other than the baby bump in her belly, and her belly, though distended and kind of jiggly, was shrinking nicely.

"I thought I would. They want to see him and he seems to be awake, at least for now. I thought they could give him a bottle when he gets thirsty, and you could get some more rest, love."

"That's fine," she said as she kissed him on the forehead and went to climb into bed while I quickly changed his diaper and took him downstairs. Carlisle came back upstairs with me, wanting to take a look at my arm and I grudgingly allowed it. I knew he was genuinely concerned about it from his thoughts and I was hoping we would see some progress as well.

"Cover up, sweetheart. Carlisle is with me, he wants to check my arm," I said as we walked into the bedroom and to the bathroom. Bella entered the ensuite in her bathrobe as Carlisle removed the ace wrap and the cellophane. It was better, marginally, but still weeping rather badly. The teeth marks that Sam had left were completely healed, small scars showing the location where each tooth had torn the flesh.

"I have only one more application of these stem cells after this one, Edward, so I want to leave it wrapped this time till tomorrow afternoon, a full 12 hours, and see if we see more healing occurring over the extended time period."

"What happens if it isn't well and you use all the applications, Carlisle?" Bella asked, trying to cover her worry.

"It is healing, Bella. Just slower than I've ever seen on a vampire. Of course, I've never seen a burn like this. It seems like this is to be expected. We just need to give it time, dear," he said bringing his bended fingers under her chin to raise her eyes to his for a moment.

"And how are you doing?" he asked. "Forgive me, but the doctor in me wants to know if Edward has been checking your belly and stitches to make sure everything is healing nicely."

"I'm fine," she told him, blushing. I smiled at her reaction , and answered my father's question.

"Her uterus is soft and still shrinking, Carlisle, no signs of any problems and as I'm sure you can smell, the bleeding has stopped. I haven't checked her stitches since the birth on Thursday, just over 24 hours ago," I told him, realizing I should have looked to see that they were intact and doing well.

"See, it's all good, Dad!" Bella continued to blush, holding my arm and hiding her face behind me. It was the first time she had called Carlisle _Dad._ I realized it only because of the expression that crossed his face and the gleam in his eyes, reflecting his thoughts. He truly accepted and loved Bella as a daughter and it filled him with joy that she accepted him as well.

"I'll see you two in the morning," he said as he closed his bag, leaving it on the counter for in the morning and turned to leave, "I have to go downstairs and play with my grandson!"

Bella giggled and wrapped her arms around me, reaching up to kiss me. I refrained from picking her up as we turned out the bathroom light and walked back toward our bed. I could have easily lifted her with one arm, of course, but I didn't want to risk squeezing her or hurting her in any way at this point, however remote the chance. She dropped her robe when we got to her side of the bed and sat, hugging me to her as I stood waiting to cover her up and go to my side to join her for the night. Her arms held me tightly, and she kissed my stomach as she hooked her fingers into the waist band of my sleep pants and lowered them, never taking her lips from my body as she kissed down the light trail of hair to my now straining erection.

"Bella, no," I told her as I started to back away from her. She held onto me as tightly as she was able, and I didn't want her to feel like her efforts were pointless. I stood close to her, running my fingers through her hair and continuing to talk to her. "Sweetheart, we can't. You know this," I told her as I held onto her shoulders. Instead of stopping she took me into her mouth and I was instantly unable to pull away from her as pleasure and desire swept over me. I lasted only a moment as my length touched the back of her throat and she looked up at me, surprised. I shrugged my shoulders and I'm sure I looked as embarrassed as I ever had. "I'm seventeen, love, sometimes I can't help it," I told her sheepishly, by way of explanation.

She laughed softly and hugged me before lying down in bed and I stepped out of my sleep pants that had been around my knees and kissed her softly as I crawled over her to lie beside her, covering us up and holding her close to me. "I love you, sweetheart," she said softly and snuggled into me, kissing me again and getting into her favorite position, her leg hitched over me and her hand holding my erection tightly.

"I love you. So much, baby," I told her, stroking her hair and realizing I was purring loudly as I held her. She drifted off to sleep in my arms.

I awoke to hear the sounds of Bella crying softly from the shower. I was instantly beside her, cupping her cheeks in my hands, "Sweetheart . . . what's wrong? Are you hurt?" It was just after sunrise on Saturday. We had slept quite a few hours since Masen had fed and I had thought that all was well.

"I'm fine . . . really . . . I'm fine . . . ," she told me. I could smell her tears, the shower hid nothing from me. She looked up to face me and I saw the problem instantly. Her breasts were huge. Huge. She held them, crying as she stood under the warm water.

"Love, are they hurting you?" I asked ran my thumbs down the sides of them, noting how hard they were. She didn't answer, she only nodded in response as she rested her forehead against my chest.

"The books say that when you first have milk, if they get engorged like this, that warm water in the shower will help to make them feel better and let the milk flow to release the pressure, but it's not working," she said softly.

"Let me get Masen, love. I'm sure he would love to take care of the problem for you!" I told her, sounding as cheerful as I could and trying to make her smile.

"No!" she said, a horrified look on her face. "See," she said, moving one of her hands away from her breast for me to look. The breast was so full and stretched with milk there was virtually no nipple, certainly nothing that the baby would be capable of latching onto.

"Have you tried to squeeze them yourself, love . . . or would you like me to get the pump for you?" I asked as I rubbed her back, trying to sooth her and get her to calm down.

"I tried to do it myself but it isn't working . . . maybe the pump. Let's try," she said willingly. I dried her as well as myself off and we went back into the bedroom and I handed her the pump as she sat against the headboard of our bed. As soon as she turned the machine on, she winced and cried out in pain. I took the machine from her and held her close to me, trying my best to sooth her tears.

"Your cool skin feels better than anything else, Edward. Those books are so stupid saying that warmth helps when cool feels so much better," she said, sounding more like a whiny child than my son's mother. I chuckled at her in spite of myself. I was sorry she was uncomfortable, but she was just so damned cute about it. She wiggled and wiggled beside, trying to find a position that allowed both breasts to be against me as tightly as possible, apparently alleviating some of the pressure for her by pressing against them.

"Here, love," I said as I gently rolled her to her back and moved to lie on top of her. I had felt her against me this way once, briefly since she had the baby, and I had relished the thought of being able to lie on my wife once again, though I kept some of my weight off her just the same. I nudged her legs apart with my knee and she opened them willingly to me, my hips settling against hers.

She sighed and seemed to relax immediately. "Oh my God, that feels good, Edward," She said as she rocked her hips, creating friction and it was more than I could stand. I tensed completely with the effort it was taking for me not to enter her as she continued to move under me. It was not till she arched her back and cried out as she came that I lost it and fell over that edge with her, still managing not to enter her as I was determined not to hurt her regardless of how much she apparently wanted me.

I kissed her passionately and long as she held onto me, her body writhing in pleasure beneath me. I noticed out chests were soaking wet with milk that had been leaking out while we weren't paying attention to them, and I kissed down her neck and to her chest, licking and sucking her skin into my mouth, anxious to taste the latest fluid my wife was producing. Dear God, it was amazing. Though I had just come all over my wife's thighs I was instantly rock hard to the point of being uncomfortable. I lifted my body slightly and looked into her eyes, cupping one of her breasts in the hand that wasn't bandaged, silently asking for permission. I didn't want to hurt her and from her actions in the shower, I feared that the first few moments might be painful to her.

She smiled and pulled my head towards her breast, her hand tangled in the hair she loved at the nape of my neck. I gently took the largest amount of her nipple possible into my mouth and gently squeezed the area around it slightly with my hand, in order to try and allow a nipple to form on the distended breast. I sucked deeply as she tensed and let out a loud whimper. I knew what she was doing, she was biting her lower lip in an effort to stifle her sounds so that I would continue. She knew, as I did, that at this point, I was going to have to relieve the pressure for her, even if it hurt for a moment. Luckily, vampire suction ability has its usefulness and her milk started flowing quickly into my mouth, spurting out on its own with some amount of force as

I drank it down greedily. The effect on me was the same as it had always been, and I came continually, covering her core with continual streams of liquid as I continued to come over and over. I managed to control myself enough not to press into her with my hips. I did not allow myself to act as though I was pinning my prey as I drank, and I kept my hips from rocking into her as my climaxes continued.

It took only a moment before she relaxed and started stroking my shoulder and back, obviously more comfortable now that some pressure had been relieved, and telling me how much she love me and how happy I made her that I felt comfortable enough with her to do this for her. After a few minutes, I released her nipple and looked into her eyes.

"I love you, Bella. I would do anything for you . . . and this could never ever be construed as a chore, love." I told her as my face gave a smirk and my pleasure was evident.

"I just want to try one thing . . . please, only try," she said. It wasn't what she said, but the mischievous look on her face that made me pause, alarmed. She reached down and grasped me, angling her hips so that the head of my penis slid inside her.

"Bella . . . you know we can't, love. I can't move in you, baby . . . you have stitches and they'll open."

"I'm not asking you to move, just to let me feel you. The cool of your body feels good, Edward. It sooths everything down there so very much better than any icepack ever could, sweetheart. Please . . . "

"What am I going to do with you. I can't deny you, and you know it," I said as I slowly entered her an inch at a time, feeling for any changes in her skin or any indications that she was tearing or uncomfortable. There were none. I stilled as our hips met, my length completely sheathed in her warm body.

"We can lie here like this for awhile, if you want, love, but I'm not going to move. We can't make love like that till you heal."

"I know. I just needed to feel you," she sighed, holding me as tightly as she was capable. I risked kissing her, still able to maintain my stillness as our tongues danced together. I had missed her so badly for over three days that she was held away from me. I broke out kiss and nuzzled my face into the side of her neck, relishing her scent as I kissed her neck and listened to her heartbeat. I kissed down her collarbone and chest till I got to the breast that I had yet ignored. I started to move off of her so that I could relieve some of the pressure in that breast as well, not wanting to be inside her for fear of hurting her.

"Stay . . . please," she said as she wrapped her legs around my waist and held me to her. I looked into her eyes, knowing that my apprehension was palpable, but knowing that I would give her what she asked for because, in reality, I wanted it as much as she did and I could deny her nothing.

I latched onto the breast much the same way I had the other one and she stiffened and cried out, apparently in more pain than before. I stopped immediately until she stroked my cheek and pulled my head back to her breast. She stiffened again, but relaxed within moments as her milk once again flowed quickly into my mouth. I concentrated on keeping my hips perfectly still as I filled her time and time again with my release, part of my brain registering that she had indeed stopped bleeding so that the venom that was being released into her body would not have an overly direct route to her bloodstream. Maybe part of me no longer cared, wanted her to join my world and gain a measure of indestructibility. I continued to come in my wife till her milk stopped flowing readily and her breasts felt equally soft and pliable to the touch as i nuzzled my face into her.

I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top of me and covered us, our bodies spent and sleep taking us both within minutes.

I awoke mid morning to the feeling of my wife kissing my neck and running her fingers through my hair.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said as she continued to kiss me. I hugged her to me and kissed her with every ounce of love I had for this woman, rolling her to her back so that I could feel her under me.

"Breakfast, love?" I asked.

"I think you mean lunch," she said laughing, gesturing to the clock that read almost ten thirty.

"Let me go and get Masen for you so you can feed him this morning," I told her. As I started to move off of her, we both came to the same realization . . .

"Shower!"

We laughed as we tumbled out of bed together and headed to the bathroom. The water warmed as Bella unwound the ace bandage covering my arm and removed the cellophane, planning to wash the arm for me before we called Carlisle up to see it.

"Edward!" she shouted, a look of shock showing on her face as she continued to stare at the hand and arm of mine that she held. I looked down to see what had upset her, preparing to comfort her that my arm was not yet healed only to see what she had seen . . . the arm appeared to be completely healed. Completely. There was very little trace that it had ever been burned other than the loss of some of the hair that had covered my forearm before the fire.

"I guess the cells that Carlisle extracted worked," I murmured, relieved. Bella smiled.

"Either that or mother's milk is better for you than we ever imagined," she laughed. God I loved that sound. We showered off quickly, anxious to see our son as well as to show Carlisle my arm.

I fastened the nursing bra behind her and she adjusted the straps to fit her enlarged breasts, slipping a stretchy long sleeved cotton tee shirt on over it. Before I would allow her to finish dressing, I insisted on checking her stitches. She huffed and puffed a bit but finally obliged me, laying back on the bed from where she had been sitting on the side of it and bringing her heels to rest on the edge, beside her bottom. I had to be certain that I hadn't torn any of her stitches and that nothing needed repairing this morning. I found nothing.

Nothing.

The stitches I had put in were dissolvable and should have been gone in about ten days , but there was no trace of them. The vaginal wall was completely repaired, not even a scar to be seen.

"Bella," her name fell from my lips at almost a whisper, alarming her.

"What is it, Edward? Is something wrong?" she asked, worriedly, propping herself up on her elbows.

I reached over her and felt her stomach and abdomen, feeling for the top of her uterus to see how much it had shrunk in size. It was back to almost a normal size. . . . pre-pregnancy normal.

"Bella, there is no trace of a cut ever having been made, or stitches for that matter. Your body, at least internally, appears and feels perfectly normal, as though you had never even had a baby, love," I told her, amazed.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Venom." It was all she needed to say.

We dressed and headed downstairs, unable to hide the Cheshire cat smiles we both wore and anxious to share our news . . .


	84. Chapter 84  Mornings

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 84 Mornings**

_We dressed and headed downstairs, unable to hide the Cheshire cat smiles we both wore . . ._

**BPOV**

We were by no means silent as we clamored down the stairs this bright Saturday morning, laughing and playing raucously with each other as though we were carefree teenagers. Other than the care of our newborn son, I suppose we were. He was trying to tickle me and I was flicking him with a hand towel that I had grabbed from the bathroom and dampened. He ran to the living room and jumped easily over the love seat. Emmett was in his usual spot on the sofa playing video games and Rosalie was sitting beside him holding Masen, starring at us along with everyone else as I caught a glimpse of my son. He was holding his head erect as well as his torso, actually sitting in Rose's lap watching us. His hair was now long enough to form ringlets past his ears in its unruly splendor and his green eyes were sparkling!

His appearance startled me so much, he looked so different than he had just hours before that I slipped my footing and landed against the back of the love seat, rolling it over onto its back and Edward pouncing on me as I lay there on the floor, tickling me mercilessly as I laughed uncontrollably. He continued taunted me, "You win, say it, Bella . . . say it . . . tell me I win and I'll quit tickling you!"

"Stop, stop! I'm going to pee if you don't, Edward!" I screeched in between laughing and trying to breath. Edward sat straddling my hips as he continued to tickle my ribs, my attempts to restrain his hands not even effective enough for him to notice the effort I was making.

"Edward! What in heavens name are you doing? Stop this right this minute, she just had a baby!" Esme insisted as she stood over us looking down at my face and the back of Edward's head as he continued his relentless torture.

"Mom! It's okay, Mom. I promise I'm not hurting her," Edward told his Mom, stopping for a second to look up at her as he spoke. "Our house, remember . . . we can rough house here," he smiled up at her and explained. I took my opportunity and tweaked his nipple, catching him off guard and toppling him over as I ran to hide behind the line of people that had come into the room to see what the ruckus was all about. I knew he was playing and allowed me to escape, of course, but the game was still fun. Edward was threatening to take this outside in the snow if I wasn't going to play fair and we were both laughing and smiling like fools.

The faces of his Mom and Dad as well as Emmett and Rosalie were priceless as his Dad grabbed him by the arm to stop him from chasing me. I'm sure my Dad and Sue, along with Jasper and Jake had similar expressions on them, but since I was hiding behind them right now, I couldn't exactly see them. What I could see was my son's expression. He was holding his torso up all by himself in Rosalie's lap and smiling a toothy grin at first his father and then me before letting out the loudest little squeal of delight, like he was trying to join in the fun. It was the first sound that he had made, other than smacking when he fed, and we all stopped dead in our tracks and turned to stare at him.

Edward was on one knee in front of the sofa where Mason had been sitting on Rosalie's lap before I even blinked, taking Mason in his arms and laughing, telling him that he was too little to play with Mommy and Daddy like that yet. Everyone starred at my son as he continued to laugh and reached his little hand out opening and closing his fist in my direction, gesturing quite plainly that he wanted me.

"What's going on, you two?" Charlie asked gruffly, "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Yes, son," Carlisle said worriedly, "Bella just gave birth and has stitches to worry about. She could start bleeding again and you don't need to be rolling around on that arm of yours either!"

Alice was standing with her hips cocked and arms crossed, smiling wildly. We weren't fooling her with our antics not even a little bit.

Edward handed me Masen, who held his body and head up and put an arm around my neck like he was a year old or something. He held his head up, seeming to want to continue to be a part of whatever was going on. I just looked at him in wonder, as Edward poked a finger at his ribs.

"You want to play, too don't you son, you want me to tickle you as well?" Edward said as he gently tickled the baby and Masen grabbed at his hand and bent over cackling in laughter. It was the cutest most incredible thing I had ever seen. Edwards eyes were alive with love and wonder, and they matched the eyes of each and every other person in the room, observing our spectacle.

Edward apologised for worrying everyone, explaining that we were just so happy we couldn't help being playful. He removed the long sleeved tee shirt he had been wearing and turned his left shoulder towards his Dad for Carlisle to examine.

"It's completely healed," Carlisle announced, his eyes wide and relief in his voice, "There isn't even a great deal of scarring left. Edward, when did you discover this?"

"When we woke up and got into the shower this morning. Bella's stitches are gone as well."

"Hadn't you better fix that then? I mean, shouldn't they have stayed in long enough for her to heal there?" Charlie asked, concerned.

"They're healed. Actually, there is absolutely no trace that there was ever a cut, much less stitches," Edward said, starring at Carlisle and Esme, "or a birth for that matter. Other than her stomach needing time to firm up again," he said as his hands ran up and down my sides, "you would never know she had a baby," Edward told them. "You can obviously smell that there is no longer any bleeding."

"Edward, how is that possible?" Carlisle asked, as Esme was putting a hand on my shoulder and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as if to make sure the things in front of her were real.

"I'm not sure you really want the answer to that, Carlisle," I told him turning eight shades of red as my eyes left his and returned to meet Edward's gaze, "I'm sure that Edward will tell you in private, but lets just say that we managed to heal each other."

"Bella . . . you know there are no secrets in this family, now spill!" Alice chided. I held Masen and hid my face in Edward's naked chest as he started to speak.

"It seems that breast milk is similar to venom in it's ability to heal," he told them. I drained her of her breast milk this morning to relieve her being engorged, and the arm healed before we woke up.

Carlisle stared at him in wonder, his mouth held slightly open. It was an unusual for him as he was practiced in not revealing emotion on his face. Having honed that skill, I imagine, over centuries of being a doctor and dealing with patients. "And her stitches? Edward, you didn't allow venom to come into contact with her stitches, did you?" Carlisle asked, concerned.

"I did," my husband told him with a huge grin on his face and tell tale twinkle in his eyes, "In fact, I coated them with it, and now there is no trace of the injury ever having been "

"Shit man, you mean you came all over her while you sucked her tits and it fixed both of you!" Emmett exclaimed. The look of innocent little kid wonder and awe on his face was quickly turned to a frown as Rose smacked him hard and Esme and I both exclaimed "Emmett!" almost in unison.

"Nice," was all Jasper and Jacob said staring first at each other then nodding at Edward.

I was sure I was going to melt into a small puddle and then the steam would evaporate me, as I was so burning hot from blushing. Edward tightened his arms around us and held me close to him, stroking my hair and smiling widely.

"So you see, there is cause for a party tonight! Bella wants to go and visit Bree and we can pick up whatever supplies we need from town," Edward suggested.

Alice squealed, clapping her hands and bounding up and down, "Yes! Yes! Yes! A party! We can celebrate Mason's birth! It can be a birthday party, age zero!"

"That sounds like a great idea, Edward. After all the stress the last week or two, you two deserve a party," Sue proclaimed, "I'm making the cake."

"If you make it, Sue, I'll eat some of it," Edward laughed, surprised faces nodded all around me at the idea of him eating cake. "I'd really like to run out for a snack, if you don't mind though, before we go. In spite of being filled with milk, I'm still really thirsty. Guys, you up to it?" he asked, looking at Emmett, Jasper and Jacob.

"I'm always up for a drink, brother," Emmett joked, nodding towards Jacob, "but do we always have to bring the dog?" Jake was laughing almost as hard as Edward and the rest of us, Emmett punching him in the shoulder as he headed out the kitchen door with his brothers.

Edward slipped his shirt back on, asking me if I minded him leaving for a bit. I reminded him that I never ever minded him feeding himself as he kissed Mason and me and headed out, assuring me they would be back shortly. I sat down on the sofa, Carlisle having righted the love seat beside it and Emily, Sue, Esme, Rosalie and Alice sat down with me leaving Charlie with his hands in his pockets looking kind of sheepish.

"Let's go get the grill set up, Charlie. I have a feeling we're about to get some venison to cook for dinner," he said as Charlie grabbed a coat and they headed out to the patio. I heard Charlie asking Carlisle if I really was alright, wanting assurance as they went out the back door.

"So, you're really alright?" Esme asked, concerned.

"I feel great, Esme. Better than great, except of course that my boobs kind of hurt from being so full," I told her as I clutched Masen to me while he patted my face with his little hand.

"Well, dear, it sounds like you have a way to alleviate that pressure whenever you want," she laughed, as did all the other women in the room. I was well on my way to turning a nice shade of red, yet again!

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

I couldn't believe Sam. I knew he hated the bloodsuckers, but I had come to realize that the Cullens really didn't deserve our hatred like others of their kind. They were different, respectful of human life and trying to make the best of what life had thrown at them, regardless of their nature. Stu[id werewolf bullshit. Having to claim my rightful role was bittersweet - I had been able to save Edward, but it opened up a whole other can of worms for me. Sam was obeying, in fact he had no choice. No choice whatsoever.

I phased back and ran after Edward, barely reaching him in time to pull him back out of the burning house. I have no idea how he had the courage to run in there, I very nearly could not force myself to run in far enough to grab him and pull him out. His shirt was on fire and I had to pull him to the ground and use the snow to put it out before it burned him worse than it already had. He was crying and screaming for Bella the entire time, kneeling on the snow and rocking back and forth as we watched the house burn. His family arrived shortly, his Mom and sister trying to tend the wound and comfort him, to no avail. He just knelt there and stared. After a few hours and our being forced to back up by the arriving emergency personnel, a fireman walked out with Bella's necklace. It was the first time Edward had responded to anything. He stood, took the necklace in his hand, and turned to walk away.

I knew Sam was just beyond the treeline, watching, so I walked off into the trees unnoticed for the moment and phased. I needed to make sure he understood to leave Edward alone, and it was the only way I could force my will over his. I needed the mind connection that we had while in wolf form. The minute I phased I heard him . . . I felt him. The rage inside Sam was palpable even over the distance between us and it was no longer just at the bloodsuckers, he was murderously enraged with me as well. Not only had I stopped him from killing a vampire, but I had usurped all of his authority and assumed the role of alpha, and thereby chief of the tribe. Though he knew I was the rightful heir, he had enjoyed the role and as much as he had said he was simply filling the role waiting for me to return, was furious at having to give it up.

Once I was certain that he could not pose a threat to the Cullen's I phased back to see what the plan was, now that Edward had left and the firemen were still putting out the fire. We were all going to Edward and Bella's house to regroup and take care of Edward. He would need tending to, that much was for sure. I never in my wildest hopes thought that Bella would be at the house, or that Edward could ever deliver the baby without it harming her . . . but he did.

Rationally I knew that she would want to become one of them, to join his world, but I hadn't exactly faced it. It hit me square in the face when he explained to Carlisle that the metal syringe lying there for all to see on the nightstand by their bed was full of his venom. He would have changed her in a heartbeat if there were any indication that he was loosing her, and I couldn't say I blamed him. If I had a way of saving the woman I loved and keeping her forever, I'd damn sure do it, regardless. It still just stunned me though . . . realizing that it would probably happen eventually. They would never be able to face her growing old and dying . . .

My attention was drawn back from my musing by the sight of Edward's shoulder and what Sam had done to him. the places where Sam's teeth had pierced the skin were ripped and torn and fluid was oozing out of him all over the place on the rest of that arm as well. I figured he needed a refill. Jasper and Emmett agreed and I left to go and get a deer for him, Emmett getting him to come to the backyard to drink from it when I returned.

I had indeed run into Sam in the woods, pacing and circling, scared that some harm was going to come to Emily in retaliation for what he had done to Edward. As soon as I phased he knew that wasn't the case, he saw plainly in my thoughts that Emily was fine and that no one was mistreating her as a result of his actions. He was astounded. Apparently if the situation were reversed, he would have retaliated without question.

"They're not like that, Sam. Compassion. You need to look it the fuck up since you clearly do not understand what it means. These bloodsuckers are not the ones from our legends, Sam, and you need to get the difference through your head."

"They're fucking bloodsuckers, though, Jake. That's all. Call a spade a spade," Sam thought.

"No. Do you not see how different they are from Victoria? Don't you feel the difference in the way they treat humans or are you really that fucking ignorant and unable to learn? Just stay the hell away from the house, understand. Direct order . . . do not approach the Cullen's or their houses, at all! Are we clear?" I demanded.

"Yes."

I heard his reply in my mind, but I also felt the force it took to get that response from him. I had no idea what the hell I would have to do to solve this problem.

"Look, I absolutely forbid you to come near any of them or their guests. Emily is safe and other than apologising for your actions . . ."

"Apologizing?" he cut me off.

I shouted above his thoughts, ". . . and being ashamed of you for it, she's fine. If you hear her crying, it's your fault . . . not theirs and you are to stay away."

"Fine," he spat, his thoughts still violently hostile.

"I have to get the bloodsucker something to drink, I didn't want him to hunt with the injury you caused him so I'm taking him dinner," I told him.

"What are you now, the fucking delivery boy . . . _Chief Jacob_?" he tried to taunt me.

"Shut the fuck up, Sam. I'm trying to fix your screw up so just sit down and think about what a deceitful bastard you're acting like. They brought you here only because they thought it would help me, you inconsiderate ungrateful asshole, then your treachery caused Edward to be injured. I should end you myself . . . and I'm considering it. Stay away from me and them till I calm down, if you know what's good for you. You broke the treaty and I can in good conscience hand you over to them and have them end you, and don't think Emmett and Jasper don't want to do just that right about now!"

I walked away from him in a huff, anxious to find a damned deer and get back to the house. Emmett must have heard me coming because I wasn't in the clearing in the back yard for long before Edward came out of the house and I tossed dinner to him, telling him he could have his before I had mine. He smiled and thanked me, knowing as I did that he really had needed to feed.

I phased back and started towards the house in time to hear Emily apologising to Edward for Sam's attack and Edward showing huge understanding and restraint in thanking her and simply telling her that he'd talk to her about it tomorrow. Damn. I wandered on into the house in time to see Carlisle coming down the stairs.

"Jacob, you need to get some rest. All of us will stay here tonight to make sure there is no problem. We require no sleep and you will need to be rested tomorrow to deal with Sam," Carlisle told me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "I haven't gotten a chance to thank you for saving my son, Jacob. I am in your debt and if there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, please feel free to ask."

"Edward is my friend, Carlisle. He would have done the same for me. He could have killed Sam at any time, believe me, I know the restraint your son showed in dealing with him. I'll take care of Sam . . . one way or another," I told him. He started to walk away, but this was as good a time as any to admit to what I had done.

"Carlisle," I called to him and he turned to face me, "I had to accept my position as alpha of the pack and Chief of the tribe to force Sam to obey me."

"Yes, Edward told me."

"I realize that Sam has broken the treaty between us, Carlisle, but I hope . . ."

"There will be no retaliations, Jacob," Carlisle said, nodding to me just as my father used to do, "I know you'll do the right thing with Sam." I nodded and continued up the stairs. I was exhausted and I needed to think. I realized that my room had been given to Emily and Sam while I was in wolf form, but Emily had told me that she would sleep in with Sue so that I could get some much needed rest, and for that I was grateful. I fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillows, as it was the first time I had been in a bed in almost two weeks!

Morning came all too soon and I awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon. Esme was cooking up a storm, excited to have Bella safely upstairs and the baby born, as well as wanting to feed all the humans in the house. I sat down by Emily, Sue and Charlie were on the other side of the table quietly talking, well, Sue was talking while Charlie appeared to be trying to read the paper. Esme had just finished preparing this monster tray of food to take up to Bella, and I wondered if Bella was even awake this early.

The new little squirt was in the living room being fought over by his aunts who were arguing over who he preferred to feed him. He seemed awfully alert for a newborn, but then I had to remind myself that he was, after all, half vampire and none of us really knew what that was going to mean. Still, he held his head up all on his own and looked around as though he was interested in each and every thing around him.

I went to the stove and filled my plate. Deer was great, but cooked food had its place in my heart and I certainly preferred it to eating as a wolf. I sat down and tried my best not to inhale the food, knowing that Sue and Emily were watching. I was sure Emily was used to it though. I had gathered from Sam's thoughts that the pack congregated at her house and she fed them regularly. I couldn't help but chuckle at the visions of it all from Sam's memories that I had seen.

"So, when are you going back to Forks, Charlie?" I asked between mouth fulls.

"I thought I'd fly back Sunday afternoon, Jake, if Bells and Edward are doing well. I need to get back to work and a week is about as long as they can do without me," he laughed, adjusting his glasses and turning the page in his paper.

"Sue, are you going with him?" I asked.

"Well, I suppose I will, Jake. No reason for me to stay now that you seem to be able to phase at will," she observed.

"True, true," I said.

"I suppose I'll be going home as well, Jake. I just don't know about Sam . . . ," Emily's sentence drifted off as Edward came down the stairs.

"Good morning everyone," he said as headed toward his son, lifting him easily and telling him good morning as well. "I see that everyone down here is eating, little one, and your mommy is waiting to feed you, are you hungry?" he asked the baby, seeming to fully expect a response. I just shook my head, the next few years were going to be really weird with Masen growing up and no one knowing what the hell to expect from him. At least Edward could read his mind, that had to help significantly.

"Edward, is Bella awake? I'd like to see her," Charlie told him.

"I'm sure she wants to see everyone, Charlie, as soon as this little guy has his breakfast I'll come and get you, alright?" It wasn't as though Edward was really asking him, more telling him how it was as he disappeared up the stairs with his son. Charlie hawed and humphed for a minute, but he knew that Edward was only looking out for Bella, not trying to keep him away from his daughter.

I put my dishes into the sink and headed out back, I had put off dealing with Sam for long enough. Jasper and Emmett were outside and seemed to know that I was headed to find Sam.

"Do you need backup, Jake?" Jasper offered.

"Hell yea, right here for ya man and more than willing to kick some werewolf ass after what he did," Emmett added.

"I appreciate that, guys. I need to decide what to do with him. He has to be punished for this and technically, since he broke the treaty, his life is forfeit." Jasper and Emmett both looked behind me, and I turned slowly to see Emily standing there in the doorway. I had been so deep in my own thoughts that I had not heard her open the door. From the lack of color in her face and the shocked look, she had heard me. She walked toward me, wringing her hands together as she walked, "Please, Jake . . . I know he was wrong, terribly wrong, but . . . "

It was as though the words wouldn't come to her. She knew that punishment was deserved, but she loved the guy and you couldn't blame her for being ripped apart by her emotions.

I refused to answer her. "I have to sort this out on my own. I'll be back by tomorrow morning," I told them as I quickly ran for the cover of the woods and phased, locating Sam mentally almost immediately and heading toward him full speed.


	85. Chapter 85  Sam

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** My apologies to all for your having to wait for this chapter. Unexpected company, a trip to Jacksonville to return grandchildren that spent Easter weekend with me and my real life moving homes after 25 years is taking lots of time and energy. I especially appreciate all the thoughts and comments about what to do with Sam! I hope you like it . . .

**Chapter 85 Sam**

_"Please, Jake . . . I know he was wrong, terribly wrong, but . . . "_

**Jacob POV**

I was only gone a few hours, trying to reason with Sam was pointless. He was staying away and leaving the Cullens alone only because he had no choice. He had to follow direct commands of the alpha and I reinforced those every time I saw him. He was so filled with hatred at this point that I found it absolutely impossible to even stay in wolf form and be subjected to his thoughts.

Anger was contagious, but it was not to Sam's advantage. I thought hunting together would help, that he would calm somewhat after he had a meal; although I knew his stomach was full, his mind was still intensely centered on rage. His mental imagery made me so mad that I reached over and ripped his flank, essentially hamstringing him. It would heal, but he had to be put in his place.

He was desperate to see Emily . . . and that I could understand, though I had only begun to understand the whole magnitude of the imprint thing. I arranged to meet him on the other side of town at one of the local landmarks that no one would dare try to reach with the snow still thick on the slopes. My agreeing to bring her there to meet with him, if she wanted to come, appeased him somewhat; and he limped off on three legs, undoubtedly to find a place to lick his wounds and settle in till he healed.

I headed back to the house, just in time to get in on a discussion about circumcising the baby. Damn. I forgot that people still did that, the Quilette tribe never did. The disturbing image that having to remove the foreskin using vampire teeth conjured up was so repulsive that I was sure it would scar Edward as well as Masen for eternity if they chose to do it that way. I reminded them that werewolf claws could cut vampire skin as well, and realized instantly that I had just agreed to giving them a claw. Well shit. Don't guess it mattered, I had found out that they grew back pretty quickly when I had snagged one on a root and torn it out last week. Even that repaired itself.

I saw the look on Rosalie's face at the thought of dismembering me, well, removing a claw anyway. The blond bloodsucker was just too damned happy to be cutting on me with a hacksaw. I hadn't thought about who would do it, any of the bloodsuckers I guessed, the humans wouldn't have had the strength. She was just such a smart ass bitch, even for a leech. I wasn't sure if we hated each other or were friends that just liked to harass each other, but which ever one it was, I guess that relationship worked for now.

I tensed while she was still sawing, not because of her actions, but because Sam was near . . . too near. I ordered him away but he stayed as close as he could, justifying his presence by insisting that he was just trying to get a glimpse of Emily . . . and protect me of course. Whatever. As long as he stayed away. I ordered him away and not to touch any of the Cullen's or their family before I quickly phased back to human, relieved that I no longer had to endure his mental assault. I'd rather suck my injured finger than lick my paw any day.

We all spent the rest of Friday afternoon cutting up and smoking venison. Well, Charlie enjoyed the cooking part and Emmett seemed to enjoy the cutting up part. I just enjoyed the hell out of the situation. The vampire leftovers were cut up, in part, by the werewolf and the human cooked the meat for dinner at the vampire's house. Fucking unbelievable . . . but it was working. We all listened to Edward play the piano. It wasn't something we had heard this last week and the melodies that the leech played filled the house and brightened every one's spirits. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying a delicious dinner that Charlie and Sue prepared with Esme and Emily's help. I slept again that night, confident that Sam could not go against my orders and that there were no other dangers threatening the people near me, at least for the time being.

I was having another amazing breakfast Saturday morning when the ruckus began. Esme had made cinnamon rolls from scratch and the flaky buttery goodness absolutely melted in my mouth, along with bacon and eggs and biscuits. The commotion began as Edward ran down the stairs at a fast human pace with Bella hot on his heels apparently trying to snap him with a towel. They were both laughing loudly and smiling from ear to ear, obviously being playful. It was an odd sight for several reasons. Bella had been so pregnant since I came to visit for Christmas that seeing her move at anything other than waddling at a snails pace was somewhat startling, especially since she just had the baby night before last and she should be uncomfortable from stitches and bleeding and shit. Edward, well Edward had been so drained lately that he had not even hunted for himself in days, his brothers and I bringing meals to him to encourage him to eat and keep his strength up. The arm he burned in the fire had been weeping so much fluid that it was sapping all of his strength and energy.

I walked into the living room just after Bella knocked the love seat over and Edward pounced on top of her, pinning her on the back cushion of the toppled sofa and tickling her unmercifully. Esme tried to intervene and Bella escaped to run and hide behind me and Emmett and Jasper to protect her from him as he threatened to continue the torture outside in the snow since she wasn't playing fair. What the hell had gotten into them? I had seen people high on weed showing more ability to control themselves than these two . . . I kept glancing from Bella who was ducking and teasing from behind me to Edward who stood behind the overturned love seat with one of Esme's hands on his chest as if to hold him back. He was grinning like a madman.

The unexpected squeal coming from Masen got all of our attention. Edward was kneeling in front of him in an instant The little squirt was acting like he wanted to play with them and was determined to be noticed. What the hell? He was less than two days old and he noticed things gong on around him! The baby was sitting erect, holding his own head up as he stared with seemingly focused eyes, as much as asking Bella to pick him up by gesturing his hand towards her, stretching his little fingers out towards her then fisting them and stretching them out again. Edward was asking him if he was alright and I would swear Edward was getting responses to his questions from the little guy. I stood slack jawed, absolutely amazed at the child they had created and wondering what the hell it would grow up to be.

Emmett hit the nail on the head and deserved the fist bump from Jasper and I for putting the apparent cure that Edward had described into terms we could all understand.

_Shit man, you mean you came all over her while you sucked her tits and it fixed both of you!_

Jeez. In front of the Chief and his parents. That was the thing I liked most about Emmett, if I was honest with myself . . . he just said things the way he saw them, no nonsense, no trying to sugar coat it or spare anyone's feelings, just plain and simple. The resulting blush that always covered Bella's face was also a bonus.

Edward wanting to have a party and offering to eat cake was just mind blowing to me. Edward? Party? The two words just had never gone together. Edward was normally so uptight that coal would form into a diamond if you shoved it up his ass. I guess he was just really relieved with Bella safe and the baby having been delivered safely as well.

He actually admitted to being thirsty for the first time in a very long timer, and I headed off with him and his brothers to find dinner. I would tell Emily about the meeting with Sam when I got back. I wasn't supposed to meet him till this afternoon anyway. I phased in the backyard, just inside the trees and immediately picked up on Sam, pacing. He was just out of earshot of myself and the bloodsuckers, but once I phased my mind knew exactly what he was doing. I made sure he knew not to go near the Cullen's or their houses and reminded him to meet me this afternoon. I had to let him know what I had decided, after clearing it with Sue, and Emily deserved to see him. They had a lot to sooner than we had all gotten back from our hunting trip Emily wanted some answers.

"So, where are we meeting Sam?" Emily asked kind of quietly.

"Over at a place called Whiteside Mountain. It's a favorite repelling site for climbers and with all of this snow on the ground, there won't be anyone else around."

"Have you decided a fitting punishment for Sam, Jake?" Charlie asked.

"I have. I just thought that Emily should have a chance to visit with him first, before Sue and I tell him."

No one said a word. I think Emily was kind of afraid to ask what was going to happen to Sam, knowing that she would find out soon enough . . . and having enough respect for me not to try and change my decision. That spoke volumes about her character and her loyalty to the tribe. That simple act of not questioning me, accepting my authority . . . that right there cemented my decision. She deserved the very best from me both as the Chief of her tribe and as her friend. Sam was her mate, and whatever I did to him would affect her almost as severely as it did him. Judge, jury and executioner was a lot to put on any one man, especially when that man was me.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I could hear Sam's mind the second Jacob phased into wolf form. I sensed the struggle and heard the internal monologue from Jacob's mind as well as Sam's while we were out hunting and Jacob was in wolf form. The pack mind was fascinating. Jacob completely dominated Sam's will when he chose to and Sam's thoughts were laid bare to Jacob. It had been two days since he attacked me, but the rage in him had not calmed. I had paid no attention to his thoughts the day I ran past him and he turned on me, though I heard his malice while he attempted to get Jacob to help him rip me into pieces. His thoughts now were more murderous than ever, bordering on being obsessed with dismembering and burning me . . . he saw me now as not only a filthy bloodsucker, but as being directly responsible for keeping him from his mate. I had no idea about _imprinting_, but it seemed from what I gathered from his mind that the bond was formidable.

We ran past him at a distance, heading into the forest to hunt. Jacob hung back, preferring to feed on our leftovers, as usual. I couldn't fault him for it, why waste the deer. My father, brothers and I fed, pausing to enjoy the midday sun of the meadow as we waited for him to finish his meal. It was a sunny winter day and the secluded meadow offered us a rare opportunity to enjoy the feeling of the sun on our skin, though it somewhat dismayed Jacob.

_"How do you stand yourselves? Seriously? The sparkly shit, that's just not manly. Couldn't the women sparkle in the sun and the men glow in the dark or some other cool shit instead . . . who decided that you should sparkle?"_ Jacob asked me in his thoughts.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Edward? First you come down stairs chasing your wife like you're a teenager flirting and now you just sit there and laugh all by yourself. You can't possibly expect to keep your man card . . . hell it should have been pulled when you were able to be close to a human and not kill her, you just got brownie points for your self restraint is all that saved you," Emmett fussed.

"Actually, Emmett, Jacob here was just commenting on how girlie it was to sparkle in the sun . . . something about you not being manly . . ."

"What?" Emmett glared and shoved the wolf playfully, knocking him momentarily off balance and causing him to stumble.

"You do sparkle quite nicely," Jasper complimented him, roaring with laughter as he held his sides reflexively.

Even in wolf form, it was obvious that Jacob was laughing. Emmett picked the wolf up and tossed him a few yards into the tall grass, Jasper grabbing Emmett from behind and flinging him even further. That started it and the two vampires blurred as they moved, at least from Jacob's view, as they came at him from different directions, taunting him. Carlisle and I sat and laughed riotously as their antics continued.

"I'm relieved the arm healed so nicely, son," Carlisle smiled, "I was worried."

"She's amazing isn't she," I stated. It wasn't a question.

"The two of you together are beyond anything I've ever seen," he told me, staring off into the distance, a smile showing on his face. "You know, I asked Aro about your arm." I felt as though I had literally turned to stone . . . I froze.

"Aro Volturi?"

"Yes," Carlisle confirmed, "He had never had direct experience with a severe burn, either. His advice was the same as I was already doing, bathing the wound in venom." He paused and looked straight at me, though I already heard his thoughts. "He sends his regards and wishes you a full recovery." I paused for a moment, knowing the danger the Volturi represented as long as I was involved with a human knowing about our world.

"That's an issue I suppose we should address . . . and soon," I sighed, gesturing with my eyebrows. We knew it would come to this . . . I knew it, when I was being honest with myself. I could not hide the fact that my mate was human forever, and if it were exposed, my entire family would be held responsible and punished.

By the time we returned to the house, Bella was anxious to see Bree.

"Jacob, will you go with us to the hospital before you meet Sam? I can hear his thoughts if he approaches, but you can order him away and I don't want any problems with Bella and Charlie out with us." I spoke privately to him, at least private from the humans, while Bella went to get her coat and he walked outside with me to warm up the car and truck.

"Yea, he's still pretty intense. I haven't been able to get through to him at all, other than ordering him to stay away. His loss will be a huge blow to the pack. He was the first one to phase and he figured it all out for the rest of us," Jacob lamented.

"I gathered that from your thoughts this afternoon, while you were in wolf form. For what it's worth . . . thank you. Thank you for all the times you protected Bella and now for protecting me," I told him.

"Yea, well just remember I did it for her, bloodsucker, not for you. If you ever hurt her I will rip you apart and burn you myself." I stared at him for a long moment. There was no doubt in his voice, he was absolutely serious and his thoughts agreed. I could respect that. Though he and I had established a good relationship between us, friends even, there was no doubt that his loyalty lay with Bella. He was her friend first and foremost and in truth, he would be waiting in the wings for me to make a big enough mistake that she might leave me for him.

Jacob had arranged to take Emily to Sam over at a place called Whiteside Mountain, just past the hospital on the other side of town. I really didn't want any problems with Sam, nor did I want him anywhere near my wife, so I asked Jacob to accompany us to the hospital when Bella went to see Bree . . . the hospital was just too damned close to where he was meeting Sam.

"Got those cars warmed up yet, boys?" Charlie remarked as he rubbed his hands together, gesturing as to how very cold it was outside and hurrying down the steps towards us. Bella was behind him, followed by Carlisle and Emily. Alice had insisted on coming as well, though she was blocking me from whatever it was she had been seeing.

We took two vehicles, Bella, Alice, Carlisle, Esme and I in one, and Emily, Jacob, Sue and Charlie in Jacob's truck. Jacob would take Emily with him when we left the hospital and Charlie would ride back home with the rest of us. Charlie had insisted on meeting the girl that had been kidnapped with Bella, and Sue wanted to come with Charlie. Rosalie and my other three siblings watched after Masen while we were gone. Though Bella had wanted to bring him, Carlisle convinced her that the hospital was no place for a new baby and Masen would never pass for a normal newborn. He would not be allowed to go up onto the floor where Bree was anyway, hospital rules.

Carlisle led us to a room on the step down unit, she had been taken out of intensive care, but was not well enough to be put on the floor in a regular room. He entered the unit to check on her, returning with two people who his mind was telling me were her parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanner, I'd like you to meet Bella's father, Charlie Swan, and my son, Edward," Carlisle told them, ". . . and this is Bella."

"Well, we can never thank you enough for finding our daughter and rescuing her," Bree's Mom said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She moved to stand in front of my wife and she hugged her tightly for a long moment. "You saved her life. The doctors said that if you hadn't gotten her here when you did, she would have died. I don't know how I'll ever thank you enough," she told Bella.

"I'm just so sorry they took her in the first place. They were just so totally deranged! I can only imagine what they intended to do to us," Bella said softly.

"Yes, I'm just so glad you were able to escape while they were out and get Bree out into a car and to the hospital, especially in your condition! Dr. Cullen told us that your baby was delivered just a few hours later . . . is everything alright with the baby?" Mrs. Tanner asked as she continued to hold my hands in hers.

"Yes ma'am," Bella said as she put her arm around me and pulled me tightly to her, "my husband delivered our son at our home and he is doing just fine." The look of pride in me on her face made even my still heart seem to beat.

"Well, she just woke up this morning, and she has been asking about you. I would love to know how you did it, got away from them I mean," Mr. Tanner added. I started to jump in, but Bella put her other hand on my chest, as though to stop me.

"Riley and Victoria were fighting and left the door unbolted when they walked up the stairs," Bella told them, I heard them talking about going for food and to discuss what they were going to do with us, so when I heard a car leave, I went upstairs." I was having a hard time controlling myself while I heard even this watered down version of what had happened and I found myself grasping Bella harder than I should as I stood beside her.

"I found keys, pretty much drug your daughter to the car and drove her here. Nothing heroic, we were just lucky I noticed their mistakes I guess," she told them.

I stared down at my wife. Brilliant. No discussion of ransom, nothing to complicate their abduction, just plain and simple.

_Flesh out the facts and cover your tracks._

My wife was a true Cullen . . . vampire or not, and I had never been more proud of her. We went in to see Bree, Bella immediately hugging her and tears were everywhere. Her inability to stop staring at me was somewhat embarrassing, though is was the same as it had always been in high schools as well as on college campuses.

"No wonder you were so determined to get back to your husband," she told Bella, breaking the tension somewhat and causing everyone to laugh, "How is the baby?"

"Oh good gracious, how rude of me," Mr. Tanner exclaimed, rushing to scoot a chair next to the bed for Bella, "You just had a baby, my dear. Please, make yourself comfortable . . . sit down."

"Dear, sitting is probably the last thing she wants to do," his wife scolded.

"No, no. It's fine, thank you," Bella told her.

They chatted for awhile about babies and how cute Masen was and Bella showed her a photo she had snapped on my phone of him sleeping that first day. Charlie discussed the police investigation and Mr. Tanner's fears that they might try to take her again before the police apprehend them. He told him that it was unlikely that would happen, that it wasn't what criminals normally did. He tried to comfort the man as he was unable to just tell him that Riley and Victoria were dead. Charlie was covering for us as well, though fussing continuously to himself that he had to, as he stood beside Sue.

"So, you'll call me, right?" Bree implored Bella, wanting reassurance that she would hear from her.

"Of course I will! You have what, two more years at Clemson?" Bella asked.

"Yes, and I want you to come down and meet my boyfriend. Maybe you could come see a rehearsal of the band . . ."

"Sorry to interrupt," Jacob said as he stuck his head in the door. I waited for him to continue, listening to his mind to see what he wanted. I assumed he needed to get going to meet Sam, but his mind was blank. Blank. He held the door with one hand, his head peeking around it to look into the room . . . and he was staring. I followed his gaze to the center of the room, more specifically to the girl in the bed . . . Bree. She was staring back at him with an intensity I rarely saw in humans. It was as though the rest of the room had fallen away and it was only them alone.

So this was imprinting.

Jacob stepped into the room, never taking his eyes off of her and walked over to stand by the bed next to the chair where Bella sat. Bella introduced them and Jacob took Bree's hand, but didn't release it. Everyone was in the room now, and it was Alice that danced over to Bree and introduced herself, grabbing Jacob's hand and asking him if she could speak to him for a minute. I followed them out of the room and into the hall, fascinated by what had just happened.

"You need to get going," I told Jacob as Carlisle joined us in the hall, Emily following him. He stared at me for a long moment, dazed. His mind screamed for him to go right back in that room and never leave, but after several minutes he realized where he was and the appointment he needed to keep.

"Oh. Right, right. Sure," he said as he shook his head as if to throw off the thoughts he was having and clear his head.

"Mind if I go with you?" Carlisle asked, coming from Bree's room to join Jacob, Emily, and I in the hallway.

"You think that's wise, Carlisle? I've heard Sam's thoughts. He hasn't stopped thinking about ripping us apart and Alice can't see to know if it's safe," I asked.

"I signed the original treaty, Edward, as you did. I won't have you near him and we need to be represented," he explained, "He broke the treaty and consequences have to occur. Perhaps we need to renegotiate a new treaty."

"Carlisle, this won't be the time or place for that," Jacob told him.

"None the less, as the Alpha, you can control Sam and as the representative for our side, I am requesting to come," Carlisle insisted. I read his thoughts. He wanted to negotiate a codicil to the treaty . . . an exception allowing us to change Bella into a vampire in return for our not exercising our right to retaliate or demanding Sam's life be forfeit. He was trying to keep the peace as well as clear the way for us to adhere to vampire law by changing Bella.

"Fine. Let's go then. We're meeting him on top of Whiteside Mountain and it may take us a few minutes to carry Emily up there. If you come, you'll have to carry her so that I can be in wolf form and keep Sam from attacking you," Jacob told us, "Is that okay with you, Emily?"

We all turned to look at her, but her face was a mass of emotion. Her thoughts went from anger at Sam for his actions to borderline hysteria at the thought of loosing him . . . that this meeting might be her last chance to see him. "Fine. It's fine with me, Jacob, if it's alright with Carlisle," Emily said quietly. She already knew that it would be no problem for him, physically.

"Alright then, please be careful," I told them as they headed out. Sue stepped out of Bree's room at the last minute, realizing what was going on and insisting on coming along. She was a council elder in our tribe and I could not deny her.

Alice and I returned to Bree's room, just catching the tail end of Bella telling Bree about our being accepted at Dartmouth and trying to decide if she wanted to go to college now that she had an infant to consider. Esme and Charlie listened quietly to the discussion, along with Bree's parents. I was unused to sharing plans with anyone outside the family, but I trusted Bella to know what she was doing.

~oooOooo~

**Emily POV**

I listened there in the hallway as they decided my husband's fate. It was not spoken, but it was there all the same. I followed Jacob, Sue, and Carlisle as they made their way out of the hospital toward Jacob's truck. I had no idea how I would survive without him if that was what had been decided . . . and doubted that I would want to. I could only hope that Sam had the ability to change . . . for both our sakes.


	86. Chapter 86  Concequences

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors note: **I want to thank each and every one of you for sending in your opinions and suggestions as to what needed to be done with Sam. I have really struggled with this and I hope you think solution I chose is fitting. Part of it carries over to another chapter but, well . . . you'll see. _TwilightFanInIllinois _came up with one of the best solutions, and I am quoting one of her phrases later in the chapter! Thank you so so much for all the thoughtfulness and concern!

**Chapter 86 Consequences**

_I had no idea how I would survive without him if that was what had been decided . . . _

_and doubted that I would want to. _

_I could only hope that Sam had the ability to change . . . for both our sakes._

**Emily POV**

The four of us walked out of the hospital and towards the truck; Sue having said bye to Charlie and told him where she was going and Edward having gone back into Bree's room to be with Bella. It was as though ice ran through my veins, because there was no feeling . . . none. My limbs moved, enabling me to blindly follow Jake, but there was nothing there - no sense of me.

I had no idea what it was I was supposed to be doing, or what was about to happen. My life was about to irrevocably change and it seemed as though I had absolutely no control.

Sam was behaving outrageously, anger and rage clouding his senses. It didn't even seem to be about the legends and histories . . . just about hatred and vengeance. I understood that he saw it as an outrage that Bella was with Edward, let alone creating a child with her. It had been difficult for Sue, as well, to accept them as a couple. I sighed, knowing that I understood it far better than either of them. I was with Sam and sometimes, Sam was not human at all . . . Sam was a wolf.

The ride in the truck was silent, Carlisle noticing my jacket was not fastened and my hat still in the truck as we walked toward the path that would take us up the mountain Sue grabbed the hat and made sure I was tucked into my coat with my mittens on; my body numb as my mind raced through the different scenarios. They could simply reprimand Sam, or disgrace him by banning him from the tribal grounds . . . or they could decide that his life was forfeit. Whatever they chose, my life would never be the same. Jacob ran into the woods to phase, surely to check and see if Sam was here yet. He returned shortly . . . and he was frowning.

"Sam's at the top waiting, mad as hell because Carlisle is here. I'm going to take Emily on ahead, Carlisle, if you'll help Sue. Just follow the path. The evergreens are so thick you won't need to carry her till the last bit above treeline. I'll meet you there. I'm going to give them some time alone," Jacob said quietly. Carlisle acknowledged the plan and I turned to Sue.

"It'll be alright," Sue whispered to me as she hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek, "We'll make him see that he was wrong, he just has to admit it and things will go in a completely different direction, Emily. Just make him see." I nodded, tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew that Sue was trying to help, trying to give me a clue, something to work with . . . but I also knew Sam.

Jacob put me down once we got to a sort of level area; it looked as though the top of a fence was showing along the edge of what appeared to be a cliff, and we were above it on some rocks. He hugged me, then gestured towards where Sam was approaching and left us alone. I ran into my husbands arms, tears streaming down my face and onto his bare chest as I clung to him.

"Are you alright, baby? They haven't hurt you have they?" he asked, placing his hands on my shoulders and pushing me away from him so that he could see my face.

"No, no of course not, Sam. They are my friends," I shifted my eyes from his face and looked at his chest as my hands held his waist, "They would be your friends, too, if you would let them." He looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Emily, we can not be friends with our tribes enemies!" he scolded, in disbelief that I had said such a thing. I looked sternly at him, he had to grasp this, his very life might depend on it.

"The Cullens are not and have never been our enemies, yours, mine or the tribes. You need to understand that!" I nearly yelled, willing him to hear me.

"They have fooled you, just like Jacob and Sue. They are the enemy, Emily. They are not human. Hell, they are not even alive!" he yelled back, his face red and the tendons in his neck and blood vessels in his face standing out in his apparent rage.

"You are the one that is delusional, Sam. I can't believe you attacked Edward. Edward, of all people, Sam! He took care of me when I was hurt, he was the one in the most pain with Bella's kidnapping. How could you?" I said speaking very quietly. He knew me, he knew I was dead serious.

"In pain? Em, he fucked her and got her pregnant with his spawn! He plans to kill her, Em, to turn her into what he is," he insisted cupping my face in his hands and forcing me to look at him, "and you have no proof that he did anything for you or checked you at all after the redhead hit you."

God, he was so stupid and so suspicious and just so, so full of hate. Any hopes I had of making him see the truth were quickly fading before my eyes, erased by the set of his jaw and the hate in his eyes. His body was infected with it, it oozed from every pore. He had never been like this before, at least I had never seen it. Maybe that was it, maybe I had just never let myself see it. His anger had overcome him once before in my presence, my face bore the scars from that day.

"Sam, please," I said throwing my arms around his neck, "Please, I'm begging you. Please see that they aren't a threat! Please let go of this, this _hatred _you have for the Cullens. Sam, I need you to trust me and believe in me and my judgement and instincts."

"I do trust you, Em, and I have always believed in you. You know the bond I have to you is unbreakable . . . I love you," he declared emphatically just before he kissed me.

"Then trust me about this, Sam. Trust in me and in my judgement on this. I want you to accept that the Cullens mean you, our tribe, and humans no harm. They pose no threat to us, Sam."

"Em, I . . ."

He tensed, frozen in his tracks mid sentence. I turned in the direction of his glare and saw Jacob, Sue, and Carlisle approaching. My husbands body went rigid and started to tremble and then to shake. I knew first hand what that meant and started to back up.

"No, Sam! Please no! Please calm down," I screamed, my hands covering my face as I realized that there was nothing I could do. I just kept screaming, "Sam, please . . . I love you! I can't loose you, Sam. I love you! Please, please . . ."

I felt wind in my face and all of a sudden I realized that I was standing behind Carlisle, a good ten yards away from Sam. I stared at the two wolves in front of me, their teeth bared at each other. Sue watched from below, further down the rocks, a horror stricken look on her face.

Their roars were deafening as they started to circle each other. My Sam used to be easily recognizable in wolf form, not only because he was solid black, but because he was the largest wolf in the pack. That was no longer true. Jake towered over him, dark russet colored fur standing on end, his body tensed and crouched to attack. This was it. It would be the end of one of them, and though I could never bear Sam's loss, I didn't want Jake hurt either.

"NO!" I screamed as I feared they were going to start something that one of them would not survive. I screamed and tears ran down my face, my hands in fists at my sides as my entire body tensed under the weight of what might happen. I sensed something, something that told me Sam was going to attack and I lunged for him, crossing the distance between us in no time. I was right. It was at that instant that Sam leaped at Jake, his body flying through the air, teeth bared . . .

There was no way he could have known, or prevented what happened - short of not acting like an ass and being filled with hatred for the Cullens in the first place. His shoulder hit me like a wall as I ran into what had been the vacant spot between them, knocking me backwards, head over heals. I felt an intense pain in my chest and shoulder as I slid across the ice crusted rocks, and I drew in a ragged breath that I used to scream . . . as I fell over the side of the cliff.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, really. I saw Sue's face as well as the expressions on the faces of the wolves as I slid backwards, my fingers desperate to find purchase. I knew the cliff was behind me and I saw the fear in their eyes. I had seen picturesque photos of this cliff . . . the highest vertical drop that you could repel on the East coast. I knew. Carlisle's face, his hand holding my glove that he had just grabbed as he dove for me were the last things I saw before I felt the air in my face and saw the serene beauty of the snow covered mountain landscape as I fell.

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

"Emily!" I heard myself scream as I saw what was happening. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't going to reach her in time. The leech blurred he moved so fast in her direction, but as I reached the edge, he stood there with her glove in his hand, looking down. I phased back without bothering to find the cover of the woods, sliding my shorts on instinctively as they fell from the band on my leg. I was on my stomach leaning over the edge before Sue had managed to run to where we were. Jake stood between me and the bloodsucker as we all focused on where my Emily lay, fifty feet or so down the ledge on a small outcropping where her body had caught, draped over a tree above the five hundred foot drop to the ground below.

"Emily! Emily!" I called to her, dropping to my knees and looking for a way to get to her.

"Quiet!" Jake demanded, "Carlisle, can you hear her?"

Sue held her breath as did Jake for what seemed like forever, the only noise to my ear was the wind.

"She's alive, though not conscious. I don't know if she hit her head or just has the wind knocked out of her, but her breathing is extremely labored and I hear fluid gurgling in her lungs," the leech told Jake, "Probably broke a rib and it punctured a lung from the impact of her body hitting the tree."

"Shit, that's serious, right?" Jake asked.

"Yes, it's serious. She won't be getting enough air," he told him.

I turned backwards, kneeling down and putting a foot off the edge as I started down the rock face.

"Stop Sam," Jake demanded as he grabbed my shoulder, "That tree won't hold your weight too, even if your ass could get down to it. She falls the rest of the way and its all over."

I knew he was right. There was no way I could make it down the rocky face of that cliff. No one could without climbing gear. I looked on, completely helpless to do anything to save my wife. Sue had her phone out to call 911, but of course the service was sketchy at best and it would take them forever to get here and rig something to rescue her. She didn't have forever. My ears might not be as sensitive as the fucking bloodsuckers, but the sounds of the tree starting to crack could probably be heard even by a human here on the still mountain.

Before I realized what was happening, Carlisle had removed his shoes and socks and was over the cliff, moving kind of like fucking spider man down the cliff face towards my wife. I froze, unsure as to whether to try and knock him off the cliff with a boulder or to thank him . . . fucking bloodsucker. What the hell? He was . . . he was going to save her. The tree that had stopped her from falling to her death cracked under the strain and the bloodsucker grabbed her just as it gave way. The sound of the impact when the tree hit the ground below filled the otherwise silent afternoon as I watched in amazement as he draped her limp body over the arm that held him to the icy rock face of the cliff. He had apparently crumbled rock with his bare hands and toes to gain a stable position while he adjusted her so that he could maneuver his way back up to us. He brought his other arm under her as well and, using his head to hold her in place, slowly climbed back up the cliff . . .

. . . Climbed back up, carrying her like she was nothing, no weight at all against his arms grabbing the cliff with her body resting on the tops of them.

I could only watch, unable to help and completely dependent on the leech for my wife's very survival. The irony was not lost on me . . . I had attempted to kill this leeches' son, yet he was saving my wife.

As he neared the top we reached for her, Jake grabbed her legs as I moved to hold onto her arms, hoping I didn't pull anything or make anything worse. We moved her away from the edge and Carlisle was beside her in an instant, her jacket undone, listening and fingering one side of her rib cage and chest as though to move or feel something very carefully. I stroked her hair, her hat long since having fallen off. I was terrified. She was an ash grey color and blood trickled from her nose and mouth as she lay there on the icy mountain top.

He told us to carry her down to the truck, saying that was no time to wait for emergency personnel, even if we could reach them, something about getting her to surgery. I held her in my arms and Jake grabbed Sue to run with her as we headed down towards the truck as quickly as possible. We left Carlisle putting on his shoes, yet he stood by the truck with it running and warm inside by the time we got there.

He had me lay Emily on the backseat and ordered the rest of us into the front, climbing into the floorboard and kneeling over her. I hesitated, meeting his stare as I slammed the back door and jumped into the front seat of the cab facing backwards so that I could stroke her hair and talk to her as he worked.

"Em, don't you leave me, you hear me! I need you Emily, I love you. Don't you leave me."

I heard myself repeat the words over and over as Jake sped along the winding mountain roads towards the hospital. Carlisle tried his phone, reaching the hospital and barking orders before he dialed Esme and told her what happened.

They were waiting for us at the door to emergency as we pulled up. Several orderlies and men in lab coats surrounded her as they ran with the gurney into the hospital, disappearing through those ominous doors that say _authorized personnel only. _Carlisle accompanied her, still barking orders. I stood facing the closed doors with one palm flat against it, still able to hear him directing them to take her to OR one and get x-rays STAT.

Oh my God . . . what had I done? This was my fault. Mine. My unwillingness to listen to her had brought us here, my hatred led us to this. If I had been willing to bend, to accept that there were exceptions to all things, even to vampires . . . we wouldn't be here. She wouldn't be here.

The bloodsucker saved her, scaling the cliff when I couldn't . . . hell I didn't even know that he could. I would never have known if he hadn't acted, if he had said nothing. He could easily have let her fall to her death, it would have made no difference to his life. It would have been my fault and mine alone . . . yet he didn't. He acted completely on his own with no prompting, hell Jake hadn't even asked him . . . if he had even known he was capable. The fucking leech had just acted to save my wife because he apparently cared for her, valued human life.

Well shit. Emily had been right about them all along, and now it was too late for me. I saw Esme, Alice, Charlie and Edward get off the elevator and approach us, Bella protectively shielded behind them, their bodies tense as they approached Sue, Jake and me. Time stood still for me and I realized that Jake would demand that the pack end me, even if Carlisle and Edward did not claim it as their right under the treaty. It's what I would do if I were in his shoes. I didn't care. I just hoped they would let me live long enough to know that Emily would survive.

"How is she?" Charlie asked, looking at me. I could do nothing but stand there and stare at him like a lame ass.

"We don't know anything yet," Jake answered for me, "Carlisle ran in with her."

"She's already in surgery, Carlisle is operating," Edward told us.

"How the hell do you know that?" Jake asked, frowning.

"I can read Carlisle's thoughts from a distance, you know that, Jacob," Edward answered, chiding me.

"Oh yea, yea. I guess I did. It's just hard to get used to," Jake told him.

"So . . . give us a play by play, son. Keep us in the loop here," Charlie requested of Edward. So, he knew as well. Seemed like they all did, and they liked them anyway. Guess I would need to jump on the fucking bloodsucker loving bandwagon . . . maybe.

"The x-rays showed multiple broken ribs, clavicle, and arm. According to Carlisle, she had to have been hit by something before she fell and forced the rib into the lung when she hit the tree. They aren't bothering with the clavicle or the broken arm right now, just trying to inflate the lung and stop the bleeding," Edward told us, but you could see from his face that there was more.

Jake stared at him as Edward moved to stand beside Bella and comfort her, his arms around her. He finally looked over to Sue, explaining, "It's touch and go, the rib broke free of the sternum and it's dangerously near the heart. It wasn't a clean break and there are fragments to deal with."

I sat down, my elbows on my knees and my hands covering my face. Edward made a point of keeping distance and himself between me and Bella, as did Charlie. Charlie. What the fuck was with Charlie? He kept placing himself between me and Edward, obviously glaring at me and knowing Charlie as well as I did, he was obviously seething. My wife being in surgery and our being in a public place was undoubtedly saving me from the tongue lashing, if not the attempted ass whipping of my life.

Sue sat beside me, her arm around my shoulders. "It was an accident, Sam. You would never intentionally hurt her, she knows that," she said, trying to comfort me. I sat for a long moment, remembering the seconds before she fell. She had flung herself between Jake and I. I hadn't even noticed then, I had been so filled with rage and intent on claiming what I thought was mine. I hit her, knocked into her, really. It was me . . . my body had sent her flying over the cliff. I caused this, me and me alone. If I lost her, if she . . . I couldn't even think it. I had hurt her before because of my anger, left horrible scars across her beautiful face, and she had forgiven me. Now my hatred and anger might have cost her her life. I remembered her words to me just before the accident . . .

_Trust me about this, Sam. Trust in me and in my judgement on this._

_ I want you to accept that the Cullens mean you, our tribe, and humans no harm. _

_They pose no threat to us ._

It ended here._  
_

If I never gave her anything else, if I lost her, I would still give her this.

I got up and walked towards where everyone else was sitting . . . past Esme and Alice and Jake. I ignored the prying eyes of the receptionist, only now realizing that I was walking around in only shorts in the middle of winter. I walked to the far end of the room where Charlie, Bella and Edward sat, Edward and Charlie rising to stand protectively in front of Bella. Jake quickly put himself there as well.

"Sam, you need to go back and sit your ass down," Jake told me, his voice nearly a snarl. I ignored him. Alpha commands only worked in wolf form, and on me while I was a wolf.

I knew Edward could read my thoughts, in fact I counted on it. I stood before him the same distance away that I would any man I was talking to, and began.

"Bloodsu . . . ," I looked down for an instant, needing to correct myself. "Edward." I saw the tension in his neck and chest ease somewhat, my intentions clear to him. I looked him straight in the eyes as I said clearly, "Edward, I want to apologize for attacking you. I was wrong."

Charlies face eased up somewhat, but Edward's did not.

I made sure I was serious and contrite, genuinely wanting him to know that I regretted my decisions and was ashamed of my hatred for him in light of what his family had done for me, my wife and Jake. I finally understood what Sue had been telling me all along, well, ever since she got to know Edward. He was different . . . they were different.

"I regret my actions, Edward, and I'm truly sorry that I turned on you. Though you are _vampires_," I spoke so softly there was no chance of our being overheard, "you are not the cold ones our legends speak of and I'm sorry I treated you as though you were."

Nothing was said, in fact no one moved after I spoke until Charlie chimed in, "Sam Uley, what are you trying to pull? How can you expect any of us to ever trust you again after you intended to kill my grandson's father?"

He was right. I knew he was right. Bella stood and pushed her way past Edward, though he gave little resistance. "Dad. I am, as or more upset than any of you that he attempted to kill my husband . . . but everyone deserves a second chance and if Edward accepts his apology, believe me, it will be because it's genuine," Bella explained. Edward stood stone still, not even appearing to breath as he stared at me, unblinking.

"Alright, alright, enough," Jake said, putting a hand on my chest to push me away from Edward, "You've had your say. Back off . . . now." No one spoke, no one moved, and Jake started to insist.

"No. It's alright," Edward said, his hand outstretched towards me, "I accept your apology."

Jake and Charlie looked stunned.

I looked at Edwards outstretched hand, pausing a moment before I reached out and shook it.

"Thank you," I told him as we stared intently at each other. Then I turned and moved to the far side of the room to sit and wait. My fate was yet undecided, but not knowing if my wife would survive or not, I could not bring myself to care what punishment the council, the pack or the Cullen's had in store for me.

~oooOooo~


	87. Chapter 87  Reunions

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors note: **There is a website started by one of my readers, AvidReader416, that you can access to discuss HHH at,** www(dot)justalittlelamb(dot)com /discussions . ** Sounds like fun! I know you may want to hear what Jake and the tribe will do to Sam, and how about Emily, but I felt like Bella and Edward needed this . . .

**Chapter 87 Reunions**

_My fate was yet undecided, but not knowing if my wife would survive or not,_

_I could not bring myself to care what punishment the council, _

_the pack, or the Cullens had in store for me._

**Charlie POV**

It was Sunday and we had all had about as much tension and injury as we could stand . . . more if you asked me, but no one did. Emily was still touch and go and I had postponed mine and Sues' flight home till late tomorrow.I had called and begged off yet another day from the force, claiming that my daughter was just too upset about Emily's recent _accident._ Bella had just had the baby three days ago, so my request was reasonable and Sue agreed that we needed to see this through. The original plan had been for Jake, Sam, Emily, Sue and I to all fly back to Seattle tonight. That was until Sam acted an ass again and got Emily hurt. I might stay an extra day or two after that, I wasn't sure. I sure as hell didn't want to leave Sam Uley anywhere near my family with me gone and I didn't care who was a werewolf, who was a vampire, or who was the fairy godmother.

I finally convinced my daughter and son in law to let me play with my grand baby. They had some long _talk _with him about not biting me and not holding on too tight and whatever else would make me feel old and feeble. I knew he wasn't a normal human three day old infant . . . who wouldn't know just by looking at him. Not only could he support his own head, he was almost capable of sitting up on his own. Didn't matter. He was _my_ grandson and I was going to be a part of his life regardless, so he and I had just better get used to each other's differences right from the get go.

"Tired of holding him yet?" Bella asked, as she sat on the couch beside me. She and Sue had just finished up the breakfast dishes and had come to check on me and Masen. I had just finished giving him a bottle, and I looked down at the contented young man falling asleep in my arms before answering her.

"Nope, not likely that I would get tired of holding this fellow," I told her, "I'm gonna have to visit a hell of a lot more often so that I don't miss out on him growing up." Bella and Sue both smiled at me.

"You know you're always welcome, Dad," she laughed, "and you're probably right, he will be growing up even faster than normal."

"How fast is that, Bells? I know his father's genes will effect him, but do we know if he will keep growing this fast," I asked, looking questioningly at my daughter.

"Dad, even Carlisle has no idea. He'll certainly grow to be a man in less than the normal 18 years. I don't know, less than half that maybe, we'll just have to see."

"Yep, I can't wait for little dude to hunt with us, assuming he doesn't just cop out and eat human food," Emmett boomed as he and his brothers came in the back door.

The three of them had been out hunting already this morning while Carlisle and Jake stayed at the hospital with Sam. Well, Carlisle stayed to tend to Emily and Jake was there to keep Sam company, but we all knew he spent most of his time in Bree's room talking to her. I tried hard not to focus on who imprinted on who and which ones were out _hunting _and who changed into animals. The not sleeping or needing to breath was just more than I needed to know, so I just focused on my grandson. That I did know . . . he was a baby and my daughter had given birth to him. All the other stuff could just go back into the fairy tales where it came from as far as I was concerned. I had to admit, Edward being inhumanly strong and _mated for life _was a good thing. he could take care of her and he would never leave her, ever. I suppose I should be happy that my daughter found a man that could give her every single thing she wanted, even the fountain of youth.

I just wasn't sure how that being immortal would work and in truth, it scared the hell out of me.

I just concentrated on playing with Masen till Sue was ready to leave to go to the hospital. I knew she wanted to be with Emily, and I had a hard time convincing her to leave the hospital at all last night. I was driving her there and Jake was bringing her back tonight. I just wanted to worry about the little guy in my arms and getting to know him for right now by spending as much time as I could with him.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Hi sweetheart," Edward greeted me as he came in the living room to stand behind the sofa where I sat and gave me a kiss.

"Hi, did you have a good hunt? All full?" I asked.

He jokingly held his belly, "All sloshy."

"I guess so, he nearly wiped out an entire herd just South of here. I never saw a vampire drink that much at one time before," Emmett exclaimed.

"Have you never paid attention to how many grizzles you go for in a day, Emmett?" Jasper asked.

"Dude, I don't get that many . . . it's just that I'm bigger than you skinny rails and I need more nourishment. I have to satisfy Rosie you know!"

"You do not want to go there, man. Edward has you on need in that department hands down," Jasper quipped.

"Whoa guys. How did asking if you had a nice hunt digress into talking about our sex lives? Leave it alone, alright. My Dad is _right here_," I chastised them.

"It's okay, Bella. I have had sex before you know," Charlie said grinning with a sideways look at Sue.

"Dad! Jeez, please! I don't want to ever think about anything remotely involving my Dad and sex, come on!" I exclaimed, "You needn't be talking this way around my son."

"Bella, our son will probably have sex some day . . . just sayin'," Edward poked fun at me.

"Ahhh. You guys, really!" I said as I got up and virtually stomped off towards my room.

"Well, Eddie, here's your chance to have make up sex," I heard Emmett say as I headed up the stairs.

I slammed the door to my bedroom and turned around, startled to find Edward lying on our bed with his hands behind his head smiling at me. I walked over and he pulled me to him, curling me up in his arms and hugging me tight. There was no place I would rather be. The last few days had been really hard on everyone, but especially on Edward and me. We needed quiet time together just to be Edward and Bella, whether we talked or slept or made love, it really didn't matter as long as we were together.

I was thrilled that Bree was going to be alright. She would be released in a few days but I was sure she would keep in touch . . . especially now with Jake involved in her life. In the few days that I spent with her, I had grown to like her a lot. I was worried about just what she would recall from those few days but she had not remembered anything out of the ordinary about Riley and Victoria except that Victoria was strong for a girl. She had described Riley as _mean and evil_, and I had to agree with her. There was no need to worry about her putting two and two together. I chuckled to myself realizing that it didn't even matter now, she would know. She herself would be taken into the mythological world and she would know what they were . . . and exactly how much danger we had been in. I felt kind of sorry for her boyfriend. He was driving up to see her today, and I had no idea how that would go or if Jake would even leave the room to let them talk. He had imprinted on her, but I wasn't exactly sure how that affected the way she felt. At least not in the beginning, before she got to know Jake.

Edward's continued kissing down my neck and his hands moving from my hair, down my back to my rear, hitching a leg over him had snapped me out of my musings about Bree and Jake. Edward pressing against me always got my attention.

"You know, in order to have _make up sex _you first have to make up," I scolded him as he continued kissing me, becoming more and more aroused. I moved my face away from his, as he tried to kiss my lips. The kiss falling short and onto my neck, but it didn't stop him.

"You know I was just playing with you, love," he said. Never taking his lips off of me as he kissed down my neck and across my collar bone to my shoulder. He had managed to already unbutton my shirt, exposing me to him. He was quite persuasive, I thought as I pressed into him involuntarily. He was purring now, and that just wasn't fair.

"He will have sex some day though, you do know that," he repeated the offending statement and I smacked his rear for saying it.

"Not an effective punishment, love, but if you try harder, you're likely to hurt your hand," he laughed, bringing my hand to his lips to kiss it.

"Oh no, we wouldn't want this to swell," he said, looking at my hand, "We better put something cool on it, just to make sure it's alright."

The gleam in his eyes told me he was up to something and I was right. He took my hand in his and brought it down his chest, sliding it into his jeans and onto his hardened length, wrapping my fingers around him.

"There. Something cool to keep the hand from swelling," he smirked as he returned his hand to my backside.

"Cool hasn't seemed to stop this swelling," I said as I squeezed his length as hard as I could, eliciting a moan rather than a cry of pain. Vampire. It was hard to get used to the fact that I couldn't hurt him . . . not that I wanted to, but I did want to be able to hold my own with him and I looked forward to being changed.

"You need to change me, sweetheart," I said as he rocked his hips into me, his head thrown back and his muscles straining.

"Anytime you want, love," he said, becoming more and more aroused, his hips more insistent, one hand caressing my breast as he sucked and licked it and the other pulling me tight against him. He was breathing hard, especially for someone that didn't need air. His body was completely lost in what he was doing, rigid even as he held me to him.

I froze.

We had talked about me becoming a vampire several times . . . I knew he had prepared to change me if something had gone wrong with the birth, but this. He hadn't even batted an eye or flinched at all when I mentioned it. Not at all. He did, however, notice that I was no longer cuddling into him or kissing him and he pulled back to stare into my eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"You, you didn't argue with me."

"No. I didn't."

"But, but Edward . . . you always have a reason or an excuse or a time frame or something to add that means putting off changing me."

"Not anymore," he said as he returned to kissing my neck and caressing my breast.

When I again didn't move in spite of his attentions, he stopped and explained. "Bella, I want you with me, I want you immortal, love. One lifetime would just never be enough. As soon as you're ready, whenever you want to stop nursing Masen, I want to change you. I'll do it right now if you want."

There was no wavering, no hesitancy in his voice. He really did want me forever, like I wanted him. I stared into his eyes for a long moment before attacking him. His length in my hand, had he been human, I would surely have pulled it off. I started unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, but he helped by ripping it, along with everything else we had been wearing. Edward rolled over on top of me, desperate to get inside me as his chest heaved. I positioned him at my entrance and he pulled his head back far enough to look into my eyes, as he sheathed himself in me, coming instantly. Sometimes his body really was seventeen. It didn't matter . . . he required no recovery time and his hardened length was thrusting into me with more force than he had used in weeks, maybe months . . . back when he had just found out that I was pregnant on Isle Esme and he had pounded into me with such force that he scooted us both across the entire room by the time we were finished.

I had missed this.

I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Even in loosing control he protected me, cared for me. He might feel guilty later for having let it happen, for not showing restraint, but for now I was going to take full advantage. We came together several times; Edward roaring my name so loud, that I was sure they heard us even at the other house. I couldn't care less. We rolled around on our bed together, sometimes coming with him on top and my heels digging into his back and sometimes with me riding him. His skin was moist from the sweat that had rubbed or dripped off of me onto him as we continued to make love over and over. I had known he was capable of this. Vampires could make love for literally days at a time with no need for food or water or bathroom breaks, and he showed only signs of intensifying, never of stopping or being satiated. He had never fully shown me this side of him. We had always stopped after making love and coming a few times, my husband lying beside me seemingly fully sated . . . but now I wondered.

He came again, head thrown back and growling as fiercely as I had ever heard him. It should have been terrifying seeing something more animal than man, fully sheathed in my body. His muscles strained into tight ropes and every tendon in his neck standing out, as his hands pushed into the bed by my shoulders and his arms straightened, back arching. It should have scared me but all it did was turn me on even further. I was nearly spent as he kissed down my neck, our hips still rocking together as his length thrust in and out seeking that delicious friction yet again. I arched my back as he kissed down my chest, my nipple fully entering his mouth for the first time today. He had kissed and licked and sucked my breasts, but he had made sure not to suck hard enough to obtain any milk from me and I wanted him to. It was a feeling like no other. It was erotic yet the milk tickled as it came out and the sight of him holding me and nursing was something I wanted to always remember. We would not be able to do this once I changed, and I intended to have him this way as many times as possible until then.

Edward looked up at me, making sure that was what I wanted before he latched on to my breast. His ability to suck was amazing and I felt my toes start to curl immediately. He was not gentle as he had been when I was pregnant. He did not still himself and allow streams of his release to flow into me. His body was as rigid as steel and completely inescapable. Unlike before, his movements caused me to come again and again as he did as I writhed beneath him. It was only a few minutes till he had emptied my breast and I gently slipped a finger between his lips and my nipple to release the suction. He growled at me fiercely, his eyes black as he glared at me. With the blink of an eye, the glare was gone and he kissed my lips so sweetly, so gently, nuzzling into my neck.

"I love you, Bella. More than anything else in the world."

"I know you do, sweetheart, and I love you just as much."

He kissed my lips for a long moment before smiling at me and moving to empty the other breast. He would definitely need to feed again. I had never seen so much fluid, in fact I didn't know that men could make that much semen in a month, much less a few hours. He shrugged his shoulders and looked somewhat sheepish as we changed the bed, mattress cover and all; after he had brought me a towel to sit on for a few minutes, before I moved. So that we would not be cleaning up the floor between the bed and the shower. I saw the guilt starting to creep in, and the upset he felt at loosing control with me.

"No, no you don't." I told him, taking his face in my hands and staring into his eyes that were now the most delicious warm shade of gold. "You did not hurt me. That was . . . that was amazing and I loved each and every minute of it. Edward, it means everything to me to see you unhinged, so completely lost in me that you give in to your nature. You never hurt me, sweetheart. Never. In fact, if I'm being honest, it's the one thing I will miss most when I'm changed."

He looked at me with wonder, obviously amazed that I felt that way. "I love you so much, Bella. I never want to hurt you and I'm just so afraid of my own strength."

"Well, I love you and I really love it when you make love to me like that. You need to plan on doing that everyday till we decide it's time to stop breastfeeding."

"Bella . . ."

"I mean it," I told him as I stepped into the shower in front of him and started washing my husband's body.

"You realize that you look even more beautiful than you did before you got pregnant, love? You're hips are a little wider and your breasts are definitely larger, but your stomach is flat again. Not that it matters, but I just wanted you to know how pretty you are," Edward told me as he bent to give me a soft kiss on the lips. He knew how self conscious I still was about all the scars from my bike wreck and the surgeries.

"I can hardly believe that I get to spend forever with you, sweetheart. I love you."

"When do you want me to change you?" he asked quietly.

"That depends . . . I thought that maybe we could have just one more baby first."

He was a statue, not even breathing as he stared at me for what seemed like forever.

"We can't get pregnant right now, Edward, since I'm breastfeeding, so we have some time to talk about it. The way Masen is growing, he may only need to nurse for a month or so before he is eating solid foods and . . . he'll probably be drinking of course, and eventually hunting with you. I would love to have a little girl, now that we have a son."

He was still a statue. I continued to wash him and even his length would not respond to me but hung there flaccid.

"You would go through that again?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes. I love you and you take such good care of me, I would love to have another child of yours, Edward. With Masen being able to put thoughts into the babies head, we could be pretty sure that it wouldn't bite me, and you could read its mind to be sure."

He hugged me to him telling me how much he loved me and how scared he was for me to get pregnant again. How much he loved Masen and how sorry he was that he felt like he couldn't control himself around me. He just kept kissing me and hugging me as we stood under the warm water, soaping my body with his hands and washing my hair for me. He turned the water off and wrapped a fresh towel around me, carrying me to our freshly made bed as he held me to him. Edward removed the towel and laid me on our bed, crawling up my body as he placed kisses everywhere he could reach. I stared into his eyes and played with his drippy wet hair as he slowly pressed himself into me, never taking his eyes off mine as I took his body in. I wrapped my legs around him and tilted my hips, encouraging him to move in me. We made love again and again that afternoon, sometimes talking in whispered voices and sometimes not saying a word.

Though his cool body allowed me to make love with him repeatedly as it acted as a balm to my swollen skin, there came a point when I was just too sore to continue . . . something that hadn't happened before, but we had never spent eight to ten hours just making love. I knew Edward had said that vampires could, but I had no idea I was capable of even going all day like we had. It hadn't felt like there was a lot of effort involved, and the timing wasn't intentional . . . we just needed to reconnect and be with each other . . . alone. The sun was setting, as we finally dressed again having let the entire day pass without spending time with our guests or even going to the hospital to see Bree or Emily. No one had come to the door to interrupt us, but I guess after hearing the roars coming from our room, no one would have.

This was going to be embarrassing. Even if Emmett had left, he would find us tomorrow and I could already feel myself turning red from the jokes he would make. Regardless, Charlie was downstairs and even if Sue had spent the day at the hospital with Emily and Sam, I was sure either Esme or Alice or Rosalie had helped tend to the baby all day.

Masen.

Damn it. I had not taken care of my son all day. "Edward, we left Masen with other people all day!"

"I know, love. I listened in occasionally, when I had any presence of mind. They have been having a great time, hoping we would leave them alone to play with him. Apparently they can't get enough of our son."

We were greeted at the foot of the stairs by Emmet's cat calls. "Well, well. Look who finally came up for air! What happened to waiting a month after having a baby to screw?" Emmett asked as pointedly as possible, and in front of my father.

"Leave her alone, Emmet. She's her father's daughter," Sue said as she came in the front door, probably from visiting Emily at the hospital, "Edward would never do anything that would hurt her, anyway."

I was stunned. I didn't know which implication shocked me the most - the innuendo that my father loved to have sex or the complete 180 she had done going from being afraid of Edward, to having confidence in his judgement . . . and in him being with me. Esme sat holding Masen who was now gesturing with his little fist opening and closing it as he reached towards me, wanting his Mom. It could have been him wanting his Dad, as Edward was right beside me, but I was claiming it. I took him and held him to me as Edward stroked the baby's unruly hair and cooed at him, answering a few questions for him as well . . . though I had no idea if Edward would tell him why we had been away from him for real.

My Dad walked into the room from the kitchen, holding a phone in his outstretched arm, an ominous look on his face.

"It's for you, Bella, it's your Mom."


	88. Chapter 88  Details

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 88 Details**

_"It's for you, Bella, it's your Mom."_

**BPOV**

How could I have forgotten . . . but I had. I always talked to my Mom on Sunday mornings. Always, even when I had lived at Charlie's and was finishing up high school. I even emailed her sometimes on Sunday mornings when Jake and I had been off working with Dale on the Harley drags in Calgary, but I had delivered Masen and not even thought of calling her.

I had spoken to her last Sunday, of course, but that was when I was still pregnant, when the worry that clouded my mind was helping Jake to learn how to phase back into human form from wolf . . . that was when I had not yet been held hostage by Victoria and Riley, before the snowstorm, before Bree was admitted to the hospital. Last Sunday existed in a world where Sam had not tried to kill my husband or caused his wife to be in critical condition, lying in a hospital bed. Last Sunday my Dad had not known that I was married to an immortal, a vampire . . . and that his only grandson was only half human.

I just wasn't sure what I was supposed to tell her.

I didn't suppose that,

_Hi Mom! Edward, my 110 year old immortal vampire husband with two medical degrees delivered my partially human son who, by the way, can sit up on his own almost at three days old, _

_put thoughts in your head as well as read the ones that are already there and drinks blood._

_How was your cruise?_

Shit.

I had never been good at thinking fast on my feet and now was no exception. My eyes darted from the phone to Edward to the phone and back several times making me look like somewhat of a cartoon character, I'm sure. I felt Edward hug me to him, and I would have sworn I heard him chuckle as he reached out his hand and took the phone from Charlie; ushering me over to the chair to sit down with the baby, and handing me the bottle that Masen had been devouring when we had come down the stairs.

"Renee," Edward said smoothly, never missing a beat and sounding excited to hear from her, "Bella is feeding the baby right now. Yes, yes I know. Thank you, we couldn't be happier. Well, it all happened so fast and we just didn't want to interrupt your cruise, you and Phil have never really gotten away like that before. I know, yes. It does seem impossible that the baby is fine even though he was born so early. Well, miracles happen, Renee. Yes. I'll have her call you when she finishes. Yes, I'm glad Charlie could be here with us as well. I'll tell them. Say hello to Phil for me. No. It's fine, you're welcome. Bye."

"I'm really sorry about that, Edward. I forgot all about the supernatural stuff and the baby not being due and all the other stuff. I just blurted it out when she asked how Bella was. I don't even know why she called me . . . guess she couldn't reach Bells," Charlie explained. I guess that was true enough, she couldn't have called me . . . my phone was left somewhere in the house that burned and what with having the baby and all, neither Edward nor I had thought about getting me a new one . . . I wasn't even sure Edward had his own phone at this point.

"I understand, Charlie. Bella and I just have to decide how to handle it. Telling her what we are puts her life in jeopardy, and I don't think there is any way to realistically explain Masen to her . . . not that I can think of anyway," Edward replied. He was right, of course. But Masen was intelligent . . . extremely intelligent.

"Edward, what if we get Mom up here right away. Masen is small and he listens well. He could just _act_ like a newborn in front of her," I suggested.

"Bella, he's only three days old. He_ is_ a newborn," Charlie corrected, his face incredulous. He was still adjusting to the whole half human half vampire traits that Masen displayed.

"He might be able to pull that off, acting like a newborn human baby . . . maybe," Edward said quietly, obviously listening to some unspoken dialogue. "We would have to lie about when he was conceived, though, and I don't know if that would work with her having gone and viewed the ultrasounds with us while you were pregnant. It might be easier for her to just believe that his being this developed early on in your pregnancy is a miracle, and let it go."

"Yea, well you wouldn't have this problem if you got rid of all human contacts like most vampires have to do. With the rest of us, none of our human family or friends ever saw us again after we were changed because we were presumed dead," Emmett said. Emmett was nothing if not hard as nails factual.

"Look, that might be true if she had been changed . . . but she hasn't. She's still human. The baby just complicates things because of course her Mom wants to be a part of her grandchild's life. You just need to figure out how that can happen or if it can happen. It might be time to fake your deaths and move on," Rosalie added.

I sat staring at Masen as he finished his bottle. He was nuzzling me and rooting like he wanted me to breastfeed him as well and I just wasn't sure I was ready to give that up. I had wanted at least a few weeks with him, feeding and caring for him before I could no longer produce milk . . . if that was even going to happen when I changed. Carlisle had no idea and neither did Edward. They weren't even sure if I would be able to be around Masen while I was a newborn because some blood ran in his veins as well, though it appeared to be mostly venom.

"Maybe it's time for me to completely join your world. Maybe Edward should change me, then we could be gone for a year or so and my Mom could think we were lost in a plane crash or whatever," I told them.

"Bella! What are you talking about?" Charlie demanded.

"Dad, you knew this was coming, you knew I wanted to be like Edward so that I could always be with him. You know about them, Dad. I wouldn't be able to be around you for a year or so since you're human, but I would keep in touch and eventually be able to see you and be around you like the Cullen's do now," I tried to comfort him.

"Now hold on just a minute. What about my grand baby?" Charlie said, looking at Masen.

"We could arrange for you to visit him, Charlie," Alice said, trying to comfort my Dad.

"Nothing has been decided. Charlie. Bella and I need to discuss all the options and make a decision. Alice will see and we can do what's best for all of us. We just need to keep Renee and Phil safe and keep our world a secret from humans," Edward told him.

"If_ your world _has to be secret from humans, why is it okay for me to know? Why didn't you lie to me if you normally go to such elaborate lengths to cover things up, faking deaths and all?" Charlie demanded both perplexed and outraged.

I couldn't stare at him, knowing. My eyes dropped to the baby as I searched for an answer to give him that would not embarrass either him or Sue.

"Actually, Charlie, Jacob showed you himself as a werewolf first, the rest sort of . . . ," Carlisle was cut off by Edward.

"I told Charlie what we were, and the responsibility is mine. Unfortunately, the Volturi would punish my entire family for it, Charlie, not just Bella and me. We were so involved and worried about Bella having been kidnapped that your arrival surprised all of us. I was willing to tell you because of some of the visions that Alice has had. It isn't a problem for you to know," Edward told him.

"That doesn't make sense, son. Why would I be different?":Charlie asked, determined to have an answer.

"Charlie," Sue said, walking over to stand beside him, "they are trying not to embarrass either of us, but the truth is that I think Alice has probably seen that we're together, and you would know about them through your association with me anyway. That doesn't break any of their laws," Sue told him.

"Yes," Alice agreed. bounding up and down as only Alice can, "and I would love to help with any of the arrangements, Sue, anything at all that any of us could do, really."

"Well, Alice," Sue said shyly, "he has to ask me first."

Charlie looked from Sue to Alice and back again several times before settling on Sue's face, his face going a shade that was whiter even than Edward's skin as he realized what they had been discussing.

"Well, the problem still exists with Bella's Mom, and it needs to be solved. Carlisle, didn't you speak to Aro about Edward's injury? How much does he know about Bella?" Jasper asked.

"I spoke with him about Edward's injury, yes, but I didn't explain how it happened. The Volturi keep up with the news and current events, though, and Bella's kidnapping was front page for a few days, no matter how much I tried to tone it down. If he saw our names associated with it, there may be questions to answer, or perhaps a visit from them," Carlisle stated.

"Then you need to change me anyway," I said somewhat urgently, "I don't want to be responsible for getting all of you in trouble with them. Edward! How will they react to Masen?" Edward moved to stand behind the chair where I sat and gently massage my shoulders to calm me down.

"I don't think there is cause to worry yet," Carlisle said quietly.

"I will start watching Aro's decisions more closely and see if he is interested, even in passing, in anything to do with the Cullens," Alice offered.

"Excellent, Alice. Look closely, even with some of the other guard. I just don't want to be caught by surprise. I think Bella being human this long can be explained, assuming they are accepting of Masen. He is such a novelty, he may interest Aro . . . once he realizes he is not one of the immortal children from long ago," Edward grimaced.

"Immortal children?" Charlie asked, Sue's interest was peaked as well. Edward's family either looked paler than normal, or their eyes looked away, as though trying not to remember something unpleasant.

"Yes. Our kind decided they wanted children, which of course the women are incapable of having. Human children were turned into immortals . . . and they were uncontrollable, their temper tantrums resulting in the destruction of entire towns and villages, and when they got thirsty, there were mass murders. They could not be taught and were a threat to exposing our world to the human world. They all had to be destroyed," Jasper explained.

"They were every bit as adorable as Masen is now. Immortal covens fought to the last man and woman to save them . . . the scars on the vampire world run quite deep with regard to them. It's a very touchy subject, even to people close to us. Tanya, Irina and Kate's mother created an immortal child, a small boy. The Volturi came and ended her in front of the sisters, many years ago. They never speak of her," Carlisle said quietly, "but the scars run deep."

"Well, back to Renee. From what she said on the phone, I imagine she is repacking her suitcase to come up here and see Bella and the baby. What are you going to do about it?" Charlie asked.

"I have no idea, Dad," I told him, my arms starting to shake. Edward noticed and took Masen from me as he helped me to my feet. "Right now I'm going to go upstairs and nurse my baby. Edward and I will figure something out."

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

_Eric . . . what kind of pansy name is that anyway. No one names their kid Eric, no one that wants their son to become a man anyway . . ._

I couldn't think of anything else. Sue was completely absorbed in all things Emily, attending to her every need as she sat moistening her lips with ice and then gently putting Vaseline on them for the tenth time today as Sam sat holding her hand.

Sam was intent. Sam was focused. Sam . . . Sam was useless. Completely and utterly useless when it came to doing anything at all. He couldn't even go to the vending machine for coffee by himself without forgetting what he went for or fucking up the order completely. I understood that he was upset, but come on . . . get a fucking grip. She needed him to be coherent and make decisions regarding her care, especially now that the doctors had told us she was pregnant and that she had not lost the baby. I suppose that was what pushed him over the edge, into la-la land I mean.

I walked out of the room, there were only supposed to be two people in there at a time, but I had to be somewhere. _Eric_ was visiting Bree. Eric was here for the day, up from Clemson. I didn't know if he came on his own or if it was at her parents request, but he was here . . .

. . . and he was in the room with _my_ girl.

_My_ girl.

She just didn't know it yet . . .

I hadn't meant for it to happen. Up until now, the only imprinting that I had been aware of was Sam and Emily, and something about Paul imprinting on my sister. I had ignored that because, well . . . Paul was an ass.

But Bree . . .

She was everything I hadn't known I wanted . . . smart, quick witted and friendly, accepting people and circumstances so easily . . .

All it had taken was one look. I had opened the door to let everyone know that we needed to head off to meet Sam, and there she was. It hit me like someone dropped the moon on my head. All of a sudden, there was nothing but her . . . nothing. I knew she would be there, in the hospital. It wasn't like she was going anywhere anytime soon and that knowledge was the one and only reason I was able to leave at that moment. I shut the door fast, before I could think about it for too long . . . before I could decide that Sam and Emily and Bella and anything else on the planet just wasn't important.

She was.

I knew that if I stared too long, if I talked to her, that I would never leave to take Emily to meet Sam. I had responsibility as the alpha, and for a moment, that responsibility flashed in front of me; and I moved quickly to go and take care of it so that I could return to the hospital . . . and to her. Emily's injury just kept me away from her longer, but in a way it kept me with her because now I had a valid excuse for being at the hospital. I didn't have to make up some lame reason for wanting to be there and to talk to her. Well, I guess I still needed a reason for that . . . I just hadn't come up with one yet. I was starting to, the conversation was going well when she woke this morning and I was the only one there. Then he showed up.

He seemed like an alright guy, and I controlled myself. I didn't rip his throat out when he kissed her on the cheek in front of me and sat there on the side of the bed holding her hand. I hadn't decked him when he affectionately moved some of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He still had that hand attached to the arm it came on. Asshole.

"Everything okay, Jake?" Sue asked as she met me in the hallway outside of Emily's room. The doctor was in with her she explained and she had stepped out to give them some privacy.

"Does Emily know about the baby?"

"We have no idea. They still have her in an induced coma and she hadn't mentioned being pregnant to Sam. The baby being at risk now just terrified him more," Sue told me, quietly sipping her coffee.

"How's Bree?" Sue asked.

"Good, her parents are gone for the day and it's just _Eric _here with her. I have no idea when he's going to leave," I said with a voice that even I recognized as whining.

"Don't worry, Jake. Imprinting may only be from your side, but it gives you the insight to be whatever it is that your love wants you to be . . . it's kind of funny how it works that way. She won't be able to help loving you, once she gets to know you and you spend time with her. This is the first time I've heard of it happening and the chosen mate not being of tribal descent though," Sue explained, "Imprinting is there to strengthen the tribe . . . and the wolf. There must be something in this girl that the tribe needs, some new blood." She kind of drifted off like she was thinking to herself more than she was talking to me, and I just stood in front of her and waited for her to snap out of it. Carlisle walked out of Emily's room in the meantime, nodding to me and asking if I had seen Bree yet.

"Yea," I told him, kicking the toe of my shoe on the hospital tile floor, "she has her boyfriend with her right now. Her parents left for the day."

"Ah. Well, I'm going to go check on her. It looks like we may be releasing her tomorrow or the next day, Jacob. Have you managed to make friends with her yet?" he asked, knowing my situation.

"Working on it, Doc. See what you think of the new guy. I had hoped Edward would be by today and I could get him to get a read on the guy for me, you know, the mind reading thing and all," I said.

"Call him, Jacob. I'm sure he and Bella would run in if you asked them. They're at home and they've spent the entire day alone in their room according to Esme, they may be up for a break," he all but chuckled.

"Does Edward have a new phone yet or should I just call the house?" I asked.

"I don't think either Edward or Bella has given any thought to replacing their phones. I had Jasper order them new ones and they aren't here yet. Call Esme or the house, either way I would make the call," Carlisle smiled, "I'm going to go and see Bree now. Emily is coming along well. We may be able to allow her to wake up tomorrow, we'll just have to wait and see if the drainage stops being bloody or not." Carlisle started down the hall, then turned and took a step back towards Sue and I. "Have you had any thoughts about Sam, what you're going to do with him I mean?"

"No. Nothing firm. Before Emily was injured, I had planned to fly home with Charlie, Sue here, Sam and Emily and settle things with the tribe," I told him, pausing for a moment to stare into his face. "We need to settle the treaty issues between our two families, Carlisle - the Cullens and the Quilettes."

"Yes. I would like that," he responded, gesturing to us that we should move to the waiting room that was unoccupied right now so that we could talk in private. Once there, he turned to Sue and I and asked, "Have you thought of a solution?"

"Well, you said that you had no intention of retaliating for Sam's attack on Edward. Is that still the case?" I asked, tensing in spite of myself.

"Yes. Edward accepted his apology. As for my part in the treaty, I only want peace. We have no reason to be at odds with each other, neither you and I nor your family and mine. Neither of us means harm to humans, I think that has become painfully obvious," Carlisle recounted. "I do, however, seek one concession on the part of your tribe . . . one amendment to the treaty. Though the wording of the treaty would allow us to use methods other than biting to inject venom, the intent of the treaty with your grandfather was clearly that we create no more of our kind. You know that Bella wants to be changed . . . and Edward has agreed."

The look on Carlisle's face was one of compassion and intent . . . his words were no less solemn, "Jacob, I do not want to break faith. I gave my word to Ephraim Black and it was always our intention to keep it. I won't phrase it that it's in return for not retaliating or demanding Sam's life be forfeit, because those things are true regardless. I do ask for permission to change Bella. I want it added as a one time amendment to the treaty, or perhaps we can forge a new treaty . . . one that reflects more trust between us and has fewer territorial restrictions. I know Bella would want to visit you on the reservation, regardless of her . . . condition."

"The council will have a say on that, Carlisle, but what you ask is not unreasonable, even if Sam's actions had not made us indebted to you," Sue said to us both. Her vote carried a great deal of weight, that much I knew.

"I am returning to La Push to sort all of this out, Carlisle. It's time I stopped running from my heritage, and responsibilities. As I said, I had planned on flying home today with everyone else," I told him, "Could you come to Forks, after we have a week or so back there, and we can sign a new agreement?"

"I would be happy to, Jacob," Carlisle smiled and extended a hand for me to shake.

"Emily is progressing, and she should recover enough by the weekend or possibly before. I was checking on arrangements to hire a private plane to fly her home, Jacob, so that she would be comfortable. You could all fly home with her at the same time if that's acceptable," he offered.

Sue nodded her acceptance. "If we can just convince Charlie that Forks can live with out him on duty as Chief of police for another few days!" she laughed, "But perhaps I can convince him. Tearing him away from Masen is like separating two magnets, they just seem to want to be with each other, even though Masen is only a baby."

"Yes, they have formed quite a bond, haven't they. Yet another reason for us to renegotiate the treaty. Charlie will be with you, Sue, and he will want to have time with Masen as he grows up," Carlisle added.

"Yes, there is a lot to consider. I'm not worried about it though, Jacob and I should be able to convince the elders to see it our way, and if that fails, Jacob is Chief . . . in the end he can do as he pleases," Sue added.

"I hadn't even thought of that. It's settled then, now about Bree . . . ," he asked Carlisle, "You really think Edward would come up here just to eavesdrop on them for me?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it exactly like that when I asked him, Jacob!" Carlisle outright laughed with Sue as they both stared at me. "Call him. Just ask for his help . . . they'll come Jacob, quit worrying."

Carlisle walked away and Sue smirked at me as she walked back towards Emily's room. I pulled out my phone and called Bella and Edward's house, hoping they had a great day and their moods were good . . . because I really wanted his help.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I helped Bella settle into a comfortable position in the rocking chair, opening her blouse and getting ready to feed Masen. She reached for one of the breast shields that Carlisle had furnished us with, thank goodness. I didn't want to remind her that she needed to put something between her and the baby . . . but the thought of Masen biting her unnerved me. My son latched onto his mother's breast and fed greedily. I could relate. I had to admit, there was a pang of jealousy there, though I would probably never admit it to anyone else. Bella knew, she saw my face as I watched them . . . and she knew. She also knew that I loved Masen and was willing to do anything for them . . . anything.

"Emily is better, so is Bree," I told her, trying to make some small attempt at conversation so that I wasn't just sitting there staring at her breast.

"You spoke with Sue?" she asked. She knew that the only time I had seen Sue was when I had been with her, and that I had taken no phone calls.

"I read her mind. She and Carlisle convinced Jacob to call me and ask you and I to come to the hospital this afternoon, apparently Bree's boyfriend was there and Jake wanted me to eavesdrop. He's anxious about her and wants to know more about the relationship she has with the other guy and how she feels about him," I laughed, "So now he wants to use me as a spy for his love life!"

I had to laugh. Bella smirked and shook her head.

"I wanted to visit Bree today anyway, do you mind going to the hospital for a little while after Masen finishes?" she asked. Her eyes danced at me as a smile covered her face from ear to ear as she added, "Unless you're waiting your turn."

"I wish," I said as I leaned over and stroked her other breast with the back of my knuckles before cupping her face in my hand and kissing her softly, "I believe that in just this one case, Masen was the one waiting his turn, love. I had you all day."

"You're tired of me then?" she asked in a mock hurt voice.

"As soon as we get back from the hospital, I'll be happy to show you just how not tired of you I am," I told her, my lips pressing against hers while I cupped her breast in my hand, feeling the weight and softness of it. I was rewarded by Masen firmly and intentionally kicking my hand away from his Mom, his mind quite clearly telling me that he wanted time with her.

"Okay, son. I get the message. I'll leave you and Mommy alone while you nurse," I told them both, kissing his head as I moved to sit back on the bed and watch them. I loved them so much . . . and I hadn't even realized how much I wanted a family, till they were right here in front of me.


	89. Chapter 89  Spying?

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: ** In case you are unaware, the fanfictin site has not been working properly and it will not allow me to reply to reviews! Thank you to all of you who have submitted them and continue to give me feedback, it adds to the motivation needed to devote so much of my time to writing this story. I really appreciate your thoughts and opinions shared with me in your reviews!

**Chapter 89 Spying?  
**

_"You really think Edward would come up here just to eavesdrop on them for me?"_

**EPOV**

I continued to just sit and stare at my wife and son. I had a son. He was three days old and already making demands. I knew I had a smile plastered on my face . . . and I didn't care. I had never imagined that I could be so happy, so content . . . that this level of happiness actually existed. I had fallen in love with a human, after 109 years of existence I had fallen head over heels in love with a seventeen year old human girl, a girl that was now 19 . . . and my wife.

109 years.

. . . and though she was human, she loved me just as fiercely as I loved her. I could not even imagine the level of love and commitment and lust that would be there when she became immortal . . . when we could actually make love for several days without stopping for such things as food or drink or bathroom, or even needing sleep or being tired. Such things did not exist as a vampire. It was only now that I even began to understand the way Emmett and Rosalie had acted the first ten years or so that they were mated, breaking furniture, rolling through walls . . . and the noise level. I wondered if our house was going to be far enough away from the other house. Then, of course, we would have to be somewhat responsible because of Masen.

Our son.

We had a son . . . and my wife wanted another baby . . .

. . . how the hell was I supposed to go through that again?

Masen finished one side and Bella put him over her shoulder and burped him. I didn't know if it was really necessary, but he did burp.

"He needs a diaper, Edward, would you mind changing him for me?" Bella asked as she removed the breast shield and threw it away, pulling her blouse to partially cover her breast from sight as she held the baby out to me. I placed him on the end of the bed next to the bassinet, all the extra diapers and supplies being on the shelf below it, and proceeded to unsnap his sleeper and pull his legs out. He was just so perfect . . . and so small.

I pulled the tapes and reached to remove the diaper only to be met with the most horrid smell imaginable. Bella pulled out the container of wipes and set them in front of me on the bed as I held Masen by both feet to keep his sticky soiled rear off the covers.

"Bella, is it supposed to smell like this?" I asked, my face I was certain was all sorts of contorted.

"No, not usually, sweetheart. Normally baby poop is kind of like a yellow form of cottage cheese with very little smell, but your son has been drinking blood all day . . . and apparently it doesn't come out the other end very pleasantly," she laughed, smiling at the expression on my face.

I wiped the mess off of him, regardless, and opened the tapes on a fresh diaper and placed it under him. I was just pulling it between his legs as it occurred to me we had made no decision about the circumcision. We had time to decide, and there was no reason to complicate today with that thought. I put his sleeper back on him, and handed him to his Mom so that he could continue nursing from the other breast.

"Do you think he'll always need to use his diaper, I mean, I drink blood and never need to use the bathroom? I was just wondering if he might become more like me in that regard as he gets older," I laughed, "If that smell is any indication, I wish he took after me now!" Bella laughed at me.

"It doesn't matter, Edward. As long as he's healthy I don't care what he eats or if he goes to the bathroom or not, I really don't." She meant it, of that I was certain.

"I love you," I said as I leaned over and kissed her again, this time putting a hand over Masen's free hand and feet to keep him from pushing me away. It was a quick kiss and he was only mildly annoyed anyway, mentally rolling his eyes at me from what I could gather from his thoughts.

We hurried downstairs and Charlie and Sue were more than willing to watch Masen while we went into town. Emmett and Jasper were entirely too engaged in playing Call of Duty on the flat screen to watch him alone, but they would be there if Charlie or Sue needed help. I didn't want to say anything, but Masen was already stronger than Sue and possibly Charlie as well, so I needed a member of my family to be there just in case there was a problem. My Mom and sisters had gone to hunt, but knowing them, they would not be away for long.

Carlisle was just getting out of a consult with Emily's specialists as we arrived, greeting us at the door to the ICU. "Well, nice to see both of you up and around," he greeted us, "Bree has been asking for you, Bella._"_

"How is she?" Bella asked.

"Well enough to go home in a day or so, though I think Jacob would like me to keep her here an extra few days," he said as he smiled and explained the boyfriend _Eric _situation to me in his thoughts.

"And Emily?"

"We've taken her off the sedation, she should wake up sometime tomorrow morning. I think she's out of danger and we need to attend to setting the broken bones in a more permanent manner," he explained.

Bella kept asking questions since Carlisle seemed to be forthcoming with information, inquiring about Emily's pregnancy. The baby was fine as far as anyone knew, and Sam still seemed to be contrite and genuinely sorry for his actions. Sam was in with Emily and she was still unconscious; so neither Bella nor I felt the need to try and see her, having spoken to Carlisle and checked on her condition.

We ran into Jacob in the hallway as we approached Bree's room, he was pacing up and down at the edge of the waiting room for that floor, wearing a path in the carpet.

"Edward, I'm so glad you're here, man. I'm going out of my mind. I called the house but not one of your family or even Charlie would go upstairs and tell you that I was on the phone. What the hell? Even Emmett said there was no fucking way he would go near your room till you came out on your own," he stared at me for a long minute, then turned his attention to Bella.

"Are you alright, Chica?"

"Jake, I couldn't be better. We just needed some alone time, that's all," she told him, her face and neck turning an unhealthy shade of red, and a smile that I'm sure she was trying to suppress spread across her face.

"I read Sue's mind when she came home. Bella and I had just come downstairs so after she fed Masen, we came to your rescue," I laughed. "So, you want to use me as a spy?"

"Yea. Spy. Good one, bloodsucker. I need to know what this douche bag intends towards her and how she feels about him . . . and me for that matter," Jake complained. "She might get mad if he just happened to disappear."

"Jake, calm down. She just met you yesterday. I'll go in and talk to her, the two of you just sit down here and you," she said pointing at Jacob, "You stay put." She pointed and poked her finger into his chest, walking him backwards as he protested till his calves hit the edge of the chair and he sat down. She gestured for me to do the same. "I'll be back. You sit and listen," she told me as she walked away. I cocked my head and glared at her, but I did as requested, settling into a chair near Jacob.

Jacob shook his head and looked at me, "Man, she's pushy when she wants her way."

I could only raise my eyebrows and nod, "You have no idea."

"Can you hear them from here?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, but more importantly, I can read their minds from here," I told him, chuckling to myself at how tense and anxious he was. This meant everything to him. It was as though his entire world centered around this girl that he had only just met. Even though I had read Sam's mind, and the pack mind as well, the imprinting thing still amazed me.

"So . . . come on, bloodsuck . . . Edward. What the hell? What's going on with my girl?"

I decided to give him a running commentary, it seemed the best way to keep him calm and allow me time to understand what exactly was going on in the minds in that room, other than Bella's of course. I still had to just rely on what she said, her mind remained closed to me.

_Bree is thrilled to see Bella . . . she really likes her, credits her with saving her life._

_Wants Bella to meet Eric, he's thanking Bella for saving Bree as well. _

_Eric has known her since early high school, kind of thinks of her as a friend first._

_He's leaving, has to drive back to school for class tomorrow._

"Yes, Jacob, he kissed her goodbye," I told him, answering the question in his mind.

_"_He kissed my girl?" Jacob growled as he stood and took a step toward the room before my hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back down into his chair beside me.

"Jacob, she doesn't know she's _your girl_ yet," I told him, shushing him so I could listen.

_Bella is asking how the ribs are feeling and what the doctors have told her._

_She says she's going home on Wednesday, back to school that is._

I was quiet for a few minutes and that was driving Jacob insane. I finally just told him, "They're talking about me, Jacob, and the baby. Apparently I'm attractive to your girl. Figures. Human female college student, they all act the same when they look at me, like flies to the spider the appearance draws them in like it's designed to. That's all it is."

Jacob looked at me for a long minute, studying my features. "I don't see it, bloodsucker," Jacob said as his eyes traveled over me from head to toe and back, "You're not that good looking you know. Too damned pale."

I just shook my head and scoffed at him, "I know that, tell her. Now shush if you want me to continue!" He rolled his eyes at me, mentally telling me that of course he wanted me to continue; as he put his face in his hands, and his elbows on his knees in the chair where he sat, trying to remain calm.

_She's asking Bella about you . . . Bella's telling her you're her best friend and the greatest guy ever, second only to me . . . Bella's telling her that you like her . . ._

"What! Is that even a good idea?" Jacob fretted.

_She thinks you're cute . . . wonders if you're going to come back by to see her. _

_Bella is good. _

_She's telling her that you and I are coming to pick her up, so you'll be there in just a few minutes. Good. _

_She's interested. _

_Really likes that Eric guy, but doesn't really feel connected to him. _

_No electricity . . . no spark between them, just comfortable and she wants more than comfortable. _

_She trusts Bella's judgement._

"Let's go, you're on, dog," I said standing and gesturing toward Bree's room. "Just dazzle her, she wants to feel a spark of something there that she's missing with Eric." As determined and anxious as he had been to get to her when we first arrived, I had to nearly drag him out of the chair to head to her room.

"Come on. Trust me, timing is everything," I told him as I punched him in the shoulder when he stood to come with me.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, Jacob. Relax, Bella likes you . . . though I have no understanding of why," I teased him, "And she chose me, so we know her taste is excellent." He just stared at me and shook his head.

"You don't want to go there, leech," he said with a laugh as we walked down the hall.

"If you had told me a year ago that a vampire would be one of my best friends, after taking away the girl I thought I loved more than any other girl on the planet; I would have told you to lay off the hard drugs . . . switch to diet crack or something. But now, well . . . ," he stammered and faltered trying to get it out, "Well, thanks, Edward. I mean it, really man. Thanks for all you and Bella have done for me, you really are my best friend next to Bella." I stopped in my tracks and faced him.

"You're my best friend as well, Jacob. I count you as the closest person to me, other than my family," I told him, and honestly, that was how I felt. "Now come on, let's get you that girl."

"Yea, you owe me you know, since you took _my_ girl," he teased.

"_My _girl," I told him, "Bella was always _my_ girl." Well, she was. Always.

I knocked on the door to her room, then stuck my head in. "Bella?" I queried.

"Edward, come on in sweetheart. Bree and I were just talking about you."

"Nothing too bad, I hope," I said as I walked over and kissed my wife's cheek, putting my arm around her.

"No. Not too bad," Bree giggled, "Bella was just telling me how absolutely perfect in every way you were, that's all." If I could have blushed, I would have. More for where her thoughts had gone than for what she had said verbally.

"You remember Jake, from yesterday?" Bella asked, gesturing to him.

"Yes, I remember. Nice to meet you again, Jake," Bree told him, her eyes never leaving his.

"You, too. How are you feeling today?" he asked nervously, walking around to stand on the side of her bed opposite of where Bella and I were.

"Better, thanks," Bree told him, her eyes never leaving his, "It's nice of you to come and visit me. Bella says you may be moving your business here, to Highlands. You drag race Harley Davidson motorcycles?"

"Um, Yea. I'm the wrench anyway . . . I have someone else that rides them in the races. Bella, actually, rode and won several races last year."

"You what?" Bree almost shouted, her surprise left even her mind blank for a moment.

"That's how I felt," I told her as Bella swatted at me so that I would hush.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Bree asked.

"Well, it is if you wreck," Bella laughed, "and I wrecked big time last summer. Luckily Edward happened to be watching the race and ran out on the track and saved me."

Jake was still staring at Bree, and her attention was turning to Bella and me, rather than to him. "Well, we just wanted to check on you, Bree. Baby Masen is at home with his grandfather and to tell you the truth, we have to get back to him. Maybe Jacob here could tell you all about Bella's racing and the wreck, and we can fill you in on the rest tomorrow. Okay?" I suggested, nodding to Bella and Jacob as well.

"Sure sure. I can stay for a bit and give her the details," Jacob agreed. Bree's mind shifted into overdrive, she liked the idea of spending some time alone with Jacob; and needless to say, Jacob thought it was a great idea.

"Alright then, I'll go home and tend to my baby, but I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Bella said, stroking her hand down Bree's arm and patting her hand.

"Yes, please. See you tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Edward. Take care of her," Bree said as we started for the door.

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else," I answered, closing the door behind me. Bella and I paused outside the door, my mind listening intently to the thoughts coming from within that room.

"I think that is going to work out just fine, love. They are both interested, her almost as much as him," I said as I hugged her to me, her arms encircling my waist and my chin resting on the top of her head.

"I love you, you know," she said quietly, her cheek pressed into my chest.

"I know, love. I know," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, Carlisle is ready to leave. We should leave Jacob's truck here for him to come home in . . . if he decides to leave," I laughed. Bella took the keys from me and walked back to the room, opening the door without warning; only to see Jacob sitting on the side of Bree's bed talking animatedly to her and both of them laughing.

"Edward and I are riding home with Carlisle, Jake, so here are your keys. See you later. Be good you two, and don't either of you tell too tall a tales about me . . . I'll be listening tomorrow to see," Bella told them as she walked back out the door, shaking her finger at them in warning. I watched her through Jacob's eyes as she left, then saw Bree's face as she looked at him. She seemed like a nice enough girl, she had a gentle mind and a kind heart. Could be this was going to work out well for him.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Bella told me, a hand on my belly and the other around my waist as we walked towards Carlisle's office, "That was nice of you to do that for him, even if it was kind of eavesdropping."

"Mind reading."

"What?"

"It was _mind reading_, Bella. Anyone can eavesdrop, I do it with style," I told her, laughing with her as we went to find Carlisle.

Our ride home was uneventful, the baby was fine and happy, playing with his Aunt Alice who had apparently stolen him from his Grandfather. Sue had prepared dinner and asked Bella if she was hungry, as she and Charlie had already eaten.

"She's starving, Sue," I answered for her. The look she gave me as she took Masen from Alice and cooed at him told me that she could answer for herself, thank you, and I felt properly chastised.

"I know you can, love. I just like taking care of you," I said as I allowed Masen to grab my finger and tell me all about his time with the other members of his family while we were gone. He was definitely wanting some Mom and Dad time, and I was glad he felt that way. We had been apart almost the entire day and it was time to reconnect . . . and, though I loved my time alone with my wife, I had missed him as well.

"Let me hold him while you have dinner, love," I said, taking him in my arms and routinely checking his blood pressure and temperature. He definitely ran a lot colder than the normal human, and his pressure was significantly lower. I had to wonder if he would always have a heartbeat, or if it was something that, once grown, he would no longer need. I settled into a chair beside Bella in the kitchen with him in my arms, letting him play with my finger and exchanging thoughts with him. He didn't have the vocabulary to express himself adequately in some instances, and I could sense the feeling and give him the words to use for it. His ability to learn was absolutely incredible, and he seemed to have inherited perfect recall from his vampire side, playing entire scenes back for me in his mind as he showed me his day. Absolutely amazing, and Bella and I had created this little guy, this young man that was so intimate a mixture of us both. I looked over at my wife as she ate and thought about her words from earlier,

_I thought that maybe we could have just one more baby . . ._

. . . and I had to wonder, sitting here holding my son in my arms . . . if it wasn't all worth it. All the worry . . . the risk . . . but the benefit, well, I couldn't possibly regret any of it with my son looking up at me and laughing about something that Grandpa Charlie had done. I would need to check with Alice. I remembered the vision she had shown me while we were at Universal Studios in Florida . . . me lying on a blanket out in the yard with two infants sitting with me playing while I watched an older child running around the yard . . .

I suppose I always knew that I would give in to her if she wanted another baby. I just hadn't realized that I wanted one as well.


	90. Chapter 90  Realizations

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 90 Realizations**

_"It's for you, Bella, it's your Mom."'_

**BPOV**

"So, have you decided what to tell your mom?" Charlie asked, as he wandered into the kitchen to sit with us while I finished eating, and Sue put away the leftovers.

"Mom! I forgot all about calling her!" I exclaimed: "I was so busy thinking about Jake and Bree, she completely slipped my mind. I guess I should give her a call," I said, and Charlie slid his phone across the table to me.

I thought about earlier, when Dad had first told me that she called and I had to laugh at what had gone through my mind to say to her . . .

_Hi Mom! _

_Edward, my 110 year old immortal vampire husband with two medical degrees delivered my partially human son who, by the way, can sit up on his own almost at three days old,put thoughts in your head as well as read the ones that are already there and drinks blood._

_How was your cruise?_

I laughed to myself and shook my head. Sue took my plate from me and I stood, taking a deep breath and picking up the phone. Edward's eyes were comforting as I stared at him, while walking to the back door as I rang her phone all the while trying desperately to decide what it was I was going to tell her to explain Masen..

"Mom, hi! Sorry I'm calling so late. I know. I'm Sorry I didn't call you. I didn't want to call while you were on your cruise. I know. Fine. Yes. No, Masen is fine and Edward was wonderful. No, no complications really. I know, well . . . he was really early. Yes. Yes. You are? No, that's fine. I can't wait to see you, Mom. I love you too. Drive safely. Okay. No, Edward will be happy to see you, too. Tell Phil good luck with his training. Bye."

I walked back to the table and handed the phone back to my dad. I knew I looked somewhat sheepish, but it was only because I really was a coward and had not known what to say to my mom and now she was coming here. Here. She was coming here to stay with Edward and me for at least a couple of weeks, and neither of us had any idea how we were going to handle her.

"Mom is coming. Phil has to be at a training camp starting tomorrow, but she insists on driving up to stay and help me for a couple of weeks with the new baby," I told them.

"What are you going to tell her, Bells?" my dad asked, folding his arms as he sat, rocking back on the two back legs of the kitchen chair.

I looked to Edward, then back to my dad, then to Masen, held in Edward's arms. There was just no way he would pass as a newborn, let alone a preemie. Even if I allowed her to believe that I lied, that Edward and I had been sexually active right after I went home with him in July and not waited till September, that would mean that Masen was still a couple of months early. I drew a deep breath, my mind flying through a million different things all at once and at the same time feeling blank.

"Let's ask Alice which explanation works, sweetheart. I have no idea what to tell her and you know how intuitive and downright nosy she is anyway. We kind of have to figure this out before she gets here so we are all on the same page when we talk to her. Surely there is a way to get by with this, at least for a little while," I said hopefully . . . but my face didn't show it.

Edward sat, allowing Masen to play with his fingers and suck on one of them as he stared at me.

"Bella, if your mom is coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks, there is something I would like to do as often as possible till she gets here."

"What?" I said, clueless. He stared at me with his molten gold eyes and I watched them darken before my eyes as he cocked his head to one side.

"Oooh."

"Everyone here is somewhat accustomed to us and our noises, love. My family is used to such things and so has your father," he looked over at my dad who was looking at his hands folded in his lap and trying not to add noise to the displayed snicker that covered his face well.

Edward continued, his head nodding toward my dad, "He and Sue and Jake have become somewhat . . . desensitized," he said, eyeing my dad as he kissed Masen on the forehead and told him goodnight, handing him to Sue, then turning to me.

"Upstairs, wench!" he somewhat demanded, gesturing toward the stairs.

"Edward! My father . . . ," I reminded him, mortified that he would be so bold in front of him.

"Your father has had sex before, love . . . he said so earlier today, remember?" he told me as he took my hand and half pulled me toward the stairs.

"Edward!" I said, listening to Sue and my father chuckle and the rest of his family look at him like he had lost his mind. I playfully leaned back, pulling away from him. He allowed me to pull away, of course, only to slowly stalk me as I backed towards the stairs.

"Sweetheart, the baby! He needs to spend time with us, Edward," I said. I had fed Masen and he seemed content, but we had been away from him most of the day. I knew Edward well enough to know that he was aware of Masen's thoughts, and would not be leaving him with others if it was going to be a problem or if it would upset the baby. I also suspected that as soon as I was asleep he would have Masen in his arms, and I had never seen Edward display such a blatant need for me in front of others

"Bella, you were held hostage from me for three days, not knowing if I would ever have you with me again and you've been pregnant for most of the time we've been intimate, making me nervous about hurting you . . . well, even more than normal. Don't expect me to be shy about wanting you," he said quite softly as he closed the distance between us and I could feel his cool breath on my neck. "You know you want to . . ."

"Edward! What happened to the prudish uptight gentleman that would not allow buttons on his shirt undone?" I asked coyly, remembering him acting like this when we had been in Yellowstone as well.

"He grew up, got married to the woman he loved, had a son, and decided to try for a daughter," he said loud enough that even my father gasped at the idea, not to mention his family sitting in the living room with their mouths agape. Edward only smiled, seemingly and uncharacteristically delighted at the spectacle he was causing . . . kissing me in a way that would not be considered exactly polite in public.

"Now, wench . . . about that daughter . . . ," he said as he lifted me over his shoulder and sped up the stairs with me. His family was almost literally rolling on the floor in laughter and amazement in the change in the man before them, and my dad smiling . . . knowing that his daughter really had married the man she loved more than anything.

I had a feeling that eternity with this man was going to be really amazing.

"Edward!" I continued to squeal at him as he tossed me on our bed and climbed over my body as though he was an animal stalking its prey.

"Sweetheart, we made love all day. All day, Edward," I reminded him, wondering what the hell had gotten into him.

"Bella . . . ," he said, his lips never leaving my skin and his hard length pressing into my stomach as he lie full on me, his hand pulling my knee up on one side of him as he slid between my legs. I almost didn't have the heart to tell him, but we had said we would always be honest with each other.

"Sweetheart," I managed to say between kisses. His intent was clear. He quite literally ripped yet another pair of jeans entirely off my body, along with everything else we had been wearing as his unnecessary breaths increased. His lips never leaving my skin.

"I love it when you're this needy, sweetheart," I told him as I reached between us and touched him, eliciting a moan from my husband as his hips rocked forward in response. He pushed my other leg aside to gain access to me, his body straining and his back arched against me as he growled.

I laced my fingers in his and removed his hand from my core while I stroked his hair with my other hand. Stopping him was not something I had ever done before and it was as though the earth had shifted on its axis. He rested his forehead on mine, breathing in a deep breath and holding both my hands, one in each of his on either side of my neck as he tried to calm himself enough to speak to me . . . at least that was what I thought he was doing. His forehead moved to my shoulder, and he hid his face from me, moving the lower half of his body off to the side of mine and onto the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I . . . I don't know what got into me. I just had to have you and I didn't even notice that you didn't want to," he whispered, obviously either mortified by his actions or crushed at the thought of my not wanting him.

"Edward, do you really believe I don't want you right now . . . that I don't want to make love with you?"

"Bella, you just had the baby three days ago and we spent all day making love, it's okay if . . ."

"Stop right there," I told him, pressing a finger to his lips to shush him, "Believe me, I want to. You couldn't have noticed that I didn't want to, Edward, because I do want to."

"There's more to this, love. What is it, what have I done?" he asked. I hadn't seen him afraid that he wasn't wanted in quite a long time, and I had to tell him the truth. I couldn't let him think it was him. I just needed to tell him.

"I'm just kind of swollen and a little sore right now. It doesn't mean that I don't want you," I said. I was embarrassed and worried that I wasn't going to be able to be there enough for him, that I wasn't enough for him. I moved my hand from his lips and grasped him again. I used the other hand to force his face away from my shoulder. It was like pushing on a granite wall at first. He refused to move and let me look at him, but my persistence paid off and he gave a few inches, my eyes meeting his overwrought golden ones.

"I love you. I always want you, please believe me. I can be enough for you," I panicked, my feelings of inadequacy rising to the surface, along with my fear of losing him, "Once I'm changed, this will never ever happen and I'm so very sorry that I . . ."

He put a finger across my lips and looked at me with his eyes so full of love that it almost made me cry.

"You had only to tell me, sweetheart. I would never intentionally hurt you. Sex is something we can do when we both want to, not just when I get crazy like this," he said as he snuggled me to his side and held me. He hugged me gently to him, telling me he loved me and that I was more than enough in very way and that he was sorry he was so needy and that he would love me just the same if we never got to make love again . . . but I already knew all that because I felt exactly the same way about him.

"Get some rest, love," he said as he started to hum my lullaby.

I squirmed and squirmed, unable to get comfortable . . . knowing what I wanted. I hugged my husband to me and rolled to my back, encouraging him to cover me with his body. I hugged his head to my chest as he nestled between my legs, holding me to him as he kissed me softly and laid his cheek against me.

"Am I not too heavy lying on you? Is this more comfortable for you, love?" he asked as I continued to squirm.

"Ummm. Almost," I said as I reached down and positioned his length where I was swollen and sore, "Now. Much better, I have my own personal ice pack." Edward snorted, it was a kind of a tense sound really.

"Love, there is no way I can lie still and let you sleep like this," his gravelly voice rasped out, "so close to you . . . I love just lying here holding you, but not when I'm rock hard and almost inside you, I just can't control . . ."

"Yes you can. Just because I can't have any friction . . . there, doesn't mean we can't enjoy each other," I said as I placed his hand on my breast and encouraged him to squeeze, eliciting a moan from me. It was obvious that he was barely able to control himself. He ran his thumb over my breast, watching me intently as he slowly kissed and licked my chest. Slowly he took me into his mouth, staring at me as I nodded, arching my back and pressing my breast into his mouth as he began to suck, holding me to him. I wanted to tell him yes, that was what I had wanted . . . needed, but I could make no coherent words form. Though he had thought himself the one that was needy, I came instantly from his touch as he held me and I felt his cool release covering my swollen parts. He did not thrust into me, but lying perfectly still, holding me as he came again and again, his purring loud and his pleasure obvious. I reached my lips toward his as I broke his suction and caught his mouth against mine, kissing him for a long moment as he held my face in his hands, his weight on his elbows. He kissed down my throat and chest to the other breast, causing me to climax yet again as he nursed from me.

I could feel it already; the venom soothed my body, my undercarriage much less swollen and sore than a few minutes before. When he finished with my breast, I stroked his cheek as his head lie on my chest, telling him how much I loved him and how happy he made me. He leaned up on his elbows and kissed my lips softly, tracing kisses down my jaw to a favorite spot he had just under my ear.

Before he grasped what I was doing, I reached down and positioned him at my entrance, slowly rocking my hips up to meet him and sheath him inside me. Edward's arms straightened, the tendons in his neck straining and his head arched back.

"Bella . . . no, I thought . . ."

"Venom," I said by way of explanation, "everything is feeling just perfect now, sweetheart."

His eyes were black again as he looked down at me and placed soft kisses all over my face, his tongue licking my lip and asking for entrance as his arms snaked up under mine and grasp onto my shoulders from behind. He thrust into me gently at first, his need seemed difficult to control as his force increased, moving me slightly with each thrust and causing me to scream his name before his lips were able to somewhat silence me. My muscles tightening, squeezing him and causing him to release yet again, this time fully inside me as he called my name loudly, his arms extended as he roared above me. God I loved this man. How could he ever think for a moment that I didn't want him like this, always.

As I looked at him in moments like these, my husband caught in a moment of ecstasy, his face contorted and strained as his pleasure overtook him, I could almost think that I was enough for him ... almost.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

All the questions that I had amassed for Carlisle about different forms of birth control and how we would implement them, all disappeared. Gone. If we were to have another child, it needed to be right away. When Masen finished nursing, and that didn't seem like it would be more than a very few months, we would need to have another baby so that Bella could finally join me in immortality.

Aro or the other Volturi perceiving Bella's still being human as our having broken their laws was a constant threat hanging over our head, and something to be avoided. There was no way of knowing what they would do, if they would understand that she would be a vampire as soon as the baby was born or if they would insist she be destroyed, thus ending myself and my family as well. Masen, I had no idea what would happen to Masen in the event of such a thing, and the thought scared the hell out of me. No, we would need to plan on changing her as soon as Masen finished nursing. If she wasn't pregnant again by then, then I would certainly happily accept Masen as an only child. I had never expected the gift of a child at all and my life was fuller than I had ever imagined.

I had held Masen for several hours after Bella fell asleep, going over his day and unfortunately mine as well. There are apparently many things that are not appropriate to tell or discuss with children, adult things. Masen, however, was the exception. It was not because I wanted him to grow up and be aware of the adult world so incredibly fast, it was just that, with his intelligence and understanding and ability to read other's minds, it was impossible for him not to know things . . . things he probably should not have witnessed or felt even through someone else's mind until he was much, much older.

He wanted to know about Bella, not as his mom, but what she was to me. He was trying to understand my feelings for her and he was somewhat upset because he couldn't . . . he had no way of understanding and I wasn't ready to explain it to him fully. I tried to, somewhat. I told him that she was the other part of me, and I could not exist without her. That I hurt when she hurt, and her joy was mine as well. He listened quietly, his mind trying to process what I was telling him, and he questioned me about feelings that he read from me, from my mind.

I tried to explain love to him . . . my love for him, his love for Bella and me as his parents, and our love for each other. I told him that the difference in feeling love and not feeling it was like the difference between being as hungry as he could imagine, empty, and then being totally satiated, his belly filled to the brim. He seemed to grasp some of what I was trying to tell him. I knew what he was questioning, what he wanted to know. My mind had been so consumed with my wife since she returned that he had ample instances to read in my mind the feeling, the moment of loss of control and ecstasy that Bella and I shared so often. How do you explain that to a child . . . who would have ever thought that anyone would need to?

"Masen, I love you son. I'll talk with you and share with you and explain to you all I can, but some things are private. You have access to my mind, but those feelings between your mom and me, those are for me and me alone, son, and I can only hope that when you are old enough that you find a mate. If you and your bride have even half of the feelings between you that your mother and I share, I'll know you are a happy man.

I hated to wake her, but as I sat in the rocker holding Masen and the wee hours of morning approached, he was hungry. I thought about just going downstairs and grabbing a bottle from the refrigerator for him, but Bella really did want to nurse him . . . and I did have to share. Having been on diaper duty, I really did want to see if a diet of breast milk alone would help . . . and if it would satisfy his thirst as well.

My touch never woke her, but she sighed and leaned into my hand as I placed a breast shield on her nipple, the one closest to the bed as she rested on her side. I gently laid Masen against her, reminding him not to bite or pinch because his mom was fragile. It was as though he mentally rolled his eyes at me again, giving me what should have been a teenage reaction to something that he already knew and didn't like being reminded of as he latched onto her breast and began to nurse. Bella snuggled into him, her arm resting around him as she held him to her and started to stir. I stroked her face and tucked some strands of hair behind her ear as she tried to wake, realizing that Masen was there.

I knelt beside the bed, mesmerized at the sight of my wife feeding our son in such an intimate fashion and me being privileged enough to be allowed to observe. She gently stroked the back of his head as he drank, her arm keeping him cuddled up next to her. He didn't take long before he had emptied one breast and was rooting hungrily for the other as she sat up and held him to her.

She was so beautiful.

My need for her had intensified since I had her back. It wasn't so much that I couldn't control my strength around her, though that was always an issue. It was more that I needed her right with me, I needed to be close to her, inside her . . . and the need seemed to intensify each and every day. We had never made love for hours and hours on end like we had yesterday, and in spite of the coolness of my skin and the fact that the venom in my release soothed her, it was more than she could withstand on a daily basis. Her frail human body was swollen and chaffed, regardless . . . and I had still needed more. I was beginning to understand some of what Carlisle had told me about the need for your mate only intensifying the first few years of being with them, and it not leveling out for somewhere close to a decade. But my mate was human and it appeared as though she would continue to be for at least a few more months. We had only been intimate for four or five months now, four months and a week if you defined intimate as having intercourse. I had been able to put aside much of my need, or it had been overshadowed by the facts, firstly that she was human and frail, and secondly by her having carried my child and all the fear and apprehension that had gone with that.

I had a feeling that Masen had something to do with giving me extra control. He placed thoughts in my head that kept me from following my instincts and being more true to my nature and my rising need to be inside her most of the time. He had helped me protect his mom, and if we were going to try to have another child, I would need to ask for his help this time, help in protecting his mom and his sibling from the only thing now, other than the Volturi, that had the ability and opportunity to hurt her, if only by accident . . . me.

It might truly be possible to be loved to death.


	91. Chapter 91  Patients & Patience

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 91 Patients & Patience **

_"Sure sure. I can stay for a bit . . . "_

**Jacob POV**

"So, Jacob, how did you and Bella become friends?" Bree asked as soon as Bella and Edward had left.

"Our fathers were friends, well, fishing buddies. They would drag us both out on a boat to fish all day since we were 4 or 5 years old. When Bella moved in with her dad full time, a couple of years ago, we just started hanging out all the time together."

"Moved in with her father?" Bree asked as she settled back and repositioned herself slightly on her bed.

"Yea, um, her mom and dad divorced when she was a baby and her mom took her to live in Arizona. She moved back home to Forks just a couple of years ago when her mom remarried," I told her, fidgeting with my hands in my lap.

"And how did she get started riding motorcycles?" she asked, giggling as though it was a weird thing to do.

"Well, she and Edward had broken up and he had left town. She was really miserable and bored so she brought some old dirt bikes over to my house. She knew that I was a pretty good mechanic so we spent every day after school working on them, and she learned to ride. After my dad died . . . well . . . I just needed to leave, I couldn't hang around and she insisted on coming with me."

"Bella?"

"Yea."

"You and Bella?"

"No, no. It wasn't like that. Well, at least not for her. I've always just been her best friend, Bree. Edward was always the one she was in love with," I told her, not looking her in the eye.

"But you?" she asked timidly, our eyes both lifting from staring at whatever the hell was so interesting on the floor.

"I thought she was the one for me for a long time, and I tried to convince her . . . but I was wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yea." There was this really long silence, like neither of us was able to speak because there ws something that needed to be said. I sure as hell wasn't saying anything. What was I supposed to say?

_Hey Bree, I am now and forever completely in love with you and at your beck and call_?

Right.

I just sat and continued to play with my fingers.

"Jacob," she called my name quietly.

"Yea?" I looked up at her, not knowing how to continue.

"Do you believe that some people are just meant to be with each other?"

"Yea, I guess I do," I said, scooting my chair closer to her.

"I do, too," she said as she took my hand in hers.

We spent the rest of the evening talking. It was only a couple of hours till normal visiting hours were over and I promised to be back in the morning as soon as they would let me in the doors. I even kissed her on the forehead before I left. She was just everything I ever thought I wanted.

I pried myself away from the outside of her door and walked downstairs to ICU. Sam was in the waiting room. Seems the night nurse wasn't about to let him sit and hold Emily's hand all night and he was pacing back and forth, wearing a path in the linoleum. Emily was stable, and there was even talk of waking her up in the morning, at least taking away all the drugs that were keeping her sedated, so that was good. There was no way Sam was leaving the hospital, so I got him to follow me out to my truck so that he could at least change into the clothes I had thee for him.

"Thanks, Jake," he said as he slipped the fresh tee shirt over his head. He didn't say a word about the vampire stench that I knew he noticed.

"You holding up alright?"

"Yea, yea. Fine. I'm just worried about Emily. She's the only thing that really matters to me, Jake."

"Yea, I got that," I told him, my hands in my pockets as I leaned against the truck in the cold night air.

"Well, I guess I better get back in there. You outta here?" he asked.

"Yea. I'll be back in the morning, though. I'm thinking about heading back to La Push by the end of the week. Thought I might ask Charlie if he wants me to pull that boat he got for Christmas home for him and maybe he and Sue would like to see some of the country on the way," I said in an offhand manner. Sam froze.

"Jake, you'd leave me here with, well, with _them_?" he said, his eyes narrowing and his lips becoming firm straight lines. I really wasn't sure if he was angry . . . or scared. Whatever the fuck it was it was annoying as hell for him to be this way. I don't give a damn if he only saw them as bloodsuckers and not at all as people, they had been considerate, kind and generous to both of us and he needed to get the fuck over it.

"_They . . ._ are not the problem, Sam, and yes, you would be perfectly safe with _them_, as long as you don't start anything that is. If you did, well, you would kind of have it coming don't you think? I don't think I would fault the bloodsuckers for ending you about now. It is their right, you know. You broke the treaty," I reminded him.

"Anyway, I got you a room at the hotel next door," I said, pointing to it in the distance. There are fresh clothes there already for you. Sue took care of it for me. There is no telling how long Emily will be here even if everything goes well and I don't want you anywhere near the Cullen houses. I'll talk to Carlisle in the morning when I come back to see Bree, and we'll go from there," I told him as I moved to get into the driver's seat of my truck. "See you in the morning, Sam."

I handed him the key to his room and his wallet I got from Emily's stuff at the house. It had cash in it in case there was something he needed, not that I gave a fuck, but Sue had asked me to make sure. I headed towards the house, anxious to get a night's sleep for the first time in what seemed like forever. I had just gotten to the driveway of Edward and Bella's house when I realized that with Charlie here and Sue, there wouldn't be a room for me to use . . . unless they were sharing a room . . .

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

"Yes, dear, we miss you, too. Soon then? Alright. No. I'll be sure to tell Carlisle. Keep in touch and let us know. Alright, bye then," Esme was saying as she got off the phone.

"Who was that, Petal?"

"Carmen. She and Eleazar are thinking of coming down for a few days. Apparently the girls have gone to Europe for an extended visit and they were just thinking how long it had been since they saw us."

"They're well then?" I asked as I took off my tie and laid it and my lab coat on the chair.

"She says they're all fine, they just miss us and want to see the new house."

"Did you tell them about the baby?" I asked, not sure what I wanted her answer to be.

"No, no dear. I haven't even told them that Edward had found someone. In fact, now that I think about it, we only spoke of Edward just before Christmas when they asked we had heard from him and I told them that he was back with us, although she did ask how he was getting along."

"Yes, I called Eleazar when Edward burned his arm. I didn't explain the circumstances, I just wanted to know if he had any ideas to help it heal or if he had heard of a vampire being burned that badly before . . . and he hadn't," I told her.

"Well, that explains them asking specifically for Edward then, doesn't it. I suppose I really should have mentioned Bella, but there's no hurry. It isn't as if she or the baby are going anywhere any time soon," she said with a snicker.

"No, I suppose you're right. Edward is keeping pretty close tabs on both of them isn't he," I answered, smiling from ear to ear I'm sure. I just couldn't be happier for my son. He seemed to have gotten everything he had been wanting, and then some.

"Well, wouldn't you? Given what they've been through, I'd say our son is holding up rather well, Carlisle. He is so good with the baby," she whispered as she embraced me with a hello kiss.

"I'm anxious to see what Eleazar thinks of Masen and his abilities. He used to be in charge of finding immortals with abilities for Aro, back years ago when I lived with the Volturi. He would know the potential better than anyone, I suppose," I laughed, "Although a vampire/human child is probably not something he has ever run into before."

I started to unbutton my cuffs and roll up my sleeves, just getting a little more comfortable now that I was home. I hung my lab coat in the closet and started upstairs with my tie as Esme's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"Where were you?" she asked, "I came home just after you dropped Bella and Edward off at the house, expecting to surprise you only to find an empty house."

"I'm sorry, Petal. I would have stopped here if I had known, I forgot something at the hospital and I just ran back there for a moment. That's all," I told her, hugging her to me. "Have you eaten?"

"No, dear, not in a few days come to think of it."

"Well then, let me go change and let's go out for a hunt, shall we?"

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes. Just the two of us."

We spent hours out in the chilly night air. The moon was shining brightly on the snow covered surfaces of the forest making it quite picturesque. We sat on a ledge rather high up after thinning the population of a small herd of deer, just enjoying the night and each other. I had been so preoccupied worrying about Bella, then Edward's arm; I had neglected my wife. That ended now, as I held her to me and continued kissing her. Though we had been together many decades, there was nothing boring about making love to my wife . . . nothing at all.

"Do you think they'll have another baby?"

"What?" I asked, way more interested in continuing the kisses along her collarbone than in talking.

"Another baby. Do you think they will actually have another one?"

"Baby?" I snapped out of the post coital haze that had engulfed me as I lay on the ledge, propping myself up on an elbow to look down at her face and understand what it was she was asking me. "Edward and Bella?"

"Yes," she said, softly stroking my cheek.

"I had no idea they were even thinking along those lines. Edward was so terrified of even trying to have the one, and Bella agreed to terminate if there was any problem. You're saying they are thinking about risking it again?"

"Well, Bella tonight was asking Edward,"

"_What happened to the prudish uptight gentleman that would not allow buttons on his shirt undone?"_

"He was insisting they go back upstairs . . . after they had been upstairs all day. It was the funniest thing, Carlisle. Watching our son call his wife a wench, and tell her to get upstairs!"

"Wench? Edward called her that?" I asked, cocking my head to one side in disbelief.

"He was teasing her, silly. Don't go all 1700's on me and think of it like when you were a boy."

"Still."

"Anyway," she shushed me, "he told her . . .

_He grew up, got married to the woman he loved, had a son, and decided to try for a daughter."_

I had to process that for a moment. Edward was openly talking about getting Bella pregnant. Edward was openly talking about sex? Having sex? Who would have ever thought.

"Really!" I exclaimed.

"That's just after you dropped them off and Bella fed Masen. It was the funniest thing, and Emmett . . ."

"I can only imagine," I chuckled, stroking down her neck and over her breast . . .

"Yes, Emmett was rolling on the floor, literally! Charlie was even laughing at them. Edward tossed her over his shoulder and then ran upstairs, not even bothering with human speed or pretense, Carlisle. I've never seen him so playful and happy, dear, ever. For a moment, he seemed like a seventeen year old boy in love."

"Well, I can't even imagine that it will be possible for them to get pregnant again. It was probably just a fluke, Esme. It isn't like Edward had a high or even a normal sperm count. He has some, obviously, but normally it would never be enough for her to get pregnant," I told her as I thought it to myself.

"I suppose they will have to go with volume then, darling," she said, trying not to laugh openly, "And I for one don't think that will be a problem. They were in their room all day today till they went into the hospital, and they weren't gone for that long till they came home, she ate dinner and fed Masen, and Edward took off with her again. I didn't even know humans could behave that intimately for long periods of time. I can't even imagine the amount of control it requires of Edward. I just cannot imagine."

She was right, of course. Bella was his singer, and though he was never far from her and was intimate with her, his throat had to burn like he swallowed hot metal and her blood had to call to him. We discussed it. He had told me that he _got over it_, that it was no longer a problem. Having almost lost her in that motorcycle wreck after being parted from her for the better part of a year had caused anything that could take her away from him, including her blood, to be something he avoided. Her blood, in fact, now was something of an aphrodisiac for him, by his account. I had no idea how that was possible . . . and her survive of course. I could not wait to talk to Eleazar about that as well.

"Well, it's nearly dawn, Petal, and I have to get to the hospital and check on Emily."

"How is she?"

"She's stable. Good, really . . . considering. Her medication is being stopped this morning and she should wake up. The bleeding is down and the chest tube may come out as well. If everything proceeds like I think it will, I was thinking of flying her back to Port Angeles at the end of the week. I'm assuming she will choose to go home with Sam, that is, and I think she will. I spoke with Jacob today and he has arranged for a room at one of the hotels in town near the hospital for Sam. He feels obligated to at least provide him that, since he did fly across the country to help him learn to phase."

"Yes, well I suppose he does," she said softly, then was quiet for a time. "You know, dear, this is the first time I just haven't been willing to forgive. If that dog is near me for very long, I may end him myself and do us all a favor."

"Petal!"

I would never cease to be amazed by my wife.

"I mean it, Carlisle. I have never been more serious. I'd like to rip him limb from limb and not regret even the mess I made of my clothing."

"Well, I definitely will get him on a plane then. Right now the Quileutes are somewhat inclined to grant whatever concession we may want in the treaty, given what Sam did, and I want to use that to keep the treaty intact and still have Edward change Bella. We did give our word," I reminded her.

"Yes, we did. Myself included, dear, but given his actions, I believe it's our right to end him if we choose. I understand if you want to use it for a free pass to change Bella, but unless they are willing to give us that, I want a hand in ending Sam."

"You might have to stand in line," I laughed, "I think Emmett and Jasper may be in front of you."

"I'm quite sure they will defer to their mother, Carlisle," she said about the time we reached the cabin.

I just couldn't get over Esme's having such a reaction to Sam. She genuinely wanted to end him and it was out of character for her. Having said that, I realized it was not out of character. Mama bear was completely _in character _. . . someone had hurt her child and she was wanting to retaliate. I remembered how adamant she had been when Edward had shut down in the meadow in Forks last spring, having returned there only to find Bella gone. She had refused to leave him. Everyone had tried for weeks to get him to move, to come inside, but she not only got him up . . . she had him feeding before she brought him back to the house with her. No, the more I thought about it, it was completely _in character_ for her to want to end Sam. He had taken advantage of Edward and attempted to kill him and hide that he had been responsible.

Deception and treachery.

I was becoming angry myself. I had to keep remembering that Edward had accepted his apology, and it had been his right to do so. Alice greeted us as we entered the house.

"Isn't it wonderful, Carlisle!" She was bounding up and down.

"Alice?"

"Twins. I see a boy and a girl for them. The little girl has copper curls and brown eyes and Bella's face and the boy has curly brown hair and green eyes. I can't believe they are doing this again!" she squealed, as excited as I had ever seen her.

"Alice, are you sure?" Jasper asked as he came into the kitchen with us.

"Well of course I'm sure. You know how my visions work, it's just one of the possibilities, but right now it is at the top of the list and crystal clear. I've had this vision since just after we got back from Rio, but it is more vivid now."

"Have you told Edward?" Esme asked cautiously.

"I told him when we were at Universal Studios in Orlando. He was having trouble restraining himself with Bella and I showed him my vision so that he would know he was capable . . . is capable of restraint," she said, unable to stand still even though Jasper has his arms around her shoulders.

"Well, maybe his behavior this evening was the beginning of something," Esme added.

"No, she just had the baby, Petal. It will be at least 15 days before she could possibly ovulate. Medically," I explained.

"And how do you _medically_ explain Masen?" Alice asked, with something of a smirk on her face.

"I can't. Masen was the product of vampire and human. I can predict what just human Bella's body will do now that there is no part vampire contained in her. Two weeks at the earliest, guaranteed, and I suspect they will have difficulty conceiving another child, but it is only my guess. I haven't been concerned about discussing birth control with them yet even because it is too soon after the baby's birth," I insisted.

"Well, if I had to make a bet, I'm betting on Eddie knocking her up again," Emmett chimed in as he shut the front door, "Hell, you can hear them from here even now." He paused for a minute, as if listening for sounds in the distance to back up what he was saying before smugly adding, "and I bet there is quite a bit of vampire contained in her."

Jasper and Alice were beside themselves with laughter and even Esme was snickering at that.

He was right. I could hear Edward at that moment, and he was roaring like something wild in the woods, obviously the sounds of mating occurring. I dropped my eyes to the floor and shuffled my feet, somewhat out of habit I guess when things made me uncomfortable. I had listened to Emmett and Rosalie's lovemaking as well as Jasper and Alice for decades, but somehow it was different. This was Edward. I loved all my children, but Edward was my very first and everything was just more with him.

"Rosie is downstairs at the other house. Masen has been playing with us the last hour or so. Eddie came down and got him last night and only just gave him back before heading upstairs, so at least Bella got some sleep. Rosie insisted she wanted him, so I left to see if anyone wanted to go for a hunt," Emmett said.

"Mom and I just got back, son," I told him as I looked to Alice and Jasper.

"Sure. Let's go, darlin'," Jasper suggested to Alice, "I'm all kinds of thirsty with all this going on around us."

"Yes, I know, baby. Edward's mood affects you big time and I can't say that I mind," Alice said as she went up on her tip toes to kiss his lips.

"Well, come on then, lets get this hunt over and get back home for a bit," Jasper said as he kissed the top of her head.

The three of them left together and left me laughing to myself at how different each and every one of them was, but how together we all were as a family.

"I'm going to have a shower before I go to work, care to join me?" I asked my wife.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a smirk that made me think that I might not get in to work as early as I had thought . . .

Rounds were good, same as usual I should say. The hospital was functioning well and I was happy with the progress of my patients, including Bree and Emily.

I rounded the corner in ICU to find Sam arguing with the nurse about staying with Emily. I knew the nurse, and knew that he wouldn't win. The shift changed in half an hour, so I sidetracked him by getting him to step into the waiting room with me and talk about her treatment. I explained that we would be discontinuing the drugs that were keeping her asleep, and that she would be waking up sometime mid day.

"Don't expect a lot from her, Sam. She's going to be disoriented and very groggy. She won't be able to speak well because her throat is swollen and sore from the tubes down it," I tried to warn him. "You should probably disregard anything she says today as well. She won't be thinking clearly, Sam, and there is no need to take her words to heart till we let her regain herself a bit, okay?" I asked him, reaching to put a hand on his shoulder as I would any of my other patients' husbands . . . but thinking better of it before I did.

"Alright, doc, and thanks. Thanks for taking care of her," he said, looking straight at me apparently so that I would know he meant it.

"Have you left here at all, Sam?" I asked.

"No, well not yet," he said, avoiding looking directly at me.

"I know Jacob got you a room, Sam. The nurses have to change shifts and give report. They're not going to let you in there for at least an hour, and I'll be right here. Go. At least take a shower and shave so that you'll look fresh for her when she wakes up," I insisted. "You don't want to look and smell like a lost pup do you?" I snickered.

He started to anger, but then chuckled instead, "Yea, yea. You're right, bloodsucker. I'll go freshen up. Just remember, I don't smell like a dog to her."

I smiled as he walked off down the corridor . . . but I was glad he was gone for awhile. I wanted to check on Emily, and I didn't want company or someone eavesdropping. His heightened sense of hearing could be inconvenient sometimes.

"Carlisle!" I heard my name called as I had turned to hand a file to the nurse at the ICU desk.

"Jacob, you're out early this morning."

"Yep. I just saw Sam heading across the parking lot and he told me you were in ICU. Is Emily doing any better?" he asked.

"Yes, yes she is. Better than I expected actually. We're waking her up today and if all goes well, I was thinking of discussing sending her back to the west coast the end of the week."

"That's great, doc. She would be able to get on a plane and everything?" he questioned.

"Well, no, no high altitudes or sitting for long periods of time. I was thinking of chartering a private plane to take her. I didn't know how long Charlie and Sue were staying, or if you would be returning to La Push for a time. All things I wanted to discuss with you," I explained,.

"Well, I was thinking of driving back so that I could pull that boat of Charlie's back for him. I hadn't asked him if he and Sue wanted to ride with me or not. Getting Sam on a plane and getting him the hell out of here would be good, but you and I also need to meet with the council and decide what's gonna happen to him. Would you be able to fly back with them and we could all meet?" he asked.

"When were you thinking of leaving?"

"Well, Bree is being released Wednesday, right?" he asked.

"Yes, she wants to get back to school and I see no reason to keep her," I told him.

"Well, after she leaves, or maybe she will let me drive her to school . . . ," he mused. "No, anyway," he said, snapping himself out of it, "after she leaves I was going to head out. I could be there by the weekend, depending on if Charlie rides with me and if he wants to stop and see shit on the way or not. I'd say I could be there by Sunday night anyway."

"Let's see how Emily does, then, and if she is even going to go home with Sam. Regardless, I'll see if it's possible to arrange, and for me to have time off. You realize, Jacob . . . I would bring someone else with me. I would not come alone."

"Sure, sure, bloodsu . . . I mean doc. We'll just have patience and see how the patients do, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan, Jacob, sounds like a plan."


	92. Chapter 92  Moms

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 92 Moms**

_It might truly be possible to be loved to death._

**EPOV**

Days passed, and Bella and I fell into somewhat of a routine. Masen was happy to sleep through the night, but just as willing to sit up with me. We really weren't sure if he needed sleep, or if he just humored us by sleeping. Bella still used the breast shields, probably more for my piece of mind than for her benefit. Masen never ever slipped and bit her. He seemed to function quite well on a diet of breast milk without supplementing it with blood, but I was basically a selfish creature. While on the outside it appeared that I was being considerate, sharing my son by letting a member of my family give him a bottle each evening, I was in truth selfishly saving a treat for myself each evening when Bella went to bed. I loved nursing from her and she loved it, of that I had no doubt. As far as the ruse of letting the family have time with Masen by offering to let them feed him a bottle, she saw right through me. I didn't care.

Bree left the hospital Wednesday afternoon; Jacob willingly saving her parents a trip to get her by driving her back to school. I think it took some convincing, but then Jacob could be quite convincing when he wanted to. Jacob and Bree seemed to be working out quite nicely with her acting like he hung the moon and Jacob, well Jacob's primary reason for existence had become that girl. I understood. He spent every moment that he was allowed to, visiting hours that is, at the hospital on Monday and Tuesday, never leaving her side till he drove her back to school. He actually seemed to be in physical pain when he returned from dropping her off and honestly, I had no idea how he would make it on the two weeks trip he had planned without seeing her.

He left on Thursday, he and Charlie. He made plans to drive Charlie home to Forks, thereby getting Charlie's new boat home with him and giving Jake transportation while he was on the West coast. He was going to make all the arrangements for _Black Swan Racing_ to move its headquarters to Highlands, North Carolina. Seems he bought property here before he met Bree and decided that it was still close enough to her, Clemson being less than a two hour drive from here. Well, an hour if I was the one driving, and I suspected Jacob drove in a similar manner. Bella was ecstatic that he would be living in town, and she would have her best friend close by. I had no idea how he would pull that off with the tribal elders though and since he had not yet been back to La Push, I was pretty sure he didn't have a clue either.

Emily had improved drastically and was now up and walking around the halls of the hospital with Sam in tow. They didn't speak much and though I read their thoughts, it was best to let them have their privacy to work out their differences . . . if that was possible. Carlisle chartered a private jet to fly her home on Saturday and Sam and Sue were flying with her as well as Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. They had all signed the treaty with Ephraim Black many years ago and were going back to Forks to settle the matter with the Quileute tribe. Though I had signed the original treaty years ago as well, I refused to leave Bella and no one pressed me on that . . . not that it would have done any good. Jasper and Alice were staying behind with Bella and me, just for good measure.

It was a good thing that Sam was leaving. Though his mind told me that he was truly contrite, sorry for what he had done by attacking me; he had still managed to anger Esme, and that had been a sight to behold! We all had a new-found respect for just how adamant she was in her love for her family, and at how truly formidable a vampire she really was. She was so loving and so agreeable and so _human _most of the time_, _we had all been surprised at her display. It was startling to us all . . . except for Carlisle.

Bella's mom had postponed coming to visit . . . for a week at least. Not having access to her mind from a distance, I wasn't sure if it was really because Phil's schedule changed or because Sue was here or because, as she told us, we had help this week, she would come the next week when everyone else had gone home. Great. At some point, I just wanted to be left alone with my wife and son, but it seemed as though it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Anyway, she was expected to arrive Monday and everyone else was leaving on Saturday, so we would at least have some down time with no guests.

Bella was amazing, though neither of us was expecting to ever be parents, it was as though she had always meant to be one. She got Masen up in the mornings, waking him after she and I spent some alone time in bed, keeping our routine of always making love in the mornings. I brought her breakfast in bed and she would feed him in our room, then take him to his room to dress him and let him play with his toys. He was a week old now, and sitting up on his own. After playtime, he would nurse again and she would encourage him to lie down and rest for a while, whether he slept or not, while she did necessary things around the house, had lunch, or played with the stock market with me. She would feed Masen again, then the afternoon was filled with someone, and they fought over it constantly, getting to play with the baby.

Bella and I cooked dinner together, with Sue or Charlie either helping or watching, and I always sat with her while she had her dinner. She read and I played piano or we watched a movie with everyone in the evenings till she was ready for bed, then I prepared a bottle that caused yet another fight over whom got to feed it to my son and play with him till I came down to get him sometime during the night for Bella to give him his two am feeding. After that it was my turn. I spent the time between his feeding and his nodding off with him alone, answering his questions and hearing all about his day. It was one of my favorite parts of the day, second only to the time Bella and I spent alone.

When we first went to bed at night, someone else would be downstairs giving Masen his bottle, allowing Bella and I to have some alone time . . . allowing me to have my turn nursing from Bella..

I loved it. She loved it.

She insisted on it, determined to take advantage of my reaction to her fluids at every opportunity till she became immortal. Truth be told, I think she was worried that I would miss it, that we would miss it. I wouldn't lie to her, she was right. There were just so many other advantages to her being immortal, not being so breakable, that I was certain it would be a fair trade off.

We had not discussed our having another child, it was unspoken between us. We made love often, every single day and we took no precautions against her becoming pregnant. Really, we had no idea if precautions were even possible since I was a vampire and my semen was composed mainly of venom. Perhaps it was too soon or, more importantly, I'm not sure we cared. The time would be upon us, and soon, when it would no longer be an option.

I would change her the moment she asked me to, of that I was certain.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

"Yes ma'am. No ma'am, I understand. Yes. I appreciate it, I really do. Would you like to speak to Bree again? Alright. Yes. Yes ma'am, maybe I'll see you sometime later in the semester. Okay, well, here she is," I said as I handed the phone to Bree.

She was so much better now, walking around the hospital room dressed in jeans and a tee shirt instead of a hospital gown. She had insisted on putting on the clothes that Alice had given her the moment she got them and seemed to prefer the bloodsuckers taste to the clothing her mom had brought for her. Whatever. I had to admit, Alice was good at dressing everyone up, though I had no idea how she seemed to always get the right size without ever having asked or anything . . . but she always did. I had given up saying no. I found random clothing in my truck from her all the time and it always worked out just fine, even if it did reek of vampire.

"Okay, mom. I promise. No, I can still get all the books and I have only missed a class or two. It'll be fine. Yes, I'll take it easy," Bree continued speaking to her mom.

We had become really close the last two days, closer than I thought possible for someone who didn't imprint. She still had no idea . . . I mean I hadn't told her or anything. She kept saying things like _meant to be_ and _karma_ and _destiny_ or some such shit. How was I supposed to explain it,

_Hey Bree, I'm a werewolf and have absolutely no choice but to be bound to you and in love with you forever more, regardless of how you feel about me._

Not sure that would go over well. I stuck to the whole _love at first sight_ thing, feeling safer with just going with that. She would know everything in good time, well, soon really. When I came back from La Push to get construction started on the new building I would make a point of spending some time each day with her and be here to talk about it with her. Right now I was just busy being in love.

"Eric? No, mom. Well yes, he did offer. Mom. He'll just have to understand. I know he's a good friend and he still will be, mom," she continued.

Eric. I had to snicker. He was toast. I was pretty sure he was headed for the big fall when she got back to school and saw him. Edward said she loved him, but more like a friend and brother, and that was exactly the role I would allow him to play . . . maybe. In any case, it was obvious to me from being with her the last four days that she was into me, really into me. I hadn't kissed her yet, but that was all about to change.

"Okay. I'll call you when we get to the dorm. Yes, of course I'll wear a seat belt. I love you, too. Bye, mom," she said as she got off the phone.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Fine, Jake. Are you ready to go?" she asked, smiling sweetly at me.

"Sure am. Your bags are in the truck, I guess all we need is Dr. Cullen to sign you out and we can leave."

"Did I hear my name mentioned?" Carlisle asked as he strode into the room with her chart in hand.

"Hi Dr. Cullen," she greeted him, going to sit on the bed.

"Well, today is the day. I'm glad to see you are going back to school, but we will certainly miss you around here," he told her as he put her chart down on the night side table and put his stethoscope in his ears.

He listened to her chest using the instrument, which made me smirk. I caught the glance he shot me, knowing that I knew he probably heard her heart better without the damned plugs in his ears, but he kept the facade intact. He felt some of the ribs, asked a few questions, and reminded her about not carrying a book bag full of books anytime soon. He wished us well as he left the room, giving us the okay to leave.

Bree loved my truck. Turns out she wasn't much of a car girl and had always preferred the ride that a truck offered, though she did like sports cars. Yes. She is definitely my kind of girl.

It wasn't a long drive to Clemson, just over an hour before I pulled up in front of her dorm. I carried her bags up to her room. She wouldn't have had but the one bag her parents brought for her, but then there was Alice. I was hoping to meet her roommate, but it seemed everyone was in class or out or something. It was kind of tense all of a sudden; I guess neither of us really understood where we stood with the other. I took her hand and held it while I talked to her quietly, letting her know how long I would be gone and making sure she had the phone I had given her with my number and Bella's programmed in it.

I said goodbye for about the fourth time, finally getting up the nerve to lean in and kiss her on the cheek. As I did, she turned her head and her lips met mine. To say I felt a spark would be an under exaggeration of the worst kind. I lit up like Christmas . . . and if I was any type of judge, so did she.

~oooOooo~

**Emily POV**

It was just so damned cold. Really cold. Shaking even. I felt like my bones were going to freeze, but my throat was burning. Somehow that was funny. I wondered if that was what it was like for vampires, I mean, they said that their throat burned from thirst . . .

Nothing was making any sense. There were lights and beeping all around me, but I didn't remember anything beeping on the mountain we had just climbed, or even in the truck. Then, the pain hit. Stabbing, excruciating pain my chest, my throat cluttered with something hard, something that kept me from screaming out in agony. My arms felt like lead weights and i was unable to move, trapped there to endure the pain.

Soft amber eyes came into focus. Blond hair and porcelain like skin on the face of the angel. There was white light all behind him and I could only see his face as he spoke to me. It had to be an angel, I must have died somehow and now i was in heaven. What was he saying? Hospital?

It was then that I remembered.

Sam.

My Sam

He had gotten angry, gone berserk really. The man with the angel face had been there. Carlisle. It wasn't an angel, it was Carlisle. All of a sudden I understood. I remember colliding with Sam, and pain, and wind. I was sliding in the snow and ice until I felt wind and then . . . nothing.

I fell.

I remembered that at least.

I saw him clearly now, though I could not move my head, his face was full in my view as he spoke to me, telling me that I had been injured and was in the hospital. Blink. What's that?

Blink once for yes, and two for no. He repeated it over and over. I could do that.

"Are you in pain, Emily?" he asked.

_Blink._

He touched whatever was in my mouth, explaining that they would be removing the tubes shortly, and apologizing for how uncomfortable they were. And they were.

"Sam is outside. Do you want to see him?"

_Blink. Blink._

I heard the beeping around me get faster and the angel tried to calm me. "Alright. Alright. He won't come in then, for now," he assured me. "Emily, did you know you were pregnant?"

_Blink._

"Well, not to worry. The baby is still fine, you didn't lose it. That's good."

_Blink._

"Yes, I agree. Congratulations, by the way," he said as he smiled.

It seemed like hours or days but maybe it was just minutes before I woke up again, but my mouth had nothing in it, including skin. It felt raw and sore, but I guessed that was from the tubes or breathing through my mouth or something.

"Do you need anything?" a voice asked me. I tried to focus and finally I saw Sue sitting by the bed, stroking the back of my hand.

"Hi," was about all I could rasp out.

"You gave us all quite a scare, Emily. Jacob and Sam are in the waiting room, well, Sam is. Jacob is probably down visiting Bree in her room," she said as she smiled and laughed softly.

I couldn't help but smile. Jake imprinting was a good thing, it might settle him down and it would at least help him to completely let go of Bella. That was, after all, a lost cause. I hoped he had someone that was just as nuts over him, though, like Bella and Edward were. I used to think I would always be that way over Sam, but now I just wasn't sure. He was such an ass sometimes and i just wasn't sure I trusted him to try and change, if he even wanted to.

"Sam wants to come in, would that be alright?" she asked, seeming reluctant to ask, but I knew that Sam was probably driving everyone out of their minds and behaving badly because I hadn't let him come in and see me yet.

"No. I need to talk to Edward first. Could you get him for me, tell him I want to see him?"

I couldn't face Sam right now and I really wasn't sure just what I was feeling except that I was angry and hurt and . . . embarrassed. Embarrassed that I was so connected to someone that was being such an ass . . . that was capable of such hatred and violence. I had to know what had been happening and Edward would tell me the truth. He knew others thoughts so he could tell me what I wanted to know about my husband, no one else could.

~oooOooo~

**Edward POV**

"Bella, Sue called and Emily wants to see me. Do you want to come to the hospital with me and let Bree see Masen? I'm sure she could wank down to the lobby to see him, she's almost well enough to leave the hospital and return to school."

"That's a great idea, sweetheart. I'd love to get Masen out of the house for a little while. I was wanting Bree to see him but I didn't really want to take him into the hospital. Maybe you're right, just the front lobby," she answered, looking up from the book she had been sitting on the sofa reading.

"Shall I come with you?" Esme asked, "I could keep the baby in the lobby while you two went up and got her from her room, then I could visit with your father for a little while. I haven't just dropped in on him in forever."

"What do you think, son? Want to go meet some of mommy and daddy's friends?" I asked Masen, stepping over to look at him in my mother's arms. I answered his question, "Yes, these friends are breakable like grandpa Charlie. No, no you won't be able to talk with them, they can't read minds as far as I know. Yes. I know it gets old just lying there and acting like you can't even sit up, but that's exactly what we need you to do, alright?"

Bella laughed at me. "Are you actually having an argument with a child that is less than a week old?" she chided.

"As a matter of fact, love . . . I am," I frowned. "The problem is that his logic is impeccable and I might actually _loose_ an argument to a child that is not even a week old yet," I told her, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead and offering her my hand to help her stand up. Not that she needed it. In my youthful human days, I was taught to be a gentleman and it stuck I guess.

We got Masen dressed appropriately for the cold weather, as it ws still middle of winter and since he had a heartbeat, we were taking no chances. We would keep him warm like any other human child. We headed to the hospital, Esme holding Masen while Bella and I went to find Bree. Jacob was in the room with her of course and Bree was delighted with the idea of seeing and holding Masen. I hadn't thought about the fact that she would want to hold him.

I reiterated to Masen the importance of not showing his strength and continuing to act like a newborn as I watched Bree and Bella sitting on the sofa fussing over him with Jacob looking on from a chair he had pulled up close to them. Feeling comfortable that my family was safe siting with Jacob, Esme left with me to check on Emily in the ICU.

I noticed Sam still sitting in the waiting room, but I buzzed the nurses desk and Esme and I were ushered into the intensive care area. I noticed a look of what seemed, if i read him right, to be rage coming from Sam. Apparently he had not yet been allowed to see her, and he was beside himself about it.

Sue was with Emily, and she seemed to be keeping her somewhat entertained by continuing to talk to her. From Emily's thoughts, I realized that talking was still painful for her and we would need to limit the words we expected her to say. From the moment she saw me, she mentally bombarded me with questions. She wanted to know,

_How had Sam acted once he realized what he had done . . . causing her to fall. _

_Had he been repentant or had he continued his rage in the waiting room?_

_Did I think, having read his mind, that he was genuinely sorry - not for hurting her, but for what he had attempted to do to me?_

"That's a tall list," I told her, Esme and Sue staring questioningly at my having made that statement without Emily having spoken.

"Sue, would you and Esme excuse us for a moment? Emily would like to ask me some things in private," I explained.

"Certainly, dear. We'll just go and find Carlisle and see what he's up to. You take your time," Esme said to me. Turning to Emily, she squeezed her hand saying, "I'm so glad you're on the mend, dear. I'll check back on you soon and you let me know if you need anything. I mean it . . . anything at all."

I heard the commotion with Sam as they left. He confronted them asking why the hell they had left a bloodsucker with his wife and he wasn't allowed to go in and see her. Sue told him, again, that Emily has asked to speak with me and that she had asked that he not be allowed in to see her yet. he was outraged, insisting on going with them to find Carlisle and in his capacity as head of the hospital, he was going to demand that he let him in to see his wife. Ha. Good luck with that, dog. Carlisle will always go with the patients wishes and I knew it.

I answered Emily's questions as honestly as I could, each and every question that came into her mind. I told her that Sam had apologized of his own accord and that to the best of my knowledge and having read his mind, that it was genuine and sincere. She loved him, but she was not about to let him off the hook for his attitude and actions and she was trying to decide if she was going to go home with him, or back to her relatives on the neighboring reservation where she was from. I could only give her the facts as I knew them, but it seemed to calm her. I told her that he seemed contrite and remorseful, determined to end his hatred and resolved that the Cullen's, anyway, would no longer count as cold ones to him.

I left her to think for a bit and headed toward Carlisle's office to see if Esme was ready to go. I knew that Bella and Bree were still sitting in the lobby talking and I laughed at some of the ridiculously obscene thoughts racing through Jacob's mind, thankful that Bree was the object of his thoughts and not Bella. I would hate to have to end him if those thoughts had involved my wife, now that we were friends and all.

Sam and Carlisle were arguing, and Carlisle's thoughts told me just to open the door and come on into the office with them. Unfortunately Sam was in mid thought when I walked in and he turned and seemed to snarl at me. When you spend so much time around humans, you become accustomed to things moving slowly. Esme's grip on Sam's arm wretched behind his back and twisted in such a way as to cause him to kneel on the floor and arch his back took me by surprise, as it did Sam and Sue.

I remember the determination with which Esme handled me when I sat frozen in my meadow in Forks, refusing to move or even breath for weeks, and I had witnessed her resolve on various issues over the years. None of that prepared me for this. Sam's movement and snarl had been perceived by her as a threat to me, causing Esme to incapacitate him instantly. Not only had she quite literally brought him to his knees, but her face was in his. She was every inch a quite lethal vampire. There was not a sound in the room, her teeth were bared and lips curled back as she spoke in a deadly quiet tone.

"My son, Edward, is a gentleman, Sam. Because of his youth and good nature, he may have accepted your apology but let me assure you . . . I have not. Give me a single excuse, a half threat to any member of my family. I will have the patience to end you slower and in more pain than you can possibly imagine Sam. Believe me, in over a century on this earth I have seen many many horrible ways to die and I would be willing to test out several of them on you."

No one moved. I don't even think either of the humans breathed.

I noticed the twinkle in Carlisle's eye and the fact that he didn't look the least bit surprised at his wife but gazed at her with pride, matching his thoughts. He would back her up no matter what she did, as I would Bella.

I put my hand on Esme's shoulder and she instantly lost the hard, predatory lines that had been in her features. The tendons in her face and neck relaxed and her teeth were again covered by the normal smile that graced her gentle, soft features.

"He meant nothing by it, mom. Trust me. Mind reader," I said tapping my temple with my finger.

A smile crossed her face as she dropped her hold on Sam's arm, his body falling sideways to the floor as she gracefully stood and walked around the desk to stand by Carlisle.

Sam hadn't intended a threat of any kind, but mom had perceived one and it was never a good idea to mess with mama bear, no matter the species and I had never appreciated family more.


	93. Chapter 93  Alone

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note: ** So sorry I have not gotten updates out on my original schedule. this moving houses is kicking my butt BIGTIME! This chapter has not been betaed, but here it is none the less - hope you enjoy it and leave me a review to let me know . . . PLEASE!

**Chapter 94 Alone**

**BPOV**

"Can you stop, and I'll run in the grocery story for a minute, sweetheart?" I asked my husband.

We were driving in his new car, our new car actually . . . me, my husband and our son. That sounded so absolutely wonderful and normal that the phrase just kept playing on a loop in my head.

Edward's, well our new car had arrived yesterday. He had asked me what car I wanted for the family vehicle since his Volvo had been crushed in the wreck that Riley orchestrated to distract him so they could kidnap me. I had told him to get whatever he thought best; I had no idea about cars, and I didn't really care as long as it would get us from place to place safely. He did care, though. Edward loved cars, so it made sense for him to choose. When the vehicle arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was something I would never have thought he would be caught dead driving. It was expensive and black and a Volvo, but it was four door with a rear hatch, otherwise known as an SUV. He seemed as thrilled with this new car as he was with the R8 he bought for me last year, but he didn't fool me. He was on cloud nine because he had a family to put in the car, and neither of us had ever thought we would be parents.

Masen was securely strapped into the new Britax car seat that had also arrived. Edward was taking no chances. Though we suspected that Masen was nearly as _durable _as Edward, he rode in the highest safety rated infant car seat nonetheless. I ran in the store to grab a few things, and they waited in the car. It seemed unbelievably human, this simple act of my husband and child waiting for me in the car. I had not been left alone since Edward had found me, not really anyway. Someone was always with me, and it had almost always been Edward. It was necessary then; they were taking care of me, and protecting me from whoever had sabotaged the bike as well as from Victoria. Little had we known they were one and the same.

It took only a moment to get the items I wanted. We had come into town to say goodbye to Emily before the ambulance left with her, headed to Asheville to meet the plane that Carlisle had chartered to take all of them to Forks. I wasn't thrilled about Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett being on the plane with Sam. But since there were four vampires and only one werewolf, I trusted that the two humans would be enough to keep them in line. I chuckled to myself at the thought.

Alice and Jasper had stayed behind, supposedly not wanting to leave us _completely_ alone, but I suspected that they were looking forward to a little alone time themselves. They rarely got the entire house to themselves, especially for a few days at a time; and the rest of the family would not be back till at least Monday evening, maybe longer. It all depended on how the talks with the Quileutes went at the council meeting on Sunday. I refused to worry about it. Carlisle would handle whatever came up; and with Jacob being the chief, and Sam's transgressions needing to be atoned for, I had no worries about how things would turn out.

We got home and I put the groceries that Edward had carried in for me away. It was still fairly early in the morning, and I was pretty certain given the way Masen's eyelids were drooping, that if I fed him, he might sleep for a few hours.

Edward was in the office fiddling with some stock information that had come to his attention, probably planning a buy for next week or a stock to watch.

"I'm going to put Masen down for a nap, sweetheart," I told him as I headed upstairs with the baby.

"Want me to carry him up for you, love?" he asked sweetly.

"No, I have him," I answered, already halfway upstairs and heading to the nursery.

Masen rarely slept in the nursery. In fact, he rarely slept other than in someone's arms . . . a product of having a family that never slept and aunts that fought over holding him. Hopefully things would become a little more normal now that Victoria was out of the picture. I chuckled to myself at the very idea of normal when I was married to a vampire and my half immortal, two week old child could already sit up on his own.

I sat in the rocker and nursed him, humming a lullaby to him as I always did as he drank, burped in between breasts, and nodded off just as he finished drinking from the second breast. I had changed his clothing as well as his diaper and he was ready to sleep . . . at least I hoped so. I placed him in his crib and walked out of the room towards my room.

Edward was nowhere in sight, but I was on a mission. We were alone. We had not been alone, except for a little while when I was in labor, in months really, and I wanted some Edward time. I went to our room and put on some soft music, undressing and putting on some lacy underwear and a skimpy sheer tank top as I lay in the middle of our bed and propped my head up on my elbow.

"Edward," I called my husband softly, a whisper really. He was standing at the door to our room in an instant.

"Yes, love?" he said, his eyes going wide when he took in what I was wearing.

I patted the bed in front of me and he was lying beside me in his boxer briefs before I realized that he had moved. Vampire speed no longer startled me and I leaned forward and kissed his lips softly, staring into his golden eyes.

"Bella," he murmured as I continued to place soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck, my hand rubbing circles on the side of his chest and my toe stroking up and down his shin.

He kissed me back just as softly, nuzzling my hair and holding me with his arm around me as continued to touch him ever so softly. I continued kissing his skin and rubbing my cheek against him all over his chest and neck as I brushed the backs of my knuckles over his stomach and taunt abs, following the trail of hair down, avoiding touching where I knew he wanted me to it in favor of gently scratching my nails through the hair on his upper thighs. He was purring loudly now, and I could almost feel his body tremble with his efforts to remain still and gently caress me with his soft kisses.

I smiled at him as I stared into his now darkened eyes, finally allowing my fingers to steal beneath the waistband of his boxers. His movements stilled as I gently moved my hand up and down, ever so softly, as I hitched a leg over his hip. I suppose there was something to be said for crotchless underwear after all, and I snickered to myself as I realized my husband was literally coming unglued in my arms. He was trying so hard to go with the gentle movements I had started.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered as quietly as I was able, "and I love my painstakingly careful husband as well as my vampire. But we're alone in our home for the first time in a very long time, baby, and I need something from you." I waited, his tension and need were palpable. It was obvious he was barely hanging on to any thread of control as he answered me.

"What do you need, love, tell me and it's yours," he said so tenderly, moving a stray lock of hair off my cheek and tucking it behind my ear as he whispered to me, rocking his hips ever so slowly and gently.

"Edward," I said, both my hands cupping his face as I spoke, my hips still very so slowly rocking with him inside me, just barely moving really . . .

I stared straight into his eyes and said, "I need you to fuck me . . . hard."

He paused only a moment before his lips crashed into mine, his tongue demanding entrance and our teeth coming as close to clashing together as they ever had as he kissed me almost violently, his body over mine as he positioned himself between my legs. He continued to move over me, his hands covering every inch of me as we continued to kiss. He knelt between my legsas he pulled my hips up onto his thighs and held my hips against him.

"So good. Do you like that, Bella? You like it hard, love? I love you so much, Bella, I can never ever get enough of you, baby . . . never."

I reached up and grabbed his chest as I tried to get my lips to where his were. He put his arms around me, my ankles crossed behind his back as he held me against him as he kissed me passionately. I circled my hips and it seemed to drive him into even more of a frenzy.

He laid me on my back, his body covering mine. His arms straightened and his lips pulled back, teeth gleaming in the noon daylight coming in the window while rainbows danced on the wall, reflected from his skin in the sunlight. Every muscle and tendon in his neck and chest seemed to be turned to rope and steel as he screamed an entire string of obscenities, roaring them really, his body almost convulsing against me as he released into me.

The sight of him above me, wild and completely feral sent me over the edge and my body tensed, causing him to come again. We lay there, his body half on top of mine for quite a long time. I loved feeling him still inside me, his _vampire no recovery time needed_ never being more evident as his upper body lay half on the bed and half covering me. I was covered in sweat, something I only realized as I felt him licking my neck and shoulder. He seemed to love it when I got all wet with sweat from our activities and always tasted it.

"Bella . . . love . . . what was that all about?" he asked shyly, as if there were any chance I would think him shy after what we had just done together.

"What? A girl can't hold her husband and give him soft kisses when she wants to?" I asked him ever so quietly.

"Bella. Dear God, you can do whatever you want, however you want to me, whenever you want, baby. I love you, and that was amazing. Are you alright?" he asked, trying to hide his concern that he might have hurt me.

"Sweetheart, the only way I could possibly be better than this is if you were fucking me again."

"Bella!" He looked at me, astonished, "When did you start talking like this, using this kind of language, love?"

"When I wanted to get a rise out of my loving, overprotective husband," I answered, having a hard time keeping the smile off my face as I spoke, my index finger tracing the line of his jaw.

"Edward . . ."

"Yes, love . . ."

"Can we do that again . . . without the underwear?"

"He lost it. He was absolutely consumed with making love to me, it was as though there was nothing and no one else in the world besides me, and that was all he cared about.

"Is this what you want, my love? You want your husband to fuck you? You like feeling me inside you, Bella?" he whispered in my ear as he lay with his chest against my back.

I felt his fingers stroking me up and down, opening and guided himself into me as he held me to him, both hands then holding my hips as his body pounded against mine just short of painfully. He filled me differently like this. I had birthed a child, but his venom had repaired everything so completely that it seemed to be a much tighter fit now for him, especially in this position. Edward's words incoherent now,

"mine . . . so tight . . . fuck . . . unaagh . . . Bella . . . fuck . . . ahhugh . . . good. . ."

I was nothing more than a limp rag at this point, but he held me to him, bending my knee to my chest and rolling me onto my back. He kissed a path up the back of my thigh to my knee and held that knee bent against my chest. I hooked my other leg around him and ran my nails up his back as he kissed my neck and sought my lips.

I had asked him to fuck me and he didn't seem to be holding anything back as he roared his release and continued after only pausing for an instant. I was covered in sweat from my efforts and it only seemed to spur him on as he tried to lick every part of me that he could reach. I was no longer holding him to me and participating . . . I was simply hanging on to him trying not to pass out from the pleasure he was giving me. I was absolutely exhausted.

He pulled my knee back down and wrapped my legs around him as he continued. The new, familiar angle elicited feeling again in my body. I had thought it numb at this point from pleasure, but he was proving me wrong yet again. Our bodies came together as we both called out each other's names and everything went black.

**EPOV**

I kissed her cheek and nibbled her neck and earlobe as I lay on her, licking the beads of sweat that were rolling down her neck. She was amazing. This tiny human girl had asked me for more. She had asked me to _fuck_ her, and though I knew what she meant, it would never be possible. Anything I did with her would always be making love . . . and she knew.

I shifted my weight off of her, her body seemed to still and I rolled us to our sides, realizing all at once that my wife had passed out. I tried to maintain composure, listening to her breathing and heart rate, reassuring myself that she had only passed out and hoping that she wasn't hurt in any way.

This had happened once before, the first time we made love, but it hadn't happened since and my worry was palpable. Okay, I was terrified, I admit it. The deeply hidden fear that I always carried that I would one day hurt her had quickly risen to the surface and was consuming me as I held her and gently stroked from the top of her head to the tip of her hair and back again, over and over as though I was willing her to wake up. I knew she was alright. I knew it . . . I just wasn't accepting it.

Masen's thoughts were becoming louder and louder from his crib in the nursery, and I was sure he was going to try crying to get one of us in there if I didn't go to him soon. He had apparently napped and played there for as long as he was able or willing to. I hadn't realized that it was well after lunchtime and Bella and I had been in bed together for many hours . . . since early morning. My son had obviously read my mind and chosen not to disturb me . . . until now.

I pulled the covers over her chest, and tucked the hair on her cheek back behind her ear as I slipped out of bed, kissing her on the forehead. I pulled on my jeans, and went downstairs to get a bottle before rescuing the baby from his room. Masen was ecstatic to see me, he had never been left alone for this long and he was somewhat unsure of what to do with himself without someone to occupy him. I changed his diaper, chuckling softly at his dismay over not having someone to play with him.

"Well, you don't like being left alone, do you? I don't either, son, but sometimes it happens. You will start to appreciate the few moments you get left alone, believe me," I told him as I picked him up, and sat in the rocker to feed him. He greedily took the bottle, and half held it himself. He was just over two weeks old, and had developed far beyond any human baby; but he was happy and healthy and we all tried to concentrate on that rather than fear what his future held.

Though I held my son and rocked him, a portion of my mind had never lost count of Bella's breaths or heartbeats. Two medical degrees. Yale no less and still I had to keep telling myself she was fine . . . and I knew that she was, it just scared me for her to be unconscious. Who was I kidding, it scared me when she scraped a knee or sneezed, her human body was so frail.

She wanted another baby. I thought about that as I looked into the huge green eyes of my son as he stared at me. Another baby. I would love another child, but I just wasn't sure it was possible.

I had been making love with her for hours on end today, and it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough. I needed to be consumed by her, to literally be a part of her. I had heard about this, of course. My father had warned me, and I had seen it in Emmet and Rosalie years ago. The first ten years a mated couple was together were intense. I had been told that the need, the love, the passion only grew . . . that it became all consuming at a certain point, much like the blood lust a newborn felt for the first year or so, only it lasted many times longer. There was no way her frail human body would be able to tolerate me; I snickered to myself, as much as she wanted to try . . .

She lay asleep in our bed even now, absolutely exhausted.

I picked Masen up, and took him downstairs to the playpen that was set up in the living room while I went to the kitchen to prepare some lunch for Bella. She would be hungry when she woke, and I wanted to take her breakfast in bed. I broiled some chicken breast and seasoned it, steaming some vegetables while the rice cooked. Masen played with a teething toy that Rosalie had bought him. Well, he bit it into pieces anyway as he sat there studying me. I took a chance and handed him a small sliver of chicken, and he ate it greedily. Bella would not be nursing this one for long.

I kissed her softly, her lips warm against mine as I sat on the side of the bed with her. She stirred, her arms finding me before her eyes opened to see me sitting with her. The look on her face was priceless. I was certain she was wondering what the hell happened as she took in the tray of hot food that was on the night side table, and heard Masen playing in his bassinet.

"I passed out again, didn't I?" she asked shyly.

"Yes, you did," I told her, unable to keep the ear to ear smile off my face.

"Stop!" she fussed, "Not funny to make the human pass out already." She was adorable, her face pouting as she frowned, and pulled the covers up over her chest.

I bent over her, my chest covering hers as I whispered in the ear farthest away from me, "It's your own fault, love. You're the one who wanted me to _fuck_ you."

A smile covered her face as she sighed.

"Ummmnn . . . and you did such a good job of it, sweetheart. Thank you."

"Thank you? Really?" I scoffed. "Bella, why would you thank me?"

She sat up and scooted close to me, forgetting anything to do with modesty or covering herself as her hand gently cupped my cheek and she stared at me.

"Thank you for doing what I asked," she said, blushing a ridiculously dark shade of red. "I know you enjoy making love with me, and so do I. I think it has become my single favorite thing to do . . . but you needed more. I needed more. We haven't been alone in forever and we just needed to _fuck._"

She was right, she knew me better than I knew myself. All of the lunch I cooked for her was gone in no time flat.

"Thank you for lunch, Edward, it was delicious," she said kissing me again, "thank you for the house and the baby and for finding me and for all the things you do that you make seem so simple, but I realize are really hard for you. I know that even just kissing me hurts you, sweetheart . . . I know your throat still burns when we're close." She tucked her head into the crook of my neck as I held her to me.

"I love you, Bella." It was a simple statement, yet it said it all. I moved the tray off the bed and she swung her feet around to get up. I noticed the hesitation and catch in her movements as she started to stand. I didn't have to ask, I knew she had to be sore. I saw the small bruises forming on her hips where I had held her too tight. Neither of us said anything, but we both knew.

"I'll run us a bath, sweetheart," I said as I left the room. She put on a robe and went to hold Masen for a few minutes in the rocker, our son greedily rooting as though he was starving.

"Edward," she called to me, "did you give Masen a bottle?"

"Yes, love, why do you ask?" I answered her as I tested the bath temperature.

"He's hungry again, so I just wondered."

He was sucking greedily when I walked back into our room. I laid on the bed, still only in my jeans, and propped my head up on my hand as I watched them. "Have I told you lately how beautiful you are, Mrs. Cullen?"

She looked at me, her eyes covering my body slowly from head to toe before she answered. "Have I told you how gorgeous you are, Mr. Cullen?"

"I think I heard you say something about it in between screaming my name this morning," I teased.

"Well, it's true," she said, using her finger to break the suction Masen had on her nipple and putting him over her shoulder to burp. "Why don't we go sit and enjoy our gazebo this afternoon, it looks like a bright sunny day outside, Edward."

She and the baby put jackets on, it was after all, still January and we lived in the mountains. The sun was shining brightly and she seemed to love looking at my stupid sparkly skin as it reflected light in the sunshine. She was right, it was quite lovely sitting by the lake, especially with my family.

I had promised her that we would always talk about everything, so I told her how I was feeling. How I couldn't seem to be close enough to her, how I needed to be inside her, connected to her all the time and then it still wasn't quite enough. She needed to understand that I wasn't saying that she wasn't enough for me, just that I couldn't seem to get enough of her. I needed her constantly. She stroked my face with her fingers, quietly staring at me.

"Sweetheart, we don't have to have any more children. You can change me now, at the rate Masen is growing, he won't be nursing but another week or two. I want to be enough for you, Edward," she said shyly.

"Bella let me be clear about this. I would be just exactly this needy if you were a vampire as I am with you mortal. The only difference is that we would be able to make love for days at a time, not hours. My feelings for you or about you will never change, love, though your feelings for me may well grow stronger once you're immortal. Don't forget, once you're a newborn you aren't going to want to spend hours with me, you will be consumed with the need for blood. Really, if you think about it, it's better that you're still human and wanting me as much as I want you."

"Then remind me why we are out here instead of in our bed?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"You're out here because my dear brother needs to let you up for air once in a while!" Alice chided as she approached, Jasper in tow.

"Honestly, darlin', any more lust coming from this house and even Alice here will be worn out, immortal or not," Jasper laughed, obviously having heard some of our conversation.

"Let us take Masen up to our house for a little while. He so rarely gets to use the nursery there and you two can come and get him in a little while, there is left over food that needs eating in the fridge and Jasper wants to go for a hunt," she said then looked straight at me, "You, my brother, desperately need to feed!"

She was right, and we all knew it.

It was only a matter of minutes after they left with Masen before Bella and I were tangled together, completely enthralled with each other. I slipped my hand under the hem of her pullover and was finally able to sneak under her bra to cup her breast and feel her nipple pebble in my hand. Her hands were busy as well, one of them pulling the hair at the back of my neck and the other grasping me through my jeans that, as of now were entirely too small for me. It was kind of cold outside, at least for a human, so I didn't really want to rip her clothes off of her, but I had to have her . . . now. I slid to the floor of the gazebo, pulling her with me, and ripped the seam of her jeans the complete length of the crotch as I unzipped mine. She didn't seem to care as she straddled me, raising up on her knees to gain enough height to take me in, sinking her body onto mine as we both moaned in pleasure.

We continued to talk as though we were just sitting together, enjoying the day, my hands resting gently on her thighs as she sat on my hips, my body fully erect inside hers. I could not have been happier.


	94. Chapter 94  Plans

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 94 Plans**

_We continued to talk as though we were just sitting together, enjoying the day, my hands resting gently on her thighs as she sat on my hips, my body fully erect inside hers. I could not have been happier._

**BPOV**

We were both fully clothed, to all appearances we would have seemed to be just two teenagers laughing and spending time together . . . well, except for the light refracted off of Edward's skin.

I watched the rainbows dance over the woodwork of the gazebo as we talked and laughed together. Edward was remembering how determined my father had been to take me home with him, both in the hospital and again when he had come for my birthday. He was telling me about my dad's thoughts as he raced up the stairs toward our room the night of my birthday party, having heard me scream out Edward's name. At first, I clasped my hands over my face; knowing I was turning a deep shade of red, but Edward took my hands in his as he laughed. Telling me that Charlie had paused at the door just long enough to then hear the string of words that my husband let out, also calling out my name loud enough for him to hear.

"Edward! What if he had come into the room!" I gasped, realizing from the sounds Edward had made that my movements were doing interesting things to my husband as he lay under me.

"The door was locked, love. He would never have gotten that far, you know that," he assured me, a smirk covering his face as his hips rocked gently against me.

"Still!" I laughed, bending down to kiss his soft lips.

Mentioning my birthday had reminded me of how amazed I was at how thoughtful his family really was and how much I adored them. We talked about how funny Emmett was, always kidding us about having sex all the time and how right he was. We were, after all, out in the open enjoying an afternoon together, but we had been unable to be apart when we didn't have to. Preferring to remain connected whenever possible, even if we were not acting on it at the current moment. Just one of the perks to being married to a vampire, I though to myself. A human male would not be capable of having an erection indefinitely, and they would never have the control to just lie there and talk with their body fully sheathed in mine.

"Sweetheart, I just don't think it's a good idea for you to remain human much longer," Edward said, the conversation turning unexpectedly serious. "I can't risk loosing you, love."

"You don't want to have just one more child first? It would only take three or four months, sweetheart," I said quietly, staring into his eyes, my hands on his chest as I sat astride him.

"I think if you aren't pregnant by the time Masen is through nursing we should change you anyway," he said, staring intently at me, I'm sure to see if my face held any hesitation.

"Alright."

It was all I said, but he seemed to need more assurance. "Bella, is there any other human experience you can think of . . . other than dangerous ones, that you would like to have first?"

I thought for a long minute as I stroked his face and neck with the back of my knuckles and my fingertips, staring at his face as I tried hard to come up with any and everything I could think of that would be different as vampire.

"Everything I do now, I'll be able to do once I'm changed, won't I?"

"Yes, love. We will have to be careful around people you knew, other than your father and Jacob, and I have no idea how we will handle your mom and Phil. I hope you'll still want me after you change, want to make love with me, but of course that may take time," he told me, his eyes showing the pain that would cause him. He ducked his head and added, "I think you will be able to be with Masen right away, but since blood does run in his veins, I can't promise that either."

Masen . . . , I thought for a long minute. "Masen will be fine, Edward. Your family will tend to him if it has to be that way, but I think with his powers, he can make sure that I'll be able to be with him right away."

The look of a man being burned disappeared from my husband's face as he exclaimed, "Bella! I hadn't thought of that, love. Of course you'll be fine around him, he'll see to it!" He kissed me hard, his arms around me as he moved to sit up and I wrap my legs around his waist.

"See. Problem solved," I laughed, kissing his nose, his cheeks, his eyes. "The only other thing I want to do is travel. I really loved our trip back here from Forks and you mentioned other countries. I've never been to Europe."

"We have centuries to explore Europe,and the other continents, love. Anywhere you want to go."

I frowned, "When we were at the cabin in Yellowstone, you told me there were properties all over the world. I haven't seen a list of them yet, Mr. Cullen! Joint assets, right?"

He laughed harder than he had in weeks, holding me to him and purring, "Yes, wife. Joint assets. There is a list on the computer that you can see as soon as we go back into the house. There is a large estate in England, a chalet in the Swiss mountains, homes in Spain and Florence, town homes in Amsterdam, Paris . . ."

He went on and on, but all I could think of was the food in those places. Italy, France, Spain . . .

"Edward! The food!" I exclaimed.

"The food is all put away, love. I cleaned the kitchen after I made you lunch. Do you want me to make you more, or Alice said there were left overs in the fridge at their house if you're hungry . . . though I think we should get you some unripped clothing before we go up there," he said as he rocked his hips into mine creating some delicious friction with his body still rigid inside mine.

"No, no, Edward. That's not what I meant!" I told him as he stilled his movements, alarmed by how animated I was becoming.

"Food, Edward! When I think of traveling, I think of tasting the different cuisines . . . the food. I can't do that once I'm a vampire. I won't like human food, and I very much doubt that the deer blood in Europe had much of a different taste than it does here."

"Would you like to spend a couple of weeks in Europe then, traveling? We could leave this week and go wherever you want, love. I would love to see you eat enough to get some more weight on these bones of yours, and maybe sampling foods in other countries would do it!"

"You'd do that for me? We could go and take Masen?" I asked, somewhat amazed.

"He's nursing, Bella, so he can go anywhere with us," my husband looked timidly at me before he continued, "I gave him a bit of cut up chicken while you were asleep this morning, and he loved it. He did just fine eating it, he seems to do well with human food, at least for now he doesn't exactly have to have blood. Even if he did, I could bring him back a bottle when I go out to hunt."

"Really? We can really go? I mean, you want to?"

"Bella, I told you, I don't care whether we are at home or working or at college or vacationing, as long as we're together. Whatever you want is just fine with me, I'd love to show you the world. I think we should stay in the places that we already own, though, just because we might need more privacy than normal with Masen and all. The homes and apartments are all fairly near places that I can hunt as well," he smiled, "this time of year is not very sunny either so I can be out more in the daytime for sightseeing with you."

I was thrilled. Edward's hands moved to my hips and he appeared to be lifting me off of him in order to stand up, but I was having none of that!

"What are you doing, sweetheart?" I asked, my head cocked to one side as I feebly resisted his lifting me.

"Getting up, love. I thought you might want some food and we can go inside, and make all the travel arrangements together," he said looking at me like that was of course the next order of business.

"Edward," I ducked my head into the crook of his neck so that I cold whisper in his ear, "I thought you said you couldn't get enough of me?"

He immediately pulled back, cupping my face in his hands. "I can't. You know this, Bella," he said, seemingly alarmed that I would question it.

"Well," I tried to sound coy, "You seem _up_ for it right now . . ." I stared at him for a long moment, he was still as only a vampire can be, but only for a moment. It took no coaxing. He kissed me passionately, lovingly as he held me to him, his kiss embodying all the feelings I knew he had for me as I moved my legs from around him so that I was straddling him as I pushed on his chest. He noticed that I was pushing on him, of course, to get him to lie down and he did as requested. I had recently discovered that circling my hips while he was inside me drove him insane, and that was just what I wanted to do. I saw his hand reach over to hold onto a part of the gazebo but I took his hand in mine, not wanting him to break the birthday present that Emmett and Jasper had given me as I knew he would when he found his release. Anything in his hands, other than me, became instantly ripped apart and pulverized when he came. He had already destroyed two headboards, three sofas and the carpet in Esme's living room on Isle Esme, and I really liked the gazebo!

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

My sister was literally jumping up and down by the time we got to her house. She had Masen playing on the floor in the living room and dinner waiting for Bella.

"What a wonderful idea, Bella! We are going to have so much fun, I've seen it, and you are going to love shopping in Paris!" she squealed excitedly.

"So . . . you're coming with us?" Bella asked her, a confused look on her face. Alice stopped cold.

"Only if you want us to, that is," Alice replied with the saddest pouty look I had seen in years covering her face. Bella looked up at me smiling, and I shrugged my shoulders, my hands in my pockets.

"Whatever you want, love. The houses we own are large enough for all of us and it would give us babysitters, in case you wanted to spend some time alone with me," I smirked, staring at my feet.

"That's a wonderful idea! Alice, you really want to come? I'm going to try the food, you know, that's the reason for the trip right now, and you know you don't eat."

"Bella," she said in a long drawn out manner, expressing what could only be called exasperation, "when will you learn that we love just being with you. We can fake eating, it's no problem. Besides, it's fun to watch Masen eat!"

Alice grabbed Bella's hand and led her to the table so that she could have her dinner while it was hot. I walked into the living room to check on Masen, and Jasper challenged me to play _Call of Duty. _I warned Masen that it was a battle game and that daddy and uncle Jasper might seem upset, but we were only playing a game and not to worry.

He looked up at me, content with playing with the toys Alice had put in front of him, his thoughts telling me that he understood. My son was sitting in the middle of the rug on the floor playing. He was two weeks old. I had no idea what he would be like in a month, let alone a year.

"Jasper, can you take care of the passports for us?" I asked, my eyes never leaving the screen. Jasper always handled the paperwork, new identities, drivers licenses, passports, certificates. Whatever our current situation called for, whatever ages we were playing at the time. I knew that Bella could get the passport legally, but her name was now Cullen and I wanted one with that name on it for her, as well as one for Masen.

"Sure thing. How old do you want Masen to be?" he asked, pausing to look at me, "Because no one will believe he's a newborn."

"Eight months?" I guessed. That should give us some room in case he continues to grow at this rate for the time we were going to be out of the country. "Make Bella and I twenty one, just in case there is any type of problem while we're there," I requested.

"Done. By the way," he asked, giving me a sly crooked grin, "what brought all this on? Is this really about food?"

"It seems so. Bella seems to relate traveling to tasting the different cuisines and she can't do that as one of us. I'm going to change her soon, so she wants to do this first."

Jasper stopped playing, the controller still in his hands. He slowly turned his head to look at me, his expression one of complete astonishment.

"Edward, you just casually told me you're going to change her, you didn't even flinch. You're totally okay with it. What changed? You were so intent on her remaining human," he asked, amazed at how calm I was.

"I could never survive loosing her Jasper . . . and she wants this. She wants forever with me just as I want her, need her. I've stopped trying to control everything and realized that she has a right to choose, that's why I insisted that she see me hunt. I wanted her to have every bit of information I could give her so that she would know exactly what she was getting . . . and she wants me anyway," I said smiling from ear to ear.

"Well, damn. I'm glad you finally see it. All you ever had to do was read my mind and you surely felt the emotions that I felt coming from her. She really does love you," Jasper stated flatly.

"Of course I really do love him," Bella said as she walked in and stood behind the sofa, her arms around my neck and her warm lips kissing my neck. "Are you excited about going to Europe, Jasper?"

"I love it there, Bella. Everything except the shopping," he grimaced.

"Stop! You do too love the shopping," Alice said as she leaned over and kissed him, "There are always rewards for shopping with me!"

"In that case, darlin', shopping just became my new favorite thing," Jasper told her, his hand reaching up to hold her head against his. We all laughed like crazy at that idea, you had to love Alice!

We sat and all talked about where we would like to go and what we wanted to do. Alice suggested that since Bella had done such an excellent job of planning our trip to Orlando last fall, that whatever she wanted to do would be fine with them. I agreed with her and Bella seemed even more excited to plan the trip!

"We should see if Emmett and Rosalie want to come, she just loves Europe and I doubt she would be willing to be away from Masen long enough for you guys to take the trip anyway. My guess is that she'll show up and find us!" Alice mused.

"Of course call Rose and ask her," Bella said excitedly, "I don't want to leave anyone out, but I know Carlisle is going to have to work. He took off so much time trying to help find me."

"Don't worry about that, love. Esme and Carlisle will have fun just having the house to themselves while we're gone," I smirked. The blush that covered her face told me that she understood what I had meant and she tucked her face into my chest.

Masen made a noise, nothing loud or in any way a cry, just a noise. He immediately had my full attention, and if I hadn't been so amused and happy watching Bella's excitement over the trip we were discussing, I would have noticed the way he was staring at her chest. She had him in her arms in an instant, her hands running over every part of him to make sure he wasn't hurt, her face anxious.

"It's alright, love," I told her, smiling, "He's just hungry." It was obvious from the way he was nuzzling her breasts and rooting that hunger was exactly the problem, and what he wanted was obvious.

I stroked his cheek as she held him to her, "I don't blame you little guy, I'd be doing the same thing if I was alone with your mom." Bella glared at me. "What?" I asked innocently, eyebrows raised, "Well, I would."

"Let's go up to the nursery here, Bella. We have everything you need for him here as well, you know," Alice added as she ushered my wife upstairs.

"Good, now play. You have no excuse if I beat you. No distractions, brother," Jasper nudged me, handing me the controller to the video game we had been playing.

Bella was back down in an hour or so, she and Alice minus the baby. He had fallen asleep, and they had left him in his crib in the nursery and she didn't want to wake him. Alice walked in and turned off our game, lips drawn into a mock frown as she told us that was enough, that we needed to spend some time with our wives. She had a copy of some new Twilight movie. something about vampires, and I had to laugh as she popped it in the player and turned it on. Bella settled onto the sofa next to me and snuggled against my chest, so I guess I didn't care what else was going on. I could watch a stupid vampire movie if it made her happy. After all, I knew she loved vampires . . .

We walked home after the movie, Masen had woken up about the time it was over and we were both ready to be alone in our house. Alice had given Bella the second movie in what appeared to be a series of vampire movies. Since Masen was wide awake, we sat downstairs on our own sofa to watch it while Masen played laid in our arms playing with a rattle we had given him. We were trying to make him understand his own strength and quit breaking them or biting through them and he seemed to be getting the hand of it. I told him to be gentle with it, like he was with his mom and grandpa Charlie. That he understood.

The scene where the guy left the girl was excruciating. I couldn't watch. Bella put her arms around me and held me tight, using the remote to end the movie. I kissed her, hard . . . my tongue exploring her mouth and my arms tight around her. I had been so insatiable lately, I just had to have her all the time and I knew she must be sore by now, how could she not . . .

**BPOV**

"Edward, where is that futon you had in front of the fireplace for my birthday?" I asked quietly.

"It's under our bed, love," I quietly answered with her still stroking my back and playing with my hair.

"Well, I don't know how you feel about fire after what happened with your arm, but if having a small fire in the fireplace wouldn't upset you too much, I'd love to have one and bring the futon down here so we could sleep in front of it," I said as my hand moved down his chest and grazed over the bulge in his jeans, running my hand down and back up it like I knew that he loved, "I'm kind of in the mood for my favorite popsicle, if that's okay with you."

"Are you sure, Bella? I love just sitting here with you holding me. Sex is something we can do when we both want to, not just when I get crazy like this."

"Edward, that movie reminded you of leaving me . . . it reminded me, too. We have to let go of it, sweetheart. Both of us. You being here now is all that matters. We don't ever have to be apart again . . . ever. I love that you just need me this much. It means the world to me, it really does. I'm sorry this human body can't take you into it right now, I admit I'm a little sore. We won't have this to worry with once you change me, but for now . . . how about a reenactment of my birthday present?" I asked as I bit my bottom lip and looked pleadingly at him.

Edward as gone before I could walk over and pick up Masen to feed him and take him to his room. I had no idea that the futon could be made with fresh linens and a fire started so quickly, but by the time I came back downstairs it and a naked Edward were waiting for me. I had changed into his favorite blue gown, the one with no back that I had gotten for my birthday. I sat beside him holding him to me for a minute before kissing down his chest, across his stomach and taking him into my mouth.

His hands became fists at his side as my nails up and down his inner thighs. He rose to kneel in front of me as he laid me down on the soft covers and kissed his way from my neck downwards. I played with his hair and squirmed my way towards his body, trying to insist that he give me access to him but he refused to cover me, instead rolling us over so that I was now above him, his hardened length standing in front of my face. Perfect. If I could only concentrate, but his mouth on me was taking my breath in addition to all conscious thought.

My world stood still long before I was able to do that for him, my entire body shuttering in ecstasy. I had wanted to comfort him, but my husband knew my body so well it was as though he was playing a concerto on his piano . . . knowing exactly what notes to play. I couldn't move I was so utterly spent from just that one climax. He kissed his way up my body till he was facing me and his smirk showed from ear to ear.

"Stop," I said whining. "I can't help it if you do this to me," I pouted, unable to move. "Come here, you," I said kissing his cheek, his nose, his hair as I pulled his face toward my breast and felt him caressing one and gently kissing and licking the other. He looked up, silently asking me and I arched my back, encouraging him to nurse. He needed no more encouragement. The response was always the same, he came almost violently as soon as milk filled his mouth. He did not pin me down with his hips like he normally had, but moved to lie between my legs so that he covered my swollen core with fluid from his release each time, soothing me. It was just what my body needed, though I hadn't thought of it. I was able to take him in several more times that night as we rolled around on the futon in front of the fireplace. He brought me wine and cheese and fruit after a few hours, insisting that I needed to keep my strength up and stay hydrated, and he was right. Making love with Edward was exhausting, but it was the most delicious type of exercise I had ever imagined. He was an amazing lover, kind and gentle but hard and relentless when he needed to be. I could only hope that I satisfied him half as well as he did me because I knew that if I did, he was a content man.

~oooOooo~

I awoke alone in our bed upstairs, my hand touching something crisp that made a noise when my hand brushed over it. It was a note in Edward's perfect script.

_Bella,_

_I had to go hunt, now, you know the reasons. _

_You were so asleep and so beautiful, your lips still smiling as you slept,_

_I didn't have the heart to wake you._

_Jasper is with me and Alice is downstairs._

_If you wake before I return, know that I love you and I miss you._

_I'll be right back. I'm never leaving you,_

_Your husband,_

_Edward_

Though he knew that I hated to wake up alone, how could you not smile at a note like that. I knew he needed to hunt, he lost a great deal of fluid yesterday . . . just remembering brought a stupid grin to my face and I was sure I was blushing. I couldn't believe I had asked my husband to _fuck_ me . . . but I had . . . and it was only yesterday around this time of day.

I checked on Masen, and he was still sleeping so I showered and got dressed, knowing that Alice was downstairs and undoubtedly knew that I was awake. I found coffee already made in the kitchen and Alice looking over travel brochures that she had spread all across the kitchen counter.

"I thought you might like to see some of these. I try to keep abreast of all the latest things happening, you know. Is there any place in particular you want to see?" she looked at me inquisitively.

"Um, Tuscany, I think, in Italy and Verona of course, where Romeo met Juliet. Italy for the food, Verona for the romance," I smiled as I broke eggs into the pan, "Romeo and Juliet was always a favorite movie of mine and your brothers and it might be fun to go there."

"Oh, it would! We have, well, Edward has a place kind of in between those two sights. Maybe we could keep Masen for you and you two could explore Verona alone for a day. Would you like that?" she asked.

"I think I would, Alice. I hate the idea of being apart from Masen, especially in a foreign country, but I trust you with him, all of you," I told her as I put my plate of eggs and toast on the table with my coffee. "Let's see what Edward says about it," I told her, remembering that Edward had said there was a list of properties we owned on the computer. "Edward wants to stay at properties that you guys own and not have the baby in hotels and I guess that makes sense," I thought out loud, "I just need to see where those places are."

"Bella, you're going to flip! Some of those houses are amazing and they have been in the family for just years with caretakers and such and expenses every month and some of them we haven't been to in decades. Think of it as looking over the assets and making sure everything is in order!" she laughed.

Edward and Jasper returned and we spent several hours planning and discussing, Rosalie was on speaker phone with us so that she had a part in all of the plans. By the end of the day, Edward and I were going to Europe with his family coming along as well. The only glitch was my mother. She was arriving tomorrow and had planned to stay who knows how long. She mentioned something about a couple of weeks, but that just wasn't going to be possible. There was a big opportunity on the stock market on Thursday, Alice had for seen it and both she and Edward wanted to take advantage, in case we needed an extra few hundred thousand. I rolled my eyes at them both, but it was important to them so we were leaving Saturday. I hoped my mom would understand, though I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to tell her. I had to think of something or this trip would become permanent in that Edward and I would have to disappear . . . and I didn't want that just yet. I still hoped that I could manage the facade a few years longer, having absolutely no idea how I was going to explain Masen's growth in any kind of normal terms. I wanted her to know her grandchild and for him to know her . . .I just wasn't sure how I was going to make that happen.


	95. Chapter 95  Delusions

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 95 Delusional**

_I wanted her to know her grandchild, and for him to know her . . ._

_I just wasn't sure how I was going to make that happen._

**Renee POV**

"No, don't be silly, Phill! My daughter has a two week old baby, she must be exhausted by now what with feeding him round the clock every four hours or less and the house to tend to as well," I scoffed as I continued to pack my suitcase.

"I just think that you should wait till she _asks_ for you to help, Renee, that's all. You know how independent they're trying to be and I think we should let them. Your daughter is very smart and that Edward has quite a head on his shoulders, not to mention that they're both very responsible," I said as I sat on the bed watching her, trying to reason with my wife. "Besides, if Bella was the least bit in need of anything, Edward would have called." She laughed at that statement, of course. She knew as well as I did that the boy would never let Bella overdo or want for _anything._

"Well, you're right, of course," I agreed with a laugh, "but there's also the fact that I want to see my grandson!"

"Of course you do, baby, and I just want you to realize that's the real reason for this trip," he insisted, putting his arms around my waist as I came to stand in front of him. "I'm just saying that they probably have everything handled and I don't want you to feel hurt by that. Just go and see Masen and enjoy him, that's all."

"You're right. I guess I do sort of want to feel like they need me . . . like she needs me," I admitted as he stood and took my suitcase to the car.

"Have fun taking our Christmas present back up those winding roads, but be careful," my husband told me as he eyed our new car fondly. It really was such a pleasure to drive, I almost felt guilty taking it and leaving him with the older car . . . almost.

The drive from Jacksonville to Highlands wasn't particularly long, it was just interstate till you got within an hour of the cabin and that was always boring. The first two hours were the worst, straight across interstate 10 to 75 North. It was just pine tree forest and not much else to see. Going north on 75 was more interesting, small towns and such to look at and then the Atlanta skyline was just beautiful as I wove through the curves and tunnels under the city. Once I was an hour or so past Atlanta, on the road for about seven hours, I called my daughter. Even though we had these fancy high tech phones, service in the mountains could be sketchy and I didn't want her to worry.

"Mom, hi!" I heard my daughter's voice over the speakers in the car, "are you almost here?"

"Just passing into Clayton, sweetheart. I just wanted to let you know I should be there within the hour."

"Great, mom, I can't want to see you! I have the best news to share with you!" she exclaimed.

"News? Bella, you can't possibly be pregnant again, right? And everything is alright between you and Edward?" I asked.

"Mom," she immediately admonished me, "Everything to do with Edward is wonderful and I don't think it's possible to be pregnant this soon."

She laughed along with me but she wouldn't tell me her news, insisting that she and Edward would tell me in person when I got there. I pulled into their driveway and they were both waiting on the porch for me. Edward startled me a bit by having my car door open for me, I guess I hadn't seen him walk over.

"Renee, glad you could come," he said as he hugged me. _My, that boy was firm, he must workout a lot, I thought to myself._

"Bella," I squealed as she hugged me as well. Edward had my bag out of the back seat and we were up the stairs and into the house before my daughter ever took her arm from around me.

"You look amazing, sweetheart," I told her, holding both of her hands out to get a good look at her. She word tight fitting skinny jeans and a cute little sweater, nothing at all like I expected to see after just having had a baby. "You look so wonderful, Bella. You're hips are a little wider and you're nursing, of course, so your figure is just amazing."

"I think so," Edward chimed in, coming to stand behind her and clasp his arms in front of her, kissing her neck.

"Oh, you always think that," I scoffed, reaching over to ruffle his hair as his head was tucked into her shoulder. "Where is my grandson?"

"He's asleep in his room, mom," Bella said as we headed up the stairs. Edward took my suitcase to my room while my daughter opened the door to the nursery and I tip toed over to the crib. My grandson was asleep, swaddled tightly in baby blankets, his lips slightly flinching as babies will do as they sleep and dream. His hair was curlier than Bella's, and it had more red in it than hers did but there was certainly a headful of it, and it was covering his ears it was so long. Other than the hair, that baby looked just like his father, right down to the extremely long eyelashes and even something of a jawline. Babies never had strong chins and jaws till after they quit nursing anyway. Huh.

"He's just beautiful! He really is just beautiful, Bella and he's so big!"

"I know! He's growing so fast it's already hard to even remember how small he was when he was born," she admitted.

We slipped out of his room, pulling the door almost closed as we left and we walked towards the room Edward had put my suitcase in. I opened the case and started unpacking while my daughter sat on the bed and talked to me. She apologized again for not calling me when she had the baby, but reiterated that both she and Edward really didn't want to disturb Phil and I while we were on our first ever cruise. I got the feeling there was a lot more to it than that, but I was willing to wait, letting her tell me in her own way.

"I kept dinner on the stove for you, mom, in case you were hungry when you got here. Would you like some?" Bella asked.

"Have both of you already eaten, dear?" I asked. It really wasn't that late in the day, six or so I guessed.

"We were both starving, but I wouldn't mind snacking with you while you eat," she offered.

I sat at the counter watching my daughter serve our plates and it looked delicious, as always. She really was a good cook. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?" I asked Edward as he walked in from the office.

"I'm fine, Renee. I ate too much just a little while ago. I was so hungry, I don't think I realized just how much food I was eating!" I told her, rubbing my belly as I had seen humans do so often.

"Masen looks just like you, Edward. If his hair didn't take after his mother just a little, I would have thought you had him all by yourself!" I laughed, teasing him. "What color are his eyes?"

"Well, so far they are just really really dark. We can't decide what color they are yet," he explained.

"Will he be up soon? I just can't wait to see him," I almost giggled with excitement.

"He should be wanting to nurse in a couple of hours, then he's up for a few hours. Edward and I usually go to bed after I nurse him and one of the Cullen's take turns playing with him till Edward comes down and brings him to me for the two o'clock feeding. He sleeps pretty much from then till morning and we actually put him in his room the last couple of nights," Bella explained.

Alice flitted in about that time with Jasper in tow. I hadn't realized that the rest of the family had been out of town for the weekend and had not yet returned. It kind of surprised me that they left with the baby so little and all, but Bella really did seem to be doing remarkable well. Better than I had ever seen a new mother, in fact.

"Renee, so glad to see you! Have you seen him yet?" she almost squealed. I should have known that Alice would be this way over the baby, but she always surprised and somewhat overwhelmed me with her enthusiasm.

"So we came over to take the evening shift with Masen, we thought you might be tired after driving all day," Alice offered.

"That's very nice of you, Alice, but I'm sure . . ."

"Don't let her fool you, mom. She's dying to know that she gets to play with him tonight as well."

"That's true, Renee. Just make it easy on yourself and give in to the annoying little pixie, I do," Edward said as he nudged his sister with his shoulder.

"Really, Edward, after all I do for you," Alice chided him with a smile on her face. "Renee, can you believe how good Bella looks! Just one size larger than she was wearing before she got pregnant."

"Well, I'm glad she needs a size larger now, Alice. She had lost way too much in those months before the baby . . . and before the accident," I told them, cutting my eyes at Edward, though I tried not to.

"As far as I am concerned," Edward said, hugging Bella to him with his arms around her from behind, his hands rubbing circles over her belly and hips, "my wife is perfect. She looks amazing just like she is now. The only way she could be more beautiful is when she is carrying my child."

"Edward, stop! How could you possible think I look good when I'm as big as a house?" Bella remarked, loosening his hold on her and moving to clear away our dishes.

We settled in to see what was on the television while Edward went upstairs to check on the baby. Jasper had started to get out the controllers for his video games, but Alice stopped him suggesting a movie instead. Bella started it without waiting for Edward, he was apparently doing something other than just checking on Masen, but we settled in and were enjoying ourselves. The movie was about halfway over when Edward appeared, handing the baby to Bella. She pulled up her shirt and was feeding him before I could get the words out of my mouth that I wanted to hold him. I peered over her shoulder, watching his little face as he sucked noisily.

"Bella, darlin', you must make a fine home brew. He sounds like he's really enjoying his meal," Jasper chuckled. Edward smirked as Alice, Bella and I laughed at Jasper's assessment of the situation.

Masen finished one side and Bella held him over her shoulder to burp. Though she supported his head, I would have sworn that he was controlling it on his own, looking around to see me. He was the cutest little thing I had ever laid eyes on! The cherub face stared back at me, returning my gaze with all the intensity of someone far beyond his years. His eyes, well, his eyes were the darkest color I could imagine, bordering on black. They were huge and shaped just like Bella's, though they seemed to be on Edward's face. There was no mistaking that this was their baby, that was for sure.

"Can I hold him?" I asked.

"Sure, mom, just let him finish nursing first, okay?"

"I guess I can wait that long - maybe," I laughed.

The feeling of that baby in my arms brought back an instant flood of memories. Bella had him wrapped tightly, but I was able to play with one of his little hands, and he felt a little cold to me. Bella said that was why she had wrapped him because there was a little chill in the air but honestly, I was a little warm if anything.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

_Are you sure you remember everything I told you, son? That's right, you need to not smile at grandma Renee. It's important that she not know you have teeth or that you can sit up on your own. Yes, of course you can smile and play sitting up when she isn't in the room. Remember, she is human like mom and grandpa and you have to be careful with her, she doesn't need to know about all the special things you can do, son. I know you don't need to be wrapped up like this and it's too confining, but just humor me, son.  
_

I communicated more and more with Masen without speaking. It was just natural and easier for us since we could both read the others thoughts. I changed him and swaddled him tightly to try and remind him not to act like he could hold his head up well and even sit by himself. Renee would probably require CPR if she saw that.

"Well, son, here goes nothing," I told him as I headed down the stairs to take him to his mom, and to meet Renee.

I handed him to Bella first, of course, using the excuse that he needed to feed. Masen did his usual loud smacking while he nursed and Renee laughed at how noisy an eater he was. Bella burped him and insisted on him finishing his meal before she would give him to her mom . . . probably a wise move for Masen to be as full as possible while she held him . . . just in case.

I think Bella and I both held our breath when Renee took Masen in her arms for the first time. I read her thoughts. Damn. She already noticed that he seemed to be stronger than normal, able to hold his head up himself and that his skin seemed cold to he touch.

Damn damn damn.

This was never going to work, she was already picking up on things. She had confidence in Carlisle as a doctor, but this was her grandchild and she had wanted not only to see him, but to come up here and make sure that Bella and the baby were both doing well. Bella was, after all, only nineteen years old and it was natural for her mom to worry. Natural, but inconvenient right now. My wife wanted to keep her mom in her life and to let her know her grandchild, and I wanted that for her. We would just have to see what conclusions Renee came to on her own . . . and if they were ones we could live with.

We finished watching the movie, Masen lying in Renee's arms and seeming to look around the room. He was doing an excellent job of impersonating a human baby. I sat beside Bella on the sofa, Masen continuing to catch my eye, mentally asking me if he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. I kept telling him that he was doing great and that I was sorry it was so boring just lying there but he was watching the movie and picking up on some words, so he didn't really mind. After the movie was over, Bella and I said goodnight, asking Renee if she needed anything and thanking Alice and Jasper for coming over to help. Renee was determined that she was going to care for Masen and Alice went with her up to the nursery to change his diaper.

"You think she believes he's a premature baby?" Jasper asked, smirking though he tried not to.

"She seems alright. Edward, is she?" Bella asked looking at me expectantly.

"Sweetheart, she knows something isn't quite right. She thinks he's too cool to the touch and that worries her that maybe he isn't able to control his body temperature, like a preemie, but she noticed him raising his head to look around and that made her wonder. I'm not sure she buys that he was in any way premature. I don't know what you want to tell her but maybe it would be best to let her think we made love before we really did," I told her.

"Edward, even if we had, even if we were together right when I left the hospital I would have only carried him for barely seven months. There must be something I can tell her, someway of disguising the timing or something," she mused.

"Just let her come to her own conclusions, love. I'll keep up with what she's thinking and we'll go from there. Your mom is way more intuitive than the average human and this one is kind of a no brainer to figure out that something isn't quite the way we're trying to present it."

We headed up to bed, undressed and held each other close under the covers. Bella kissed my neck and traced kisses up my jaw, nuzzling to find my lips like she always did. Nothing deterred my wife from our morning and bedtime routines and I had to admit that I loved it as well. I continued to monitor Renee's thoughts, grateful that my vampire brain was able to compartmentalize things and preform several tasks at once. Any conscious thought I possessed was completely occupied by my wife and our lovemaking.

"What's my mom thinking now?" Bella asked just as she was sshe was just starting to drift off to sleep.

"She's putting her things away in her room, Masen is in his crib and Alice and Jasper are downstairs. She's trying to decide if she's loosing her mind or if there is any way that baby could actually have been carried only four months. It's absurd . . . and she knows it, she just isn't sure how to explain him otherwise," I told her quietly. The next thoughts in Renee's mind were so far fetched that i could hardly contain myself long enough to tell my wife. "Bella, I didn't know your Mom believed in life on other planets!" Bella covered her mouth to keep the giggles from being heard throughout the house. I was laughing as well, though it really wasn't funny.

"Is that really something she's thinking?" my wife finally managed to say through the laughter.

"Well, yes. That and trying to remember the specifics of the _Lebensborn_ or 'Fountain of Life' program, the one where they genetically engineered babies, going for a superior race and all. She keeps going back to the more obvious things, like thinking that I found you before the race, we had sex, and we just had not told anyone. That seems more acceptable to her, and really, we could live with that couldn't we love?

"I suppose that would be the easiest. Well, I guess the best idea really is for her to figure out what she thinks on her own and see if we can live with it. I'm dreading telling her that we're leaving this weekend, but I have some time before we have to discuss that. First things first, tomorrow I'll just answer her questions and see where her mind goes with it. I just would really like her to have her grandson in her life and at the rate he's growing, we have to come up with some outlandish genetically altered answer because in a year's time he's probably going to be walking and talking like a six year old!"

"Right. You're so right. I think he'll be standing before the month is over. At least Charlie knows and we don't have to hide the truth from him to protect him, his relationship with Sue makes him privy to our world," I all but whispered as I lay with my head on her chest holding her.

"Hasn't Alice seen anything? Has she no idea if mom will be okay with all of this or what theory she will come up with to explain it?" Bella asked.

"She's blocking me, love. Whatever she sees, she just keeps telling me that everything will be alright, just go with it. She did this when she knew I would be furious with your dad after your birthday party as well, something about needing me to react honestly. I guess we just have to wait and see, love," I shared, "and hope for the best. I never bet against Alice, after all."

~oooOooo~

**Renee POV**

"Yes, honey. Everything is fine, the drive was uneventful. How was training?" I asked my husband. I was glad that he enjoyed his first day of camp, they would be staying at the field at the camp's facilities for the next two weeks, so he really wouldn't be missing me. I would have just been sitting home alone and I would much rather be here with Bella and her new family.

New family. I wasn't sure I liked that, though I was happy that my daughter was happy. It's just hard to give her up and know that someone else is the most important person in the world to her, though you'd think I got that through my head after the way she was wasting way to nothing after he left her last year. Hard to believe it was only last year, so much had changed since Edward was back in her life. He was an amazing young man and by sharing stock tips with us and teaching Phil about the market, he had certainly changed our lives forever.

Phill now played ball totally because he wanted to, not because he needed to to support us and that was completely due to Edward. He was such a mature young man and so caring with my daughter. He seemed tireless when it came to anything to do with her or her needs, and he seemed to worry over her well being more than most husbands would. It was as though he was on the look out all the time for anything that would hurt her, ready to step I front of a train or take a bullet to prevent it getting to her. I laughed even just to myself at the thought, but he really did seem to be that protective.

"Do you think there is any way that Bella could have been pregnant before the accident, Phil?" I asked, speaking quietly into the receiver of the phone, "No. I know, It just doesn't make any sense. Masen looks like he's three months old already and I could have sworn he raised his head and looked around while Bella was holding him. I know, I know . . . just enjoy my grandson., I will. Goodnight sweetie . . . I love you too."

I put the phone down and my suitcase in the closet. I just couldn't figure out what it was they weren't telling me. Something . . . I just had no idea what. Perhaps if Edward's dad had been one of the babies from the _Lebensborn_ program, genetically altered to be brilliant and superior to others. That would explain Edward's being a multimillionaire at age 19, as well as how alert the baby seemed. There had to be more to it than that, though. Humans just didn't produce healthy babies capable of existing on their own having only been pregnant for four months. She must have lied to me, they all must have. Still, it was obvious that Edward was the babies father and Bella his mother. It was their child all right. She had to have been pregnant even before the wreck for any of this to be possible . . . I just didn't see how the wreck hadn't caused her to miscarry, and why we weren't told she was pregnant in all the weeks we spent at the hospital. There had to be an explanation. I wasn't one for believing in aliens from outer space, but I wasn't beyond considering it either.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

"Well, Chief, another day or so and we'll be home, back to Forks," I said as I continued to drive us out of the Little Big Horn Range in central Wyoming. We had taken this route because Charlie wanted to try some fly fishing, and I thought that now was as good a time as any. With it just us two, a break from driving could easily be a couple of hours on a stream instead of hours with coffee at McDonalds or somewhere like that to rest. The boat launched easily and we had tried it out on a couple of lakes so far. He had the right idea anyway, fishing was restful and I could see why my dad liked to fish all the time. Charlie was quiet and it just gave you time to be still in your mind and let things settle naturally, not worry about finding solutions and such, answers just seemed to sort themselves out on their own.

"So, Chief," Charlie teased me, "are you looking forward at all to being back in La Push?"

"No, not really. I left cause I couldn't face loosing my dad, especially after having lost mom a few years back. It just kind of makes me relive both their deaths I think," I told him. "I really just want to resolve this thing with Sam and the Cullens and get back to Bree. There is so much I need to do to get Black Swan Racing off the ground, especially if I want a bike entered on the circuit next year," I explained.

"So, Jake, how is it that you'll be Chief of the tribe, but you want your business to be in Highlands, North Carolina? that;s putting a couple of thousand miles in between the two, you know. Are you going to split your time between them, or how will that work?" Charlie asked. I knew he was concerned for me and he knew about the werewolf side of me as well as the imprinting.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea how I'm going to do both either, but I have to try," I sighed, "and Bree I have no choice about. I have to be with her and I know she has two more years at Clemson, even if she would move back to the res with me after that, its still years away. Right now I just have to deal with the tribe, if they don't throw me out for leaving." I chuckled, trying to make light of it, but it was a distinct possibility.

"I'm sure it'll all work out, Jake. Billy always had faith in you son and so do I. You'll step up and take charge, just like you were meant to. You'll find a way," Charlie said as though it were fact.

"I need to be there for my tribe, Charlie, I know that, but I also can never leave Bree. I just need to settle things with the tribe and whatever consequences Sam's actions will have on the treaty. The Cullen's are willing to let it go, but I want the tribe to make a concession, in view of what's happened. I need to make sure that I get them to amend the treaty so that Edward can change Bella without it affecting the treaty."


	96. Chapter 96  Playing Nice

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** I want to thank all of you for your patience with me and my lack of posting. Some of you know that I have been posting at least two chapters a week of this story since last October and I love doing just that. I am almost through moving from a house I have lived in for 25 years, going from a large home that I raised 5 kids in (and partially raised several others) to a home a third the size. I had no idea how much stuff was stashed in each and every crevice! Anyway, thank you for your patience, and while I can't promise two a week yet, I will do my very best to at least post a chapter on Tuesdays, adding Thursday again as soon as I can! Thanks for sticking in there with me . . . and the story continues. After all, we haven't even gotten to Aro yet and Tanya hasn't gotten to act up!

**Chapter 96 Playing nice**

_It was the baby that I just couldn't figure out. What as it they weren't telling me. Something . . . I just had no idea what. Perhaps if Edward's dad had been one of the babies from the Lebensborn program, genetically altered to be brilliant and superior to others. That would explain Edward's being a multimillionaire at age 19, as well as how alert the baby seemed. There had to be more to it than that, though. Humans just didn't produce healthy babies capable of existing on their own having only been pregnant for four months. She must have lied to me, they all must have. She had to have been pregnant even before the wreck for any of this to be possible . . . I just didn't see how the wreck hadn't caused her to miscarry, and why we weren't told she was pregnant in all the weeks we spent at the hospital. There had to be an explanation. I wasn't one for believing in aliens from outer space, but I wasn't beyond considering it either._

**EPOV**

"I know I need to tell her about our trip, I just don't want to hurt her feelings. She is just so happy playing with Masen and he's so good around her!" my wife whined.

"He's behaving well, love, but this is hard on him, too. Think about it, he's just been born and he's discovering all these new things that he can do and he has to _hide _them?" my husband told me, "Last night, he discovered that he could sit up by himself, he was so excited about it he could hardly wait to show you, but then when we came to find you your mom walked in and . . . '

"I know it's hard. I hadn't thought of it from Masen's point of view, though. Oh, Edward! What should I do? Our son is the important one here. I think we should . . ."

"Good morning, Renee," I greeted my mother in law, on my best behavior.

She had been here since Monday and though it was Wednesday morning and Bella yet to tell her anything that would explain Masen . . . and she had yet to ask. I had heard her though, her mind constantly trying to add things up that were in no way possible . . . at least by the rules that applied to her world. In my world, of course, mythical creatures abounded as did strange powers and gifts that Renee could not know about, for her own protection as well as ours. There had to be a way, some way to satisfy her curiosity but _keep the secret._

"Well, you two are up early this morning," Renee greeted us.

"Bella was hungry, so I thought I'd fix her breakfast, she just didn't stay in bed long enough for me to take it to her," I laughed.

"I smelled fresh coffee and bacon cooking, sweetheart. I had to come down and help myself," she chided, stretching to her tip toes to kiss my lips.

I set about cooking more breakfast for Renee after handing her a cup of coffee and gesturing for her to take a seat at the table with Bella. Masen was still up in his room, probably trying to remain asleep.

"Eggs scrambled okay with you?" I asked her.

"Yes, thank you. I can cook it myself though, really Edward, you don't have to baby me."

"Nonsense, Renee. You're our guest and I was already cooking this morning," I told her, setting her plate in front of her and pulling out a chair for myself at the table beside Bella.

"So, what would you like to do today, Mom? We haven't been into town yet since you got here and there's always the ice cream shop to visit!"

"That sounds like fun, sweetheart, but do you really want to take Masen out in the cold, I mean, he is just a newborn."

Her thoughts betrayed her. Her mind was running a mile a minute wondering how it was that Bella looked so slim and was up seemingly feeling fine after just having had a baby. She was horrified at the very idea of taking a new baby out in the cold, much less taking him around people in order to shop or get ice cream.

"Sweetheart, why don't I keep Masen and you and your mom go into town for a little while. If you nurse him before you go, you could have at least a couple of hours to yourselves," I offered.

Bella went along with me, though from her face she looked somewhat surprised that I would suggest her going anywhere without me, much less unaccompanied by other vampires. I had heard the thoughts of my sister as she approached, though, and I knew he was about to burst into the house and demand a shopping day. That would solve my need for her to be protected, Alice would never allow anything to happen to Bella and Bella and Renee would never deny Alice a shopping trip with them. Though it wouldn't happen, I still got the brownie points with my mother in law for suggesting time alone with her daughter.

Alice arrived as if on que . . .

"Good morning all! I thought we might get in a little shopping in town this morning! I absolutely loved shopping for maternity clothes for Bella," she said giving my wife a sideways glance, but staring directly at Renee, "but now she's in need of a whole new wardrobe!"

"New wardrobe? Alice, have you lost your mind?" Bella retorted.

"Bella!" Alice tried to silence her, "Renee, talk to her. Her figure has changed since the baby. Not that it isn't still cute, it's just that her hips are rounder and her chest is fuller from nursing. Some different styles would be amazing on you now more than ever!"

"Well, Alice. She does have a closet full of clothes," Renee added, discouraging my sister not in the least.

"Good will. People are always needing clothing and Bella needs to have things that fit her new shape!" Alice insisted.

"It's not like I've turned into a frog you know, but alright, Alice. Come upstairs with me and show me which clothes _you _think should go to goodwill and if there are enough of them, then you can come shopping with me and I'll buy new ones. Mom and I were thinking of shopping today, anyway," Bella told her as she stood and motioned for her to come with her. "We'll be back in a minute, mom. Hopefully, this won't take long!"

I heard Alice scolding my wife as they headed up the stairs, something about surely they would never leave to go shopping without including her. She was being playful and having fun teasing Bella, but Renee's thoughts were not so playful. We were alone in the kitchen and it seemed she wanted some answers. She ate in silence for the longest time, but eventually she spoke.

"So, Edward. I just can't seem to understand how it is that Bella was only pregnant for what, five months, yet Masen seems full term. More mature than full term, actually."

I didn't answer, but stood to get the coffee pot and refresh her cup.

"More milk for the coffee?" I asked as I put the pot back on the warmer.

She wasn't going to let this rest, but I had to try.

"Yes, please," she said as I handed her a small creamer of milk. "Edward."

Both her hands encircled her cup of coffee as she sat expectantly, staring at me. I sat down in the chair across from her where Bella had been sitting and folded my hands on the table as I had seen humans do for years when they were having serious conversations.

"I don't know what to tell you, Renee," I answered honestly.

"How about the truth. You and my daughter had been sleeping together even before her motorcycle wreck, hadn't you?"

I said nothing, staring at my hands and frantically thinking of the best case scenarios for this discussion.

"Why the lies, Edward? I have always liked you, you have to know that. You never needed to lie to me for me to accept you and my daughter being together and . . ."

Thank God she was interrupted by Bella and Alice clamoring noisily down the stairs and bursting into the kitchen where we sat.

"Well, I never would have thought it possible," Bella laughed.

Alice walked into the kitchen with a full armload of clothing with tags still dangling on them. "Apparently Bella is never going to wear these," she gestured to the things in her arms as she plopped them down on the counter, "they have been in her closet for months and the tags are still on them!"

"Alice, I kept the ones that I really like and I will wear them. You're just looking for a reason to go shopping!" my wife exclaimed as she plopped herself into my lap and my arms encircled her.

"Sweetheart, there is a pile twice that size upstairs on our floor. Will you go bring them down and put them all in the back of the car for us? The little tyrant wants you to go through your clothes as well."

"Sure," I said, moving to stand, "come on Alice. Show me what clothes I don't like."

I was reluctant to leave Bella with her mom when Renee was playing twenty questions, but I knew she could hold her own. Hell, she could probably come up with a better explanation than I could a this point.

"I don't know why you haven't just asked me, Edward . . . really," Alice said indignantly as we entered my room.

She was talking about the possible explanations for Masen and what we would tell Renee to stop her from questioning everything about him . . . and us. I hadn't even thought of it. I apologised profusely as Alice set about showing me possible outcomes in her mind. The visions were crystal clear and the differences were astounding . . . everything from Bella getting to have her mom in her life for years to come to our living in Europe and not seeing her after this visit . . . ever.

I was distracted from the current problem with Renee by a couple of the visions that Alice had shown me . . . visions that included two other small children, in addition to Masen. Clearly there was the possibility of a copper curled girl and a dark haired boy, apparently twins. I found myself leaning against the door frame of the closet for support, I was so astounded and taken with what I had seen.

"Alice, is this possible?" I asked, seemingly dazed.

"Which part, brother?

"Alice . . . the children . . ."

"Edward. I showed you the other babies back when we were in Orlando, remember? They have always been a possibility. The decisions made here with Renee, however, seem to affect whether or not you get to add to your family, though I have no idea why."

"Alice . . . we want the other children. What do I do?"

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

_I need to be there for my tribe, Charlie, I know that, but I also can never leave Bree. I just need to settle things with the tribe and whatever consequences Sam's actions will have on the treaty. The Cullen's are willing to let it go, but I want the tribe to make a concession, in view of what's happened. I need to make sure that I get them to amend the treaty so that Edward can change Bella without it affecting the treaty._

I was contemplating what to say, remembering what I had told Charlie and all the things that had happened the last month, hell the last year really. After I dropped Charlie and his new boat off at his house, I headed for the rez. They would be expecting me. I had spoken with Carlisle and knew that they had arrived earlier in the day and that the elders were gathered in the meeting hall, Sue having told them of all that had happened and that I was expected to arrive later that afternoon.

Damn.

There was just no way to get out of any of this, and I guess I needed to just man up and step into the role I was expected to fill. It was my birthright and responsibility, no one elses. I stopped at my father's house. I have no idea how long I sat in the cab of my truck, going over and over Edward's words of encouragement.

We had spoken for a long afternoon before I left, Edward filling me in on the tribal history, first hand. It was an eye opener, and his point of view seemed untainted by hatred for us, unlike the way the other bloodsuckers felt about werewolves. It was in those moments that we had become even faster friends, brothers really.

The irony was not lost on me that I was taking comfort from someone that my tribe called _enemy. _

I finally took a deep breath and opened the car door, putting one foot in front of the other as I headed up the stairs, onto the porch and my hand grasped the doorknob of my old home. It was just like it had been when I left, except that my dad's wheelchair stood in the corner of the room . . . empty. I could feel him here, though . . . and it was that feeling that I needed to carry with me to the council meeting.

I heard them outside - they now lined the path towards the council lodge, only a building away. Billy had been Chief, and his home was the closest to the council meeting area out of convenience for him once he was in the wheelchair. I turned and walked out the door, nodding to them as each of their eyes met mine while I walked closer to the lodge. It seemed solemn but welcoming . . . as though something of monumental importance s about to occur.

The chanting increased as I entered the lodge and they gestured for me to approach the front. the elders sat there, old Quiliterra, Sue Clearwater and Embry's dad. The tribal medicine man was also there, decked out in ancient tribal garments, as were the others. I felt out of place in my hjeans and a tee shirt, at least until quill walked towards me, gesturing for me to remove the tee and placing a tribal beaded chest plate on me and a small head dress.

Sue stood, "Jacob. We are glad you have returned, there is much to discuss. Of most importance, however, is for you to take your rightful place as Chief of this tribe."

The three of them parted, behind them my dad's old stool was placed at the head of the circle and they gestured for me to sit. We spoke long of what had happened to my dad, and to the tribe during my absence. They wanted answers for why I had left and I gave them the best I had . . . thankfully, they nodded and seemed to understand. They were all aware of the Cullen's presence in Forks today, and it seemed that Sue had brought them up to speed on all that had happened between Sam and I and the Cullens.

"Carlisle Cullen is here today, Jacob, and he wants to address this council with regard to the treaty between us. Is that acceptable?" old Quil asked me.

"Yes," I answered, thankful that we could go ahead and get it over with.

Carlisle, Emmett, Esme and Rosalie entered the hall and the rest of the tribe gasped and parted so they could approach. They stood in the center of the circle, and carlisle addressed me.

"Nice to see you again, Jacob. We have come to discuss the treaty between out two peoples, a treaty that one of your own has broken," he said firmly but authoritatively. There were gasps all around from those that were not on the council. It was an open meeting, a celebration of their Chief returning and everyone was there.

"Bring the accused offender in," old Quil ordered. Sam entered the lodge from a door off to one side and stood in the circle fairly close to the Cullens, obviously closer than the rest of the tribe felt was comfortable from the hushed whisperings I could pick up.

"Sam Uley stands accused of attacking and injuring Edward Cullen, who is not here to make the claim himself. Are you aware of the circumstances of this alleged attack?" Quil asked.

"Yes. I was there and witnessed the attack first hand," I told the tribe as they covered their mouths in shock and gasped yet again.

"Have we then broken the treaty?" Quil asked me.

"Sam Uley was acting as the Chief of the tribe, in my stead at the time. He, without provocation, purposefully attacked Edward Cullen in front of me, using his alpha voice to demand that I help end the _cold one. _Edward Cullen was obviously capable of ending Sam at that moment, and refrained from hurting him," I told them.

Sam looked shocked. He probably hadn't known he was in that bad a spot and that Edward was trying not to hurt him. It was as if he all of a sudden realized that Edward had spared him even though he had his teeth in the vampire's shoulder.

"It was at that moment that I assumed my position as Chief and ordered him to stop his attack," I told them, their shocked faces evident as Sam stood and stared at the floor, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Sam's hatred for the Cullens and lack of respect for our treaty showed itself again when I arranged a meeting between him and his then estranged wife, Emily. Carlisle Cullen had come with me to the meeting to speak with Sam and in Sam's rage to hurt Dr. Cullen, he inadvertently knocked his wife off a high cliff. She hit a tree on the way down and was limpy handing across a limb dozens of feet from the top in a place where we were helpless to readch her. Dr. ullen climbed down the face of the cliff of his own accord without being asked and hauled her back to the top, rendering medical aid and keeping her alive till we could get her to the hospital, where he operated on her, saving her life once again."

"Sam, is this true? Do you have anything to add?" he was asked.

Sam raised his eyes to meet mine and began to speak.

"Everything that has been said here today is true. I broke the treaty but just as importantly, i broke a trust with people that were trying to help Jacob. Jake phased while he was visiting the Cullens. He had no idea what was happening, and Edward Cullen stayed with him, made sure that he fed, and paid for me a plane ticket to fly there and help him, along with Emily. I completely betrayed their faith in my civility, as their only intent was to help Jake."

Well, at least he spoke the truth.

"I wish to apologise to you, Jacob, as Chief . . . and to my entire tribe for letting them down, for breaking our written word by attacking the Cullens" he paused a moment, turning his eyes from me to Carlisle. "I also wish to publicly apologise to the Cullen family. I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused you and for injuring Edward."

Sue, Quil and I spoke quietly for a moment, but I had already decided Sam's punishment.

"Dr. Cullen," I addressed Carlisle, "As you have accused Sam Uley of breaking the treaty, the incident was witnessed, and Sam admits to it. Do you intent to declare the treaty void and attack or do you demand the life of Sam Uley in return for keeping the peace?" I asked.

The grumbling and milling around became loud and Quil asked for quiet.

"Surely you're not going to just hand one of our own over to those bloodsuckers, are you?" Paul asked menacingly.

"Paul!" Sue addressed him sharply, as well as eyeing Embry and the other pack members that stood behind him, starting to tremble. "Get control of yourselves. Sam will pay for the transgression if the Cullen's so choose. It is their right."

Carlisle waited for the pups to calm down, then began to speak.

"It is not in my nature to demand bloodshed, however justified," he said, glancing at Sam. "I would ask for, in return for sparing his life, an exception to the treaty."

Quil glanced at Sue, and I was pretty sure she had told him what Carlisle would want . . . what I wanted to see happen as well, as much as it hurt me.

"Go on," I told him.

"My son Edward has recovered from the attack, and he and his wife, Bella . . ." gasps arose from all around and you could feel the disgust and dismay along with the fear and rage increasing in the room.

"Quiet. I already know all this, but you all need to listen," I told the room.

"Edward and his wife, Bella - formerly Bella Swan, have just had a son. It is Bella's wish to become like us, to be able to stay with Edward for eternity, and he has agreed to turn her."

"Oh HELL no!" Paul yelled.

"Quiet!" I demanded, as did Sue and old Quilatera.

"We made the treaty in good faith with Ephraim Black over 70 years ago and it is our wish not to break faith or to break our word. My new daughter deserves to be allowed to live with her husband as his equal, and that is my desire as well as hers," Carlisle told them.

I raised my hand to quiet the talk and stop the comments. The room was almost out of control as I spoke.

"Bella is my best friend and I left with her last year after the funeral, you all know about it. I'm not proud of it, but I ran. She was there for me and talked me into accepting my role here and my duty to my tribe and not running from it any longer," I admitted to my friends and relatives. "Bella wants this. I know for a fact that it is her wish, not Edward's that we would be granting by agreeing to what Dr. Cullen has asked. I owe her this and we as a tribe have no choice but to give the Cullen's this one free pass to turn a human. It is their request, in exchange for the life of one of our own, and it is Bella's desire as well. She is over 18 and fully capable of choosing for herself."

"No way in hell," was the response from the tribe, at least that was the nicest of them. Things were becoming extremely tense as the door opened and everyone gradually took note of who had entered the lodge.

"May I speak?" Chief Swan asked as he stepped between Sam and Carlisle in the center of the room.

I nodded and he looked around the room, addressing most of the people by name and nodding to the rest.

"Most of you know me, the rest know who I am. I've been in this town my whole life and I only found out this year that all the superstitions I had regarded as foolish . . . were actually true. I knew you all hated the Cullens, I didn't know why. I knew you wouldn't go to the hospital or clinic to see him when you were injured. I thought you were foolish for that . . . I still do, but now even more than ever," he said, pausing for a moment. He took a seemingly needed deep breath and continued. "I know that the Cullen's are vampires and that my daughter is married to one of them. Their new son, Masen, is hot entirely human. My daughter loves them and deserves the right to spend her life with her family, the family she has chosen . . . and with her son. It is her right and you shouldn't punish anyone for the relationship that she and Edward now share. He's good to her and he has never hurt her. Ever. I don't even think he could."

Sue smiled widely at Charlie, who walked forward and moved to stand behind her, staring out into the circle at the Cullens and Sam.

"The council will adjourn till this time tomorrow to discuss this and decide what is to be done in the matter of Sam, as well as the Cullen's request to change Bella. The treaty will be assumed to still be in force during this time and the Cullens will be granted safe passage to and from this lodge today, as well as tomorrow. Clear?"

The grumblings continued, but I was the Chief, and they had no choice. Most were startled by Charlie's declarations, but in reality, it was probably Charlie that was going to make his daughters wish come true . . . allowing Edward to peacefully turn her with no retributions from us and no breach of the treaty.


	97. Chapter 97  Council

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** My move is almost complete! I now live in cardboard lined hallways mind you, but that's okay! Soon I can get back to regular updates and my normal schedule! thanks to all of you who have continued to maintain interest in this story, despite its lack of bi weekly updates! Thanks to all of you!

**Chapter 97 Council**

_"No way in hell," was the response from the tribe, at least that was the nicest of them._

**JacobPOV**

"I don't know, Charlie. Sam was just the tip of the iceberg. It seems like the entire tribe thinks just like Sam . . . or like Sam used to. Paul seems to be one of the most adamant now," I told him as I finished off the eggs he had cooked me for breakfast.

"You want some more there, son?" Charlie asked, frying pan full of eggs in one hand and a spatula in the other, "there's plenty. Bella at least taught me to cook breakfast for myself."

"Ha! Sounds like something she would insist on. She was never big on eating out and spending money, Charlie. She still isn't," I added. "Funny isn't it, " I said as he emptied the pan into my plate and came to sit back down at the table with me, "even though she has more money than she can ever spend, she still prefers to cook and not eat out."

"Yep. She sure did put a stop to my eating out every night from the minute she moved in with me," Charlie shared looking somewhat sad, "I really miss her cooking around here. That girl can really cook."

"Yea. Too bad she'll have no reason to cook once he changes her . . . unless Masen still likes human food I guess," I said out loud, though I hadn't intended to.

"How does that work anyway, Jake? Does he just bite her?"

Charlie looked kind of scared and sad at the same time and I wondered how much they had told him about it, if anything.

"I don't know much about it, really, just what the old legends say. You and I both know that not all of the things told in the legends are true," I added.

"Huh," he said, fingering his coffee cup with both hands.

"I saw that _Riley_, the one that kidnapped Bella . . . well, I saw him kill a girl." Charlie told me, his face loosing its color. "Edward and I, well we were watching a satellite feed, tracking him after he left the house that day when he brought the note from Bella. Anyway, he grabbed a girl and sort of tore at her throat with his teeth. Held her up for a few minutes, drinking I suppose, then tossed her away like a wrapper from a hamburger, Jacob. That can't be the way they do it."

Charlie was so upset, I had to at least tell him what I knew.

"Well, the legends say that they bite their victim, anywhere really, and inject venom. It's the venom that changes them. I know that the legends say that the venom is poison to us, werewolves that is. All they have to do is bite us and we're done for," I told him.

"Edward is so careful with her, so determined to keep her safe . . . surely it must not be dangerous. Hell, Jacob, he would never risk loosing her, you and I both know that," Charlie huffed.

"Well, he must know something we don't. He has to. All the legends say it's dangerous and," Charlie cut me off.

"Dangerous?"

"Yea."

"Tell me what you know. What do the legends say?" Charlie insisted.

"It's just legends, Charlie. You know as well as I do that the tribe makes them out to be far worse than they are. The Cullens are not the _cold ones_ from out legends, they're different. Different in lots of ways, and maybe the way they change people is one of the differences," I speculated, trying to not tell him what my tribe actually thought about how often people _died _instead of _changed._

He just sat there, his hands clasped in front of him and an expectant look on his face. He wasn't dropping this, that was certain.

"Fine," I spat as I stood to put my dish in the sink. "Legend has it that they kill the victim more often than they change them." Charlie's face turned white. "It can't be true, though. Can you imagine Edward ever risking Bella? Ever?"

"No. No I can't, Jake, and that's a fact. I guess I just need to ask Carlisle about it. He's the one that changed all of them, or at least lots of them, isn't he?"

"Yea, I think so. He would know a hell of a lot more about it than me, Charlie. I can't imagine Carlisle letting anything happen to Bella either. I'm sure they know a way that isn't risking her life. No way Edward would risk her, you and I both know that to be true. Let's just ask Carlisle or Edward first chance we get, okay?"

"You ask Edward, Jacob. He's a lot closer to you than to me."

"Sure sure. I'll ask him for you, Chief. I need to get going though, I need to try and settle people down before the meeting this afternoon. You coming?" I asked.

"Oh yea. I'll be there, _Chief_," he said with a hint of humor now crossing his face. Must be at the idea of calling me _Chief_. It sounded kind of weird to me, too. He continued, "I don't want a war started just because my daughter wants to spend eternity with her husband."

There was a knock on the door. Charlie answered it and Sue stood there on the stoop with both the other council members.

"Can we come in, Charlie?" she asked.

He opened the door fully and they saw me standing off to one side of the door. My presence couldn't have been a surprise, my truck was kind of distinctive and it was parked right there in the driveway in front of the house for all to see. Charlie hugged Sue and shook hands with the others, gesturing for them to go into the living room and take a seat. I followed.

"We want to hear from you, Chief Swan," old Quilatera said in kind of a hushed tone, "We want to hear of your daughters life with Edward Cullen, and . . . the child they created."

Charlie spoke rather quietly but with authority. He described the life he saw his daughter living and the love that she shared with her husband. His eyes noticeably lit up when he began to talk about his grandson and he was right . . . that little guy was pretty amazing. He described the kidnapping and Edward's state while she was gone . . . and once she was found. They listened closely as he recanted the birth and the fact that it had been Edward himself that delivered their baby. He explained that he had met lots of people in his time, but none more trustworthy or respectful of_ human_ values than the Cullens.

"Thank you, Charlie," Sue said, "This was just something that they," she said gesturing to the other council members, "needed to hear first hand from you. Allowing an exception to the treaty is not taken lightly . . . but neither is the fact that Sam willingly violated the treaty."

"So, what's going to happen, Sue?" Charlie asked.

"We'll know for sure at the meeting this afternoon," she told him. "If I know anything about our Chief," she said staring straight at me, "whatever the amendments to the treaty are or punishments for having broken it . . . the outcome will be fair."

They stood to leave, nodding to me as they walked past. It was going to be hard getting used to this respect thing, all the nodding and putting me first and all. I remembered how they had all treated my father, how I had thought it was because they were friends of his. Maybe they were friends, but he was the Chief, and respect went with the territory apparently. I could only hope I was worthy of their faith in me.

"I better be going, too," I told Charlie.

"Good luck, son. I'll be there this afternoon," he told me as I walked out the door and towards my truck.

The drive to the reservation didn't take long. I thought about all the times I had made that drive with Bella, and the time we had spent in those sheds behind the house. I parked at the entrance to the shed, and I couldn't help but walk in. It was just as I had left it, my dad hadn't moved anything.

Damn, I wished things could have been different . . . that I could have been enough for her. I still loved her, I always would, but I loved her enough to give her what she wanted . . . and she wanted Edward. He really was a great guy, good to her. He loved her like I did, maybe more if that was even possible. I had to let go of these thoughts, though, if only for the day. Today I wasn't Bella and Edward's best friend . . . I was the Chief of the Quilette tribe. My decisions had to be fair and based in fact, not emotions. Lives hung in the balance, and I had to do what I knew to be right.

I walked to the graveyard and stood where they had buried my father. He was honored in a long row of chiefs, including Ephraim Black. It had been his signature on the original treaty with the Cullens, as well as Carlisle and Edward's. There had to have been something he saw in Carlisle . . . some look in his eyes, sincerity in his voice, something. Carlisle was the same today that he had been over seventy years ago. It was then that I realized that Ephraim had seen exactly what I saw. He saw the man inside the vampire and he believed their words. He had been right to trust them. Even now, the Cullens were doing everything in their power to keep their word, though I knew that Edward would change Bella regardless. This was a special circumstance, and as Chief I would have allowed the change totally separate from the issue with Sam. That was it. I knew now how I was going to handle their request, and Sam's punishment.

My sister Rachael was at the house when I went inside. She and Paul were sitting on the sofa, watching the television. They had married while I had been gone, and they lived just a couple of doors away.

"Jake," Rachael said as she stood and hugged me, "I'm so glad you're back."

"It's good to see you, sis. I'm glad you're both here. Paul, will you please go and round up all the tribe that has made the transition . . . all the members of the wolfpack. I'd like to meet with them in the clearing in an hour."

"Sam as well?" Paul asked warily.

"Yes, especially Sam."

"Paul left immediately and I turned to my sister. "I finally found someone, Rachael. I imprinted."

She gasped, "I'm so happy for you. It isn't . . ."

"I laughed, "No, it isn't Bella if that's what you're thinking. Her name is Bree and she is a student at Clemson University. You'll meet her soon enough."

"Did she come with you, Jake?"

"No. She's at school. Her classes are in session."

"How is it that you're away from her then? I thought once you imprinted, you had to be around your mate everyday!" she said, seemingly surprised.

"I miss her like crazy, Rachael, but there are things here that needed my attention. I'll see her soon enough."

"You're not staying, then." It wasn't a question.

"No. Not full time, anyway. I plan to spend a lot of time here, but I also have a business and it requires me to travel to races around the country. You'll see a lot more of me now, though," I told her.

"Good. I can't wait to meet her," she said sweetly.

"I need to go meet with the pack and let them know some things, but I'll see you after the tribal meting this afternoon, alright?" I asked.

"Sure sure," she said. I had to laugh, I thought I was the only one that used that phrase.

~oooOooo~

**Sam POV**

_"Everything that has been said here today is true. I broke the treaty but just as importantly, I broke a trust with people that were trying to help Jacob. Jake phased while he was visiting the Cullens. He had no idea what was happening, and Edward Cullen stayed with him, made sure that he fed, and paid for me a plane ticket to fly there and help him, along with Emily. I completely betrayed their faith in my civility, as their only intent was to help Jake."_

I had told them the truth, there was nothing else to say. I had no idea what fate awaited me. I knew it would be the Cullen's right to demand my life be forfeit, but I knew enough about them to know they would never do it. Damned leeches had more regard for human life than most humans, I got that now.

I watched Carlisle tend and monitor my wife during the flight across country and I had seen the extent he went to to ensure her comfort, right down to the amenities on the plane that he hired to fly us home. He spared no expense. Sue had told me of his generosity, as Jacob had, but seeing it was something else again. He was even polite to me, which was a lot more than I would probably have been to him if the situation had been reversed. Damned bloodsucker. I had to admit he was genuinely a good guy, regardless . . . damn it. I hated being wrong . . . but I had been dead wrong about the Cullens.

It was pretty close quarters on the plane, though it wasn't small. Emmett was less than polite, as was the blond leech . . . Rosalie I think they called her. They reminded me of the pack at home. Anyone having injured one of our own would have been treated much worse by the pack, so I couldn't fault them for the way they acted toward me. I had harmed their brother and though Carlisle had insisted to them that they remain civil to me, it was a lot to ask of them and I knew it. They did not trust me at all, something I had earned and deserved from them after the way I had tried to get Jacob to deceive them and end Edward. They were all good to Emily though, and that was what mattered to me now.

She spoke to me, Emily that is. She wasn't loving, or even friendly . . . but at least she spoke to me. I had stayed away from the house ever since we returned, Carlisle had hired round the clock nurses for her for a couple of weeks, just to ensure that she rested and recovered, and his wife had bought out half the grocery story and had it delivered since I'm sure she felt uncomfortable on the rez, even if she had permission to be there. I tried to run wolf and stay away, but the thoughts of the rest of the pack were just too much for me. They knew my mind though from just the short time they had access to it the first night I was home. Most of them were furious with me, not for attacking the Cullens, but for seeming to have made my peace with them now. Paul found me out back in the garage tinkering with some old engines and such that needed repair.

"Jacob wants us all in the clearing in half an hour. That includes you," Paul said.

"He wants us wolf?" I asked quietly, my eyes never leaving my workbench.

"Yes," Paul replied. I think he wants to discuss what happened with the Cullens before the tribal council meets this afternoon.

I nodded. It made sense to let the pack in on what would happen, and for Jacob to use his influence to calm them. They would have to follow orders from the alpha and it would help to stop the near riot that had occurred at the council meeting yesterday.

I was the last one to walk into the clearing, the pack was already gathered by the time I arrived. There were now ten of us in all, eleven including Jacob. Our numbers had grown after Billy had been killed and we knew a vampire had been responsible. More phased after last fall when Edward and Bella had been in town and Jessica Stanley was murdered. I wondered how many more there would be after such close contact to vampires, four of them having attended the council meeting on our reservation, exposing the entire tribe directly to vampires.

There were congratulations all round and acceptance of Jacob as the Alpha. There was no choice really and there was no opposition to him other than Paul's obvious disdain for how Jacob felt about the Cullens. Though he was the Alpha and could censure his thoughts from us, somewhat, he readily allowed the pack to wander through his memories of all his dealings with the Cullens and even his friendship with Edward. They were astounded. Amazed really that vampires had been so intent on helping him when he phased, and even bankrolling his new business. It was as though they could not believe the Cullens were actually vampires, and in the end, they all agreed that they were not the _cold ones_ of our legends.

That reality was never clearer than when Jacob brought forth visions of Victoria and our ending her. He described the kills at Mirror Lake and what Bree and Bella had endured at their hands. Werewolves were still natural and deadly enemies with vampires, we were just acknowledging that the Cullens were not included in that group. I chuckled at the name Jacob had given them, the name they themselves used to term their feeding habits. _Vegetarian vampires_.

It still turned our stomachs, don't get me wrong. Their smell still sickened us with the sweet stench they gave off. Several members of the pack nearly lost it at the idea of Jake eating the vampire leftovers but he laughed at them, telling them that at least the deer he ate wasn't so bloody that he was a mess when he finished eating. Whatever. i was never going that far, that was for sure.

After all had been bared mentally, Jacob insisted we all come forward and sit in a circle.

"You all know and now understand that Sam Uley did in fact break the treaty," Jacob declared.

"It was two thousand miles away, Jake. The treaty only covers what happens here, locally," Paul demanded savagely as he snarled.

"If you want it that way, Paul, then the Cullens only have to abstain from killing humans when they are in this geographic area. That would mean that they could live here in peace with us as long as they fed far from here. Right?" Jacob asked.

"Hell no! The bloodsuckers can never harm a human, that's what the damned leeches agreed to!" Paul yelled, howling his feelings loudly.

"Fine. Then, in return, we have no right to harm them and Sam here did willfully attack and try to end a member of their family. You all know his actions, you have seen them and heard the conversations first hand through my mind," Jake thought turning to me.

This was it. It was time and it could be avoided no longer. I was about to find out the consequences of my actions. I could only hope that Emily would get past this, get over all of the hurt. I really did love her more than anything, just the way Edward loved Bella I guess.

"Sam Uley, step to the center of the circle."

I moved ever so slowly, coming to stand, encircled by what had once been my pack to command. I was unsure what was about to happen, though I knew they had the right to discipline me however they saw fit.

"Sam. You willingly and with forethought broke a treaty that our people had agreed to. You broke the word of our forefathers and the seriousness can not be overlooked," Jacob said, looking around the circle at the faces of my brothers.

"As the Alpha and rightful Chief of our tribe, the punishment is mine to decide."

There was much growling and the wolves around me were pawing at the ground with their claws. There could be no question after what Jacob had shown them, the collective wolf mind understood and acknowledged that I was in fact wrong and guilty of betraying the trust Sue Clearwater had placed in me by asking me to come and help Jacob. I had officially been called by a tribal elder to come and aid the rightful Chief and I had used the opportunity to attack the Cullens that, at that time, were aiding our Chief as well. There was just no way out of this. I was guilty as shit.

"Sam Uley, you have dishonored yourself and this tribe by willfully breaking a treaty that you and our people were bound to. What do you have to say for yourself?" Jacob asked loudly.

"I can only say that I did not understand. I acted out of ignorance and reliance on our legends. I now understand that I was wrong, the Cullens are not a part of the _cold ones_ that are the enemies of our people. I have seen nothing but truth and compassion from them . . . even for me."

Jacob was silent for a long while, then he spoke, "I have grown close to the Cullens, especially Edward Cullen. I consider him one of my best friends . . . and I will share more information with you. Edward Cullen can read minds. I'm sure you saw it happen in my memories of what occurred in North Carolina. He answered questions for me while I was first in wolf form and continued to display this ability in several other instances that I was there for firsthand."

There was a lot of unrest at that statement. "See, I told you they are not anything human. We need to end them," Paul spat, turning his back to Jake to speak to the rest of the pack. There was no hesitation. Jacob reached out and ripped Paul's flank, effectively giving him three legs to walk on till it healed.

"Enough! There has been enough hatred and hurt," Jake said, staring at Paul as he licked his wound.

"Sam Uley. As I have witnessed firsthand your treason and betrayal and you have admitted openly to breaking the treaty, your place in this pack is forfeit. You may only join us when called upon, phasing to wolf only when you are requested to do so. I will be asking you to phase periodically so that I can know what you are thinking, and if you are still abiding by the orders I am going to give you. This is your punishment.

As far as Emily is concerned, your relationship is between the two of you. You will be allowed to work and live on the reservation still, if you choose to and if it is acceptable to her.

As a type of community service, you will be required to maintain the grounds at the Cullen estate for as long as they continue to own it and you continue to be a member of this tribe. This will include the home where Charles Swan resides as well, for as long as he or his descendants own the property."

There was a lot of murmuring and grumbling, something about not making me lower myself to do that and dignity and such. Hell, I was expecting far worse . . . at least I was alive and intact, even allowed to still be on the rez.

"Sam, do you understand these requirements?" Jacob asked, "and the reasons for them?"

"Yes. I am required to tend to the estates to give me time to think about my actions, and humility to regret them and I am no longer trusted to be a member of the pack as I did not hold up the tribe's word as given on the treaty we signed. The punishment is fitting, I expected far worse."

"I planned far worse," Jake told me, my eyes shooting up to stare at him.

"What changed your mind?" I asked.

"Emily's love for you and her insistence that there was good in you. Bella and the Cullen's compassion in not wanting someone physically harmed because of them. Mostly, it was Edward Cullen himself that saved you, Sam, and yourself. Edward accepted your apology and insisted to me that you were sincere and contrite, and that you remained so each day that he was around you during Emily's recovery. His ability to read your mind and know your true thoughts and his willingness to tell me is what changed my mind. In my mind, I had come to the conclusion that your life was forfeit. You had tried to end him so that was what was going to happen to you. An eye for an eye. Edward and Carlisle would have no part of that. It was their right to demand punishment or break the treaty themselves, but they requested that I be lenient because you had seen that you were wrong. Thank them for these consequences. You own them your life."

Jacob didn't even talk like Jacob. Something had drastically changed, he had grown . . . he stood taller, more intent than before. Something that had been buried apparently had surfaced, and he commanded respect from us all. I thanked him and walked away, phasing a short distance from the pack and vowing to remain human till asked to phase again. I walked toward the council chambers to see what else was in store for me.

~oooOooo~


	98. Chapter 98  Change in Plans

******Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 98 Change in Plans  
**

_Jacob didn't even talk like Jacob. Something had drastically changed, _

_he had grown . . . he stood taller, more intent than before. _

_Something that had been buried apparently had surfaced, _

_and he commanded respect from us all._

**JacobPOV**

The council had convened by the time I arrived. I stopped at the house to grab the chest plate and head dress that were given to me yesterday, knowing I would be expected to wear them to the meeting. It wasn't nearly as embarrassing as I thought it would have been, in fact, I felt comfortable in them . . . kind of like I belonged in them, like I belonged as the head of my tribe. I had never felt my father's presence more.

I walked into the lodge amid all the ceremony and traditions and took my place at the head of the hall. Sam was there, as were the tribal council members. Apparently the Cullens had elected to wait outside till they were called and I appreciated their attempt at keeping things calm by limiting their presence among the full tribe.

"Welcome to all and I want to make it clear before we start and anyone gets their expectations up . . . the matter of Sam Uley's betrayal has been delt with. His punishment is known to the pack and you can speak to them individually if you are interested or have questions. There will be no public display of punishing him and he is not at this time banished from either our presence, or the reservation. The question we are here to answer today is a completely separate issue."

I nodded for the Cullens to be asked to enter the lodge and approach the front. The mood in the room instantly became anxious as the vampires approached where I stood at the front of our tribe.

"My grandfather saw fit to enter into a treaty with the Cullen clan and his judgement has been proven over the years to have been sound in this matter. The Cullens have never given us any cause to believe that they have not been true to their word. Though they are vampires, they do indeed feed from animals, just as we do and have never harmed a human out of their need for blood."

The murmuring in the room grew and I had to raise my hand and gesture to them to be quiet.

"I have grown to know the Cullens well, especially Edward Cullen. They are respectable, upstanding members of the community in which they live now, as they always were when they resided here in Forks. The treaty between our two peoples has stood, intact for over 70 years until it was breached this month by one of our own."

"Carlisle Cullen has asked for an exception to our treaty. He asks that his family be allowed to change Bella Swan Cullen into a vampire and that this not be considered a breach of our treaty. His request comes as a result of Sam Uley's breaking the treaty between our two peoples, and the exception was requested in return for the Cullens not considering the treaty broken and attacking us on their own."

There was a wave of chatter and intakes of breath around the room. It was obvious that my tribe did not yet understand the Cullens. I stared straight into Carlisle's eyes and continued . . .

"This is not acceptable. There will be no _eye for an eye_ where the treaty is concerned."

The gasps now came as unnecessary breaths taken in by the four Cullens that stood in front of me. They were not prepared for this and I had to have faith in them at this moment. There had been no time to discuss it beforehand.

"The only recourse available to the Cullen family, since we have broken the treaty, is to retaliate against us. I ask you, Carlisle Cullen . . . is that your intention?"

Carlisle looked stunned, like he had just been slapped or stabbed in the back. He obviously had not expected this and I could only hope his reaction would be what I thought.

"No. There will be no retaliation against the Quillette tribe, if our attacking any of you physically is what you mean. I asked only that we be granted . . ." I cut him off.

"I understand what you requested before and it has nothing to do with Sam Uley's breaking of the treaty between us. Again I ask you, will you retaliate against us because of his actions, or can we consider the treaty between us intact?"

"The treaty is intact as far as the Cullen family is concerned. There has been no problem between us for over 70 years and we desire peace," Carlisle said as he gestured to Emmett and Rosalie to hold their tongues. Even Esme looked like she could whip my ass for not allowing the exception that they wanted.

"Good. We will sign the treaty again, you and I, as an act of good faith," I said, motioning Carlisle to the table off to one side of the room.

I did not hesitate as I walked beside him at a distance that I would stand from any member of my tribe, much to the dismay of all present. I wanted them to see that there was no danger to us from them. Emmett glared at me with his arms crossed as he watched us both sign the document and return to our places facing each other at the head of the lodge.

"Now, about the request that the Cullen family has made that they be allowed to turn Bella Cullen. Request denied," I spoke slowly and with authority. "This tribe, and indeed the Cullen family, can not start a precedent of asking for exceptions to a treaty that we are each a part of."

Rosalie and Emmett were barely holding it together, sinking into the beginnings of a crouch and the edges of their lips curling back . . . but it was Esme that came unglued. "Jacob Black how could you! Can you deny them happiness just because she didn't choose you?"

"Quiet!." Sue and old Quilaterra demanded almost in unison. I had spoken with them earlier and we had all agreed.

"Charlie Swan, would you please come forward," I asked above the roar, effectively quieting all of them. Tribal members were ecstatic, they had obviously not wanted to grant anything to the Cullens and they certainly did not want a human turned into a vampire, regardless.

"You have made a request to this council privately. Would you voice it to us all now, please."

"Well, most of you know me. You know who I am. My daughter is married to Edward Cullen. She married him knowing what he was, and she just delivered him a son . . . my grandson. She deserves to be allowed to live with her family as his equal. She does not deserve to have to grow old and die, watching her husband and child remain forever young. Edward Cullen is a good husband to her, kind and gentle. The Cullens are good people. They may be vampires, but they are by no means the _cold ones_ that your legends speak of, even you all have agreed to that. As her father, I am requesting that the Quilette tribe, and the Cullen family both allow an exception to the treaty between you. I ask that you allow Edward Cullen to make his wife immortal so that she can live with her family, and so that my grandson does not have to loose his mother," Charlie said, somewhat demanding.

I looked to Carlisle, "Carlisle Cullen, would you be willing to make this exception to our treaty as Chief Swan is requesting?"

Carlisle's face changed immediately, answering me loud and clear, "We would make the exception in this instance."

"Excellent," I answered as I watched Esme's face soften, understanding finally showing there.

"Then as Chief of this tribe, and with the elders consent and approval, I also make this exception to the treaty, as requested by Charles Swan on behalf of his daughter and grandson. Dr. Cullen, if you would once again sign the documents that the council has prepared," I gestured as I walked towards the table again.

"This document," I said as I held the paper high above my head, constitutes an agreement between the Quilette tribe and the Cullen family. We both agree to allow Edward Cullen to turn his wife, Isabella Swan Cullen, into a vampire so that she may live out her existence with her family, as requested by her father. This will not be considered by either of us as a breach of the treaty between our people and she will be protected by the treaty we have just signed, as will her son, Masen, and any other offspring that occur from their union. This request is granted as a favor to Charles Swan, in recognition of his years of service and dedication to this community."

We both signed and then we shook hands, much to the dismay of all the tribal members, with the exception of Sue. She ran to the table and hugged us both, as did Esme.

"You understand that I had to do it this way, right?" I asked Carlisle.

"I understand completely, Jacob, and thank you. I knew you had to have something in mind when you denied our request. I had faith in you," Carlisle told me, a smile on his face.

"Well, I was mad as hell, dog," Emmett shared, "But you came through in the end. Lucky for you I can hold my temper!"

We all laughed at that one as Rosalie smacked him on the shoulder.

There were handshakes all around and thanks from Charlie. I had to wonder, though, if Charlie was truly happy about the outcome, and his daughter becoming one of them . . .

I decided to tell Charlie and Carlisle about the part of Sam's punishment, community service really. The part that involved them. "Charlie, Sam will be over each week to maintain your yard for you, bushes, grass, leaves in the fall . . . that sort of thing." I told him.

He and Carlisle had similar questioning looks on their faces and both faces had eyebrows lifted in a questioning manner. It was funny, really, to see the similarities in their reactions.

"Part of what is required of Sam is for him to maintain your yard for you, whatever needs doing. He'll be there every week and I need to know if for some reason he doesn't show up," I told Charlie.

The Chief huffed a bit and insisted that he didn't need anyone to do his yard for him, something about him being perfectly capable of maintaining it himself. Carlisle put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, telling Charlie that it was for Sam's benefit so that he would remember humility and what he had done wrong.

"That's actually an excellent way for him to be reminded, Jacob. Well done," Carlisle told me.

"I'm really glad you think so, Carlisle. Sam is responsible for your yard as well, the area around the house and any of the estate that you decide needs maintenance," I told him as I tried to keep a straight face.

"Ha!" Charlie roared, "Now you have to take some of your own medicine Doc! What's good for the goose is good for the gander, right!"

Chief Swan was having a ball with this, at Carlisle's expense. He and the other Cullens just stared at me, kind of dumbfounded.

"Relax," I told them, "I know how bad we smell to you guys, he is only to do the outside of the house and the lawns. Nothing inside where his scent won't blow away in the wind!"

Carlisle nodded and Emmett broke out laughing, "You mean the dog is our new lawn service? For how long?"

"Permanently," I told him, which only made him laugh harder. "Emmett, don't antagonize him when he's there. In fact, I really wouldn't have made it a condition if I thought you guys would be staying there much."

"Not to worry, Jacob. We fly back to Highlands in a day or two and we have no intention of living here again while there are still people alive that remember us. It was time for us to move, I hardly look 30 and I was by all accounts pushing 40," Carlisle laughed. "At most, Bella and Edward might come for visits with the baby for him to see Charlie in the next few years, but Charlie will probably just fly to wherever we are.

The Cullens left the rez with Charlie and the entire tribe settled in for an evening of celebration. Apparently we were celebrating having a new Chief and it sounded like a good time till I realized _I was _the new chief! Rachael hugged me to her, and she and Sue together continued to tell me how proud they were of me and how glad they were to have me back. Paul even limped up to me and apologized for questioning my decisions. Huh. Wonder where the hell that came from . . .

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

"I'm trying, Edward. I just can't see, to get a clear picture of which story works best. The truth is out, of course, but it always comes back to letting her make her own assumptions. There is only that," Alice fussed.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I don't mean to pressure you, it's just . . ."

"I know, brother. You really want those twins, or at least another child, and I wish I could be clearer with the visions. You know how quickly they change. I have seen the twins ever since we were in Florida, though, and they're still there . . . just as clearly as you see them now."

I did see them. Clearly . . . God, so clearly. They were sitting on a blanket with me as I laid there and played with them, a little girl so beautiful even though she looked like me, and the boy had his mom's face and dark hair but my eyes. A larger little boy that looked exactly like me was running wildly around the yard laughing and following a ball. It was just the same as she had seen and shown me months ago.

Alice went through a few different scenarios with everything from me telling Renee that we were a form of travelers from another planet to telling her that we were indeed products of genetic engineering from the second World War. In the end, it wasn't going to matter. I heard the conversation between Bella and her mom even before we left the room to head back downstairs, and the explanation was already in progress. I would just have to hope that Bella had it under control and that it worked out for the best.

"Well, I just don't understand why you can't explain, Bella. You know you can talk to me. I have always supported you and you're being with Edward. I just don't understand," Renee told her.

"Mom, just believe me on this. I have told you all I can. Masen is a very _special_ young man, very like his father, and there are going to be some dramatic differences in him and other children. If you can just accept him as an individual with all his quirks, then I would love to have you visit often and get to know him," Bella pleaded.

"Bella, I just want the truth."

"Mom, if you can't just let it go then I can't be around you . . . and neither can Masen."

"BELLA!"

"I mean it. You have to just accept that yes, there is something quite different about him. Yes, I only carried him about four months and yes, he for all appearances, looks like a three month old already . . . well, except for his teeth, I guess babies don't usually get teeth till they are a year old or so, but . . ."

"Bella, you can't expect me to . . ."

"But she does expect you to abide by her wishes, Renee. And so do I," I told her as I entered the room and moved to stand behind the chair my wife was sitting in. Alice put down the pile of clothes she was carrying and sat beside Renee at the table.

"I would love for Masen to get to know you, Renee. Family is quite important to me as well as to your daughter . . . but you need to let this go. We can't tell you anything more. We can't answer all the questions about how and why, we can only tell you that if you can accept my son and I with all the little quirks you may notice, then we would love to have you as a part of our lives."

"But Edward . . ." Renee looked up at me and started to speak.

I knew where she was going with that, I read it in her mind. She wanted answers, wanted to know where I was from, how we had created Masen and what he would grow up to be. I thought a few answers might just jar her into agreeing with our need for her to let this go."

"Renee. I was Born in Chicago, Illinois, just like we told you when you first asked. Masen was created by Bella and I and our love for each other," I couldn't help smirking at my wife who was looking up at me, astounded, as I continued, "and we have every hope that he will grow up to be a healthy, strong young man that functions within our family. That's all we know, and all you need to know."

I watched as her jaw dropped and she held tightly to the coffee cup in her hands and froze like a statue - her mind trying to process what I had told her, wondering how I knew what she wanted to know in that exact order.

"Yes, Renee. I can read your mind," I told her, never breaking eye contact as her heart rate and her grip on the cup increased. Bella broke the uncomfortable silence in the room that even Alice had fallen victim to.

"Mom, we're leaving for a vacation in a few days. Europe. If you can accept that you love your son in law and new grandson in spite of any differences you may notice between them and others, you are welcome to come and visit us when we get back . . . but if you can't just accept what we're telling you and LET IT GO, then when we leave we won't be back and we will be out of your life," Bella said firmly but quietly, staring directly into Renee's shocked face.

"Bella . . ." it was almost a whisper from her lips.

"Bella, you can't mean that," she finally said loudly enough for my wife to hear her.

"I absolutely mean it, mom. I love you, I always will, but Edward and my son come first. I will protect them at all costs . . . including leaving and never contacting you again if I have to.

It was deadly quiet in the room, Bella and her mom were the only ones breathing and it was as though they were holding their breath, waiting for some imaginary axe to fall. The part that was the most ifasinating was that Renee's mind was as quiet as her voice. I had listened to the minds of humans for almost a century and though I had heard small points of silence from Renee before this was different. Minutes passed . . . nothing. Absolutely no thoughts.

What I wouldn't give to just be able to read my wife's thoughts for only a moment, just to see if her mind was as random, focused and guarded all rolled up into one like her mother's was.

"Fine."

It was the only word she said, and all she thought. I could actually feel the tension in my wife's shoulders where my palms rested while we waited for her to continue. My sister Alice sat expressionless, just staring at Renee.

"Fine. No more lies and no more hiding. I want to know my grandson just as he is, not as you're pretending him to be, understood?" she said as she stood and put her coffee cup in the sink. "Am I to understand that he really was born just two weeks ago? I just want to be sure of the facts up until now."

"Yes," I told her, "I delivered our son in the early morning hours of Friday, January 6th."

"And Masen was conceived in this house, after you were married and moved here, correct?"

"Yes," Bella answered, "Neither of those things were lies."

"But Masen has a full set of teeth and is completely capable of holding himself up and almost sitting alone, isn't he?"

"Yes, Renee. He learned to sit up yesterday, and he is very proud of himself. He won't be hiding his accomplishments anymore," I stated flatly, "It's too hard on him. He is only a tiny baby after all."

She looked like a cross between being pale from the information I had just verified and red hot from the anger that it had been hidden from her.

"Good. Now that we have a starting point for the truth, I'm going upstairs to change so that we can go shopping for those new clothes that Alice says you need. When I come down, there will be no more questions from me and I will keep all of this to myself, but there will be no more deception. You don't have to explain, and I won't ask . . . but no hiding anything about my grandson anymore," she said as she started towards the stairs. Just before she reached them, she turned and stared straight at me, her eyes boring into me with the intent in her face as she said, "I'll need to know where _we_ are going on this vacation, though. I need to shop for me as well." She turned and walked up the stairs to her room.

"Edward?" Bella turned to look up at me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Alice flitted out of the room carrying the clothes she was going to donate to good will with her, at least one load of them, to put them in the car. I'm sure she left to avoid my wife as well.

"Edward?" Bella asked again, standing to face me as I stood with my hands in my pockets now, avoiding her eyes. I knew what she wanted to know and I had the answer for her . . . I just didn't want to tell her.

"Did she just say that she needed to shop for clothes to take on _vacation with us_?" Bella said incredulously.

"Yes. Yes she did, love."

"And is that what she meant? She thinks she is coming _with_ us?"

"Yes, love. She has no intention to be parted from her grandson right now . . . she's afraid she won't see him again . . . or you," I told her, stepping closer and hugging her to me.

"But she doesn't even know where we're going!" Bella almost shouted.

"She doesn't care. She only wants to be with you and Masen for awhile longer."

"But . . . ," Bella stumbled on her words, "Is that even okay? For her to come with us I mean?"

"I'm not sure there is a choice," I chuckled. It was going to be a very interesting few weeks . . .

**Authors note:** Please don't forget to review! I am living in a floor to ceiling box lined home with no time to unpack until I get everything out of the old house and some repairs made so that, hopefully, someone will buy it from me! Encouragement needed! I'm about to invite all of my grandkids to come over and bring markers and crayons to draw on what amounts to cardboard walls (I can only see hallways and rooms lined with boxes). At least I would have some pretty decor to look at! lol

Send me some love and tell me what you think of this chapter, before we move on to Europe!


	99. Chapter 99 Renee

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 99 Renee**

_"He's behaving well, love, but this is hard on him, too._

_Think about it, he's just been born and he's discovering all these new things_

_that he can do and he has to hide them?"_

**EPOV**

I lept from our balcony, Bella clinging to my back. We could have taken the stairs, but she and I both enjoyed her traveling this way and we got to do it so rarely these days. There had been little opportunity with Bella so pregnant, keeping up human pretense, and it being winter. It was still winter, of course, but we were only going up to the other house. I dropped to the ground silently, only barely jostling Bella as I landed and took off towards the house, her warm breath on my neck.

Emmett and Rosalie passed us on the path as they headed down to listen out for Masen. We had left Masen asleep in the crib in his room and Renee asleep in her room next to his. Everything would probably have been fine if we had just left for a little while and left the two of them sleeping, but given the things that had happened in the last year we both just felt better with someone awake and listening . . . just in case.

Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett had just arrived home from taking Emily back to LaPush.

Though they had told me over the phone what happened at the council meetings, I wanted to see it through their minds and hear all the details. Bella and I were both amazed at the maturity Jacob had displayed and it was even more amazing to actually see it in him as I watched him handle the council and his tribe at the council meeting through their memories. He had stepped up and filled the place his father left as Chief and I had no doubt he would be great.

No one had any idea what Emily's intentions were, though, as far as Sam was concerned. She had been thrilled about being pregnant . . . just not thrilled about being married to Sam it seemed, at least right now. She had gone back to her house and Sam was staying there caring for her needs while she recovered, but she barely spoke to him and he was sleeping on the sofa downstairs.

"So you can be changed anytime you two decide," Carlisle told us as we stood in his office, "It will not be considered a breach of the treaty."

"That's great, Carlisle," Bella told him, and I'm sure my face reflected my relief that there would be no trouble with the wolves over this.

"Well, the way it worked out, you have your father to thank for that. It was his request that allowed the concession," he told her. He stared at us for a moment, his mind racing before he spoke the question. "Have you decided when you want to do this?"

"Yes, dad. Bella wants to taste foods from some of the countries in Europe. It seems she associates traveling there with the food they offer and the different cuisines," I looked to my wife, my arm around her waist as I spoke, "We thought we would travel there and tour for a few weeks, till she has her fill before she joins us. Apparently she doesn't think there will be much difference in the taste of European deer and American deer, once she's a vampire."

My dad smirked, his fist going to cover his mouth as he always did when he was taken off guard. I suppose it was my boldness in discussing this in front of everyone, or the fact that we were both being so cavalier about changing her. Esme, Alice and Jasper stood and listened, smiling at us both.

"Yes, I heard about the travel plans. So, Europe for a few weeks and then what, back here to change her?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry you and mom can't join us for the trip. I know you can't leave the hospital with all the time off you have had to take these last few weeks, but perhaps you could join us for some extended weekends," I suggested.

"We'll plan on it," Mom said, a huge smile covering her face, "We'll just coordinate with Alice as far as when you will be where."

"Carlisle, Esme . . . you should know . . . if I become pregnant during the trip, we will wait for the child to be born and then change me. Edward and I have agreed to try for another baby, if I get pregnant right away," Bella told them.

The look on their faces was priceless. Well, Esme and Carlisle anyway. Alice had a smirk, kind of an all knowing look because she had already seen more children in our future and Jasper was privy to her visions. My parents, however, were not and their minds told me just how utterly shocked they were that I would risk doing this, that I would go through it again.

"Yes, I want another child, too," I answered their unasked question, "and I have agreed to try . . . well, to not try and prevent it rather. Not that we could."

"Yes, I have been giving a lot of thought to birth control, Edward, and I had come up with nothing that would work, other than the pill. We could stop Bella from ovulating, but the venom in your semen would get through anything we tried to put in its way," Carlisle mused.

That merited a round of laughter, and my wife turning a deep shade of red as she blushed profusely.

"Well, good thing we won't have to try and stop the little guys, then," she added, burying her face in my chest to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh, Edward! More babies in the house!" Esme exclaimed, he hand going to cover her mouth.

"Now Petal, don't get your hopes up. Edward getting Bella pregnant in the first place was nothing short of a miracle. There are only a small number of sperm being produced and there are no guarantees, regardless," Carlisle warned.

My mom swatted his chest dismissively, "Pffft . . . really dear. If Edward doesn't have the numbers, he more than makes up for it in sheer volume!"

I only thought my wife had turned red with embarrassment before.

"Well, at lest we have a few weeks for Bella to grow her hair back," Alice grimaced, picking up a strand of Bella's shortened hair and flipping it around in her fingers, "and the best salons in the world in France to give her a new do!"

"Alice . . . ," I almost growled.

The last thing I wanted was anyone making Bella feel uncomfortable about how she looked. She had cut her hair, after all, to try and help us find her. It was Bella herself that cut me off . . .

"Well, Alice, short hair looks so cute on you, maybe I thought I might like it!"

The look on Alice's face was priceless. She hadn't expected Bella to bring up her short hair. We all laughed, having been shown once again that Bella could indeed hold her own in our family.

Though short hair was cute enough on Alice, I guessed, I was going to have to put an opinion in on my wife's hair and hope that it grew really fast. I would hate for her not to have her long beautiful hair for the rest of forever.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

At least now I didn't have to ask my son to hide anymore, just not to use his strength or bite where mom and I are concerned. That was apparently easy enough for him to do . . . my little angel.

When Edward had first told me that he could communicate with Masen, before he was born, I almost couldn't believe it . . . but then, it was Edward we were talking about and there was seemingly no end to the things he could do. He surprised me at every turn.

I had been so worried about his arm. Carlisle's mixture of cells from Masen's placenta and venom had healed it eventually, well . . . that and the milk Edward had ingested from me. My fluids definitely had dramatic effects on him and I was going to miss that part of being human. I loved experiencing my husband being out of control and coming continually, well, as out of control as Edward ever got.

As I felt the cold wind in my face, my chin on Edward's shoulder as he ran us down the hill towards our house, I realized that I couldn't possibly be happier. Thee was not one single thing that was missing in my life . . . and I loved Edward beyond all reason.

I kissed his neck as he crouched to jump to our balcony, and by the time he landed and had us inside, one of my arms had drifted from his neck to his torso so that I could run my fingers down his chest and play with the firm muscles there. He set me down and had me in front of him in a flash, his lips on my shoulder and his arms around me.

"I love you," he murmured against my skin as he continued to kiss up my jaw towards my lips.

I unbuttoned my jacket and let it fall to the floor, his attentions continuing as I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time as I ghosted my hands across his chest, then his abs, and finally down the front of his jeans. The zipper was strained as it fought to contain the growing erection there. I continued to kiss him gently and softly caress his chest.

He followed my lead, slowly reaching down and grasping the hem of my sweater and lifting it over my head, dropping it to the floor. I felt his fingers softly caressing my sides and back as he released my bra. Our kisses were becoming heated how, his tongue asking for entrance as he gently sucked on my bottom lip and kissed my face.

I allowed my fingers to dip below the top edge of his jeans, beneath his boxers. I couldn't help but smile as I felt him tense and almost shiver from my touch. Edward was purring loudly now, and he had my pants on the floor and bra off my arms before I even realized he was trying.

I, however, continued my slow progress at removing his clothes, reaching to slowly unbuckle his belt and take the time to pull it through all the loops, dropping it onto the increasing pile on the floor. He was almost shaking now, his unnecessary breaths erratic as I encouraged him to step out of his shoes and jeans. As I stroked my fingers down his backside, my husband lost it. I was on my back in our bed, completely naked with a completely naked vampire stroking me as he caressed one breast with his hand and kissed and licked the other, instantly driving me into a frenzy as well.`

"Bella, I love you so much, I can't even stand not being inside you for any length of time anymore, baby, I need you . . . ," he said.

He slipped an arm under one of my legs and brought that knee up over his shoulder as he continued to kiss me passionately. If we had not been so practiced at kissing and avoiding his teeth, my tongue would surely have been shredded against them.

I never noticed we were moving across the bed . . . that is I didn't notice till I felt us land against the rug on the floor of our room, Edward having absorbed the fall with his arms behind me, never missing a beat. He was growling fiercely now, seemingly paying no attention to trying to mute his noises, completely absorbed in making love with me. He was amazing, his head thrown back in passion as he released into me, his body hardening again immediately. I held off as long as I could, but it was futile . . . I lost it, my passion completely overwhelming me as I latched onto his shoulder to stifle my cries. I bit down . . . hard. I had never bitten him like that before and it seemed to make him even wilder.

"Oh God, I love you so much," I virtually screamed, paying no heed to the fact that I was probably loud enough to wake Masen and my mom as well. It was my house and my husband and I simply could not help it.

I rolled us, well - Edward rolled us as soon as he felt me trying. I sat astride my husband there on the floor, my hands on his chest as we both fought to calm our breathing.

"You're serious that I'll want you more than I already do?"

"Yes. Once you become a vampire and the newborn phase passes, we will only become closer and our love even more intense, Bella. They tell me it continues to increase in intensity for the first ten years or so, then stays at a somewhat manageable level . . . forever, baby. I will love you with at least the intensity you feel right now till the end of time," my husband told me, his black eyes sparkling, reflecting the moonlight that was streaming in our window.

"How did I get so lucky," I said as I laid against his chest and stoked his face with my hands.

We laid there on the floor talking for the longest time, hours it seemed. The light reflected in his eyes slowly changed, and became the warm first streams on morning light against his amber eyes. It was twilight, the time just before the sun made an appearance over the horizon, and it seemed our life together could not be better.

I kissed Edward one more time before I jumped up, surprising him, and pulled his hand as I gestured toward the shower. We made love again, of course, my back against the shower wall and my legs around his waist as he came again and again inside me. I just didn't think we would have any problem at all getting me pregnant again . . .

~oooOooo~

**MasenPOV**

A funny feeling came across my face. I think my dad had called it smiling, I would have to remember to ask him if this was what he had meant. I heard them again, my mom and dad. I knew those sounds better than any other sounds in my world. It was the sound of my mom and dad together, giving her that feeling that she needed so badly. It made her happy, happier than anything else other than the way she seemed to feel when she held me and I drank from her. I could sense her feelings, but there were no words attached to the feelings, not like my dad. Dad's mind was open to me, and mine to him. I could know exactly what he thought, and what he was feeling because of the thoughts.

I was starting to understand things from my aunts and uncles as well, but only just. I would have to try harder to understand them and my grandpa Carlisle and grama Esme and Renee. I missed grandpa Charlie, he was easy to read and fun. I liked him a lot.

Everything out here was soft enough I suppose, but I missed being inside my mom. She was softer than anything, and warm. I didn't need the warm, but I liked it. My dad didn't feel cold to me like he told me he would, he felt natural . . . comfortable. I was awake now. I didn't need sleep anyway, but it seemed to make everyone happy when I did it, so that was good, and I always woke up feeling really good . . . and thirsty.

I was thirsty now, and I didn't know if dad was paying attention to me, though he always seemed to. I let him know, anyway as I sat holding onto the tall sticks at the side of my blanket. I grabbed onto them with my fingers and pulled, reaching for the top as I stood upright like I had seen everyone else do. It felt funny at first, but it was okay. I wondered if I should cry like he had told me that my mom expected me to do, like human newborns did . . . at least my dad said they did. It seemed silly, dad already knew what I needed.

I tried letting go of the top of my crib and found myself lying on the soft blankets again. It only took me a minute to stand up against my crib again and I practiced doing what I had seen them do - I moved one foot forward and then the next till I moved from one side of my bed to the other, never letting go of the top with at least one hand.

The light came on all of a sudden, and mom made the loudest noise. I thought something was wrong, but she was smiling and dad's mind told me that she was happy, like he was. A bright light flashed . . . oh yea, dad said that would happen so they could remember what I looked like doing things. Huh. That was okay I guess.

I dropped my hold and fell onto the blankets, lying still except for laying with my fingers in my mouth as I heard my grandma come into the room. dad had said not to show her that I could do anything, and I hated it . . . but I did as he asked.

"Morning mom," I heard my mom say as grandma asked her if I was alright.

Of course I was alright, why did they all keep saying that?

"Masen, you don't have to hide what you can do from your grandma anymore, son. You can stand back up, its alright if she sees," dad said out loud, his thoughts going further, telling me to be gentle and remember not to bite.

I couldn't help doing that thing again. It gave me a bad feeling when he said that, it was . . . annoying. That was it, and I did something with my eyes, rolled them or something and dad always noticed. It just made me feel bad that he thought he had to keep reminding me. I remembered everything he had told me. Everything he had ever said to me . . . everything.

~oooOooo~

**ReneePOV**

It took me forever to go to sleep. I was frustrated . . . I was mad. More than anything, I was scared. I saw something in my daughters eyes that had chilled me to the bone. She meant it. She and Edward would leave and take Masen with them, never to return . . . never to even contact me again. I couldn't have that. Ever.

I paced the floor in my room, arms crossed and biting my lip. What the hell was I going to do?

Well, that thought was irrelevant. I had no choice, had been given absolutely no choice. Accept the things that were simply not explainable, things that were not possible . . . or have my grandson taken from me.

Well, that wasn't going to happen.

I knew the pain I felt when Bella left Phoenix and moved to Forks with her dad. I had been so caught up in Phil, I didn't realize what not having her with me would feel like. I was not about to go through that again. It had almost killed me when she was so depressed, when Edward had left her. I flew out there to be with her, to bring her home with me and she wouldn't come. Well, now I wasn't about to go.

I could do this. Center on the positives.

Edward had never been anything other than nice to me, generous with his time and money, protective of her, and perfectly willing to have me be a part of her life. He loved her and I knew she loved him. The boy took care of her, nurtured her, provided for her and catered to her every whim. He had even taught my Phil to invest in the stock market, making us more money in the last month than either of us had earned in the last five years.

Now they were asking me to just accept things as they were. Face value. No questioning the fact that Bella had given birth to a perfectly healthy baby having only been pregnant for less than four months, and the baby . . . Masen. Well, Masen could do things that a three month old couldn't do, and he had a full set of teeth already. He was definitely not a normal human baby, but I didn't know how to explain him and i was given no answers.

Accept him and his father, or loose them all.

. . . and his father.

Hum. Edward. Edward was incredibly mature and smart for a teenager, that was for sure. Come to think of it, I had noticed something s about him. He always felt like he was cold to me, and his eyes . . . well, come to think of it, the eyes of his entire family were kind of a strange amber color, even though I knew the children were adopted and not blood related to Carlisle and Esme.

There had been some things that were odd - he moved awfully fast when he had picked her up, crying, the day after her birthday and taken her to upstairs to their room. He carried her effortlessly . . .

I had fallen asleep sitting on the bed, propped up on pillows and was awakened now, by the sounds of an animal in the night. I heard fierce growling and I could have sworn it was coming from _inside_ the house! I was too frightened to move and I reacted simply by pulling the comforter up around me as if that would protect me from whatever it was I heard. There weren't many sounds in the house at night, but the sounds of my daughter and her husband making love were unmistakable as they both screamed out the other's names . . . repeatedly. I must have imagined the growling because even though they were otherwise occupied, they surely would have heard it if it had been real.

As the sun started streaming in the window, I got brave enough to let go of the covers. As the darkness gave way to morning, I became bold enough to at least go and check on the baby, though I was certain his parents we listening out for him. I was still wearing my clothes from the night before when I entered Masen's room, Bella and Edward standing off to the side of his crib with a camera in my daughters hands and Masen lying on his blankets.

My daughter had greeted me, and I had wished her a good morning as well . . . but it was Edward's words that chilled me to the bone.

_Masen, you don't have to hide what you can do from your grandma anymore, son. _

_You can stand back up, its alright if she sees . . ._

Sees what, I wondered. Well, I didn't have to wait long to find out. My less than three week old grandson looked at his father as though he understood him, and slowly the baby reached for the bars on the side of his crib and pulled himself up till he was standing! Standing! The baby was less than a month old!

Bella? . . . I looked to my daughter.

"I told you he was special, mom. More advanced than other babies, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," I said as I walked towards them slowly.

I reached out a hand and rubbed the babies back, telling him good morning and how wonderful he was and how proud I was of him, and I would have sworn from the look he was giving me, that he understood what I had said to him.

"Mom, you're still dressed," Bella commented as she picked up my grandson and held him . . . not like he was a newborn, but held him on her hip with him putting an arm over her shoulder and looking around.

They were still in their sleepwear, well, what they called it anyway. he had on flannel sleep pants and she had on sweats and a tank top. They came out of their room wearing t=clothes like that at night and in the early morning hours, but Bella had been quite clear that they really wore nothing when they were in their room alone together . . . and I believed her.

I couldn't take my eyes off my grandson.

"Let's go get breakfast started, Renee," Edward gestured towards the door, "while Bella changes Masen and feeds him."

We walked downstairs and Edward moved around with pots and pans while I made the coffee. It was no time before he had toast, bacon and steaming hot eggs on a plate in front of me, and one for Bella as well.

"Aren't you eating, Edward?" I asked.

He kind of smiled and answered, "I have a special diet, Renee. I rarely eat food like this, unless it can't be avoided."

He sat beside me, and continued, "I'm glad you chose to stick it out with us, Renee. Bella would miss you terribly if you weren't a part of her life, and I enjoy your company as well as Phil's."

My son in law looked down at his hands on the table for a moment, then looked straight at me, "I will tell you what I can. when I can, Renee. I spoke to my siblings, and Bella and I would love to have you tour Europe with us for a couple of weeks if that"s what you want. Just enjoy your daughter and grandson . . . and know that they will be safe and well cared for with me . . . always."

Something about his face told me that he meant it, he was sincere. Bella came into the kitchen with Masen in her arms, asking me if I had my passport with me. I did. I had never taken it out of my bad after our cruise.

"Well, we have a couple of trades to do today, mom, before we go," she said as she handed Edward the baby and sat to have her breakfast, "but as soon as we're through, you should probably pack."

"We can pack together then," I told her, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing.

"I'll help you pack if you want, mom, but Alice always packs for Edward and I . . . and now I guess for Masen. There is really no need for me to do anything, other than a small carry on that I want to take . . . a few items that I want to pack myself."

"Bella!" Alice chided as she entered the door. "Your bag and Edward's are already packed. I came to help Renee with hers, and to pack Masen, of course. You really should have known I was already done," she said, gesturing to the luggage I now noticed standing by the front door.

This family was going to take a little getting used to, but I had to try . . .

Apparently we were all leaving for europe in the morning, though I had no idea where exactly. I left to go upstairs with Alice and pack, wondering what the next few weeks would bring . . .

~oooOooo~

**Authors Note:** Sorry this chapter was late, I tried to have it ready by Wednesday, really I did! My grandson is with me for another week, and we went for a ride in the mountains on the Harley yesterday. He loved it. Somehow, it was more important than getting the chapter out . . ._ sorry!_ I have the next few chapters penciled in, so they should come fairly easily. thanks for waiting, there really is a lot more story to come!

Love you all, your reviews and comments keep me motivated, even through this AWFUL thing of moving houses!

Thank you for being there for me . . .

Victoria

.


	100. Chapter 100  Flight

**Disclaimer: **All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.**  
**

**Chapter 100 Flight**

She thinks she is coming _with_ us?

**Renee POV**

"Mom, time to go," I heard my daughter call to me.

I was just making sure I had everything out of the drawers in the guest room of her house. I wasn't certain when we would be back or indeed if I would be back here anytime soon.

"Anything I can carry down for you, Renee?" Edward asked as he stood at the door to my room.

"No, thank you. Alice already has everything down there, Edward," I told him as I grabbed my handbag . . . and we headed down the stairs.

Everyone was gathered outside, Emmett putting what appeared to be the last of the suitcases in the trunk of a long black limo. Limousine. I must have looked startled as Bella walked over to me and hooked her arm through mine.

"The Cullen's take some getting used to, mom. They prefer a limo to drive them so they don't have to leave cars at the airport and we can all relax on the ride to Atlanta," she told me.

Relax.

That was going to take some doing. I really wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into, insisting that I come with them on their trip, but I just had to be with her and my grandson a little longer. I had the overwhelming feeling I was about to loose them, and I couldn't bear it.

Phil had taken the news of my not returning anytime soon well . . . sort of. He was kind of jealous I think, he was working all day training and there I would be enjoying myself on vacation. He understood though. I told him I just needed some more time with Bella and Masen and they had planned to go on vacation and had invited me. I didn't tell him how it really happened that I was going - that I had insisted. After the stock tip Edward had given him yesterday and the amount of money we made in just a few hours, I wasn't sure he was thinking clearly about anything anyway! Three hundred thousand dollars in a day. Not even a day, really . . . it was only a few hours.

Edward was clearly some kind of financial whiz kid . . . genius I guessed. Masen had certainly inherited a vast amount of intelligence and it wasn't just from my daughter. The child was advanced in almost every way possible and it seemed obvious that he understood things that were going on around him like no three week old could. No year old would.

Everyone piled into the limo, Carlisle holding the door for us all on our side as Edward held the door for his mom on the opposite side. I slid into the side seat, following Bella's lead, and when Edward got in, he moved past me to sit on her other side. Masen was already in the car, just beside the door and strapped into a car seat with Rosalie right beside him. He was holding a bottle with both hands and smiling widely at his mom and dad . . . such a cute little guy!

I could hardly believe he was my grandson. I had a grandson. Bella was an only child, and I had always wanted more children. This new one, Bella's son, gave me the opportunity to be a part of the growing up years of another child. Whatever else he was a part of, that baby had my blood running through his veins and I wasn't about to be denied my role as his grandmother!

"Anywhere in particular you're interested to see, Bella?" Alice asked her.

"Well, I can't wait to try the food in France and Italy, of course. I was hoping maybe Greece and Germany as well!" my daughter answered.

"You're going to just love the flat in Paris, Bella! It has the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower, and the shopping . . . well, it just doesn't get any better. Paris makes Rodeo drive look like child's play!" Alice giggled.

"Alice! Masen is NOT wearing designer clothing, understood!" Bella told her playfully but adamently.

Alice only smiled and laughed, gesturing to the outfit that the baby had on, "BELLA! He already is!"

Everyone laughed along with Alice and Bella. I guess they were used to Alice's extravagances.

"I don't know about Greek food, love, the Isle of Crete is sunny with little shade. It might not be enjoyable for you," Edward told Bella.

"Nonsense, Edward! Bella loves the sun and the heat! She grew up in Arizona for heavens sake," I admonished.

Emmett snickered and Rosalie rolled her eyes at my comment, but no one seemed to agree with me.

We arrived at the airport and a porter took all the baggage for us as we headed to a gate away from the main thorough fare. It had a small security entrance and was set somewhat away from the crowds of passengers in the airport terminal. We entered, Edward apparently checking us all in as we showed the attendant our drivers licenses and identification. It wasn't long before a man dressed in a black suit came and asked us to follow him. It was not until that moment that I realized we were not flying on a commercial jet, but a private one. We walked down the entryway and were greeted by a well dressed woman in black slacks and a white button down shirt, gesturing for us to make ourselves comfortable. We all seated ourselves in the over sized leather seats, two on each side of the plane. There were only eight of us, including the baby and Edward sat beside Masen allowing me to sit with Bella. Still, we only took up half the seats.

"Bella, I had no idea we weren't flying on a scheduled commercial flight!" I said to her, astonished.

"Mom, Edward thought this would be more comfortable with the baby. The plane has a bedroom where you can go in and shut the door if you want . . . he kind of thought this might be a little overwhelming to you," she whispered to me.

"Well, yes, I suppose it is baby, but you take the bedroom and rest with Masen, I'm fine out here, really," I said as adamantly as I could muster, not being sure that I believed it myself.

We were in the air now, had been for about fifteen or twenty minutes and Edward's siblings had gotten up and gone somewhere in the back of the plane. Edward stood in front of Bella and I, taking her hand and pulling her to stand with him.

"Renee, would you like some refreshments? There is food and a lounge with sofa's and television behind us. You would probably be more comfortable there and there is a bedroom just for you if you would like," he told me.

Bella unbuckled Masen and grabbed him up, heading to the rear with Edward and I followed them, not wanting to just sit by myself all alone. Rosalie took the baby as soon as she saw him and sat on the floor to play with him. Apparently they had brought him some toys to occupy the time.

"Your room is over here, Renee," Edward gestured.

I walked in to see a small room with a flat screen on the wall, chair and bed. It looked as though it had its own bathroom as well.

"Edward, really, this is unnecessary. You and Bella take this. She'll be more likely to need the privacy with the baby and all," I insisted.

"We have the bedroom at the rear of the plane. I agree that she might need something more private, but this is for you. Please feel free to use it. The flight is long, over 12 hours in all what with the two stops we have to make to refuel."

"Thank you, Edward. It's very considerate of you but wasn't this room for someone else, i mean before I insisted on coming?"

"No, I changed planes so that we could have this for you. The original plane only had a bedroom for Bella and I," he said somewhat sheepishly.

He had altered even the plane they were chartering because of me. I knew money meant nothing to him, but still . . . he had gone to the trouble of being so considerate.

"Just be comfortable, mom," I said after Edward left to join the others, "I don't need a bedroom either . . . except that I think Edward had ideas of joining the mile high club," I snickered.

"Bella!" I laughed with her, knowing that she was probably right. They were young and in love and neither of them seemed shy about showing it.

Bella and I ordered our dinner, selecting from several choices, but no one else ate. They didn't even want drinks. Odd . . . maybe they had all eaten just before we left. Anyway, Bella and I were starving and devoured the meal as well as dessert while Edward sat with us playing with Masen.

We picked out a movie after dinner, the guys allowing us a chick flick without too much protest. My new son in law and daughter were almost making out on the sofa in spite of everyone else being in the room. Honestly, sometimes you would think they were seventeen year olds, not almost 20, married with a child!

Rosalie, Alice and I enjoyed the movie and I almost cried, as usual when I saw a happily ever after. Bella excused herself, taking the baby to her room to nurse him. Though she always nursed him in private with Edward, I decided to follow her this time. Surely she would not object to her mom being in the room with her. She sat down on the bed and Edward opened a suitcase of hers and placed a couple of items on the bed, including wipies and a diaper.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" I asked

She quickly exchanged glances with Edward, and I thought I saw him nod, though I couldn't be sure. He was talking to Masen, telling him to be a good boy as my daughter unbuttoned her shirt and undid her bra, exposing her breast . . . clearly not being modest about there being a man in the room. She put a piece of plastic, a shield of some sort over her nipple before offering it to Masen and I must have been staring because Edward told me that they were just a precaution, since Masen had so many teeth.

The baby slurped hungrily and Bella soon handed him off to Edward to change his diaper before she offered him the other breast. She seemed relaxed and Edward rubbed her back and shoulders while she nursed and chatted about nothing, . . . how nice the plane was, how smooth the flight so far, where were we stopping to refuel and where was it that we were going first, anyway.

"Paris, sweetheart. Alice insisted that she wanted to take you two to a couple of salons that she knows for a girls day out," Edward explained.

"Edward! You know what that means if the little pixie has her way! Hairstyles and facials and manicures and who knows what else they do in a salon," Bella fussed.

"Mud wraps and massages," Alice chimed in, obviously having heard us out in the lounge area.

Edward was laughing at the horror stricken expression on my daughter's face.

"Just wait, mom, you're in for it too," she pouted.

"Yes, but the difference, dear, is that I just might enjoy it!" I told her, a loud '_yea Renee'_ coming from Alice in the other room.

"Renee, I wonder if you would mind taking Masen for awhile. Bella looks tired and I thought that we could turn in for the evening," Edward told me.

Bella blushed. I knew what Edward really meant. Their routine was just the same at home, after she fed the baby in the evenings, Masen would stay downstairs with an aunt or grandma while they '_rested'. _Code word for '_fooled around for hours_'. I chuckled to myself as I pulled their door shut. I remember being young and in love.

I played with Masen for a couple of hours and he was showing no signs of tiring, but I was. Rosalie offered to take him and I said my good nights, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow in my room. The sun streaming in brightly through the windows woke me, apparently several hours later as I felt completely rested and ready to start another day. When I emerged from the cabin, the hostess asked if I wanted coffee or breakfast, which she brought me within only a half hour or so of my asking. Masen was sleeping in Rosalie's arms, but everyone else was up, Alice flipping through fashion magazines with Rosalie looking on and the boys playing a video game. There was no sign that Bella or Edward had been up during the night and Alice confirmed that she had not seen them come out of their room.

"Alice, what is that sound?" I asked as i finished my second cup of coffee.

"Nothing important, Renee. Would you like to look at the fashions we can shop for with us, the magazines give you an idea of what to expect in the shops," she trilled gleefully.

I heard it again - but it must just be my imagination playing tricks on me. I sat with the girls and looked at the fashions that they considered in . . . and wondered what the prices of things like that were. We were laughing at some of the photos, silly designs that were not practical at all, and though Alice and Rosalie were quite thin, they would have had to be sticks to ever wear some of those dresses!

This time there was no mistake.

"Alice! What the hell is that noise?" I demanded.

A loud grown was coming from the rear of the plane, from in the room with my daughter. It was enough to frighten me and I was sitting with four other adults.

"Renee . . . ," Alice said timidly, ". . . sometimes, well, Edward seemingly likes to growl."

"Alice, I'm not an idiot. No one could make that noise, what the hell is that?" I said as I stood and walked to the door to their room and knocked.

"Bella, Bella dear, are you alright?" I all but yelled. The door was locked or I would have gone right in!

Emmett was rolling on the floor laughing . . . literally, and jasper wasn't far behind him as i stood there, waiting for an answer.

"I'm fine mom. Go Away!" my daughter all but yelled.

Then I heard her cry out his name, and it was not the sound of her being in pain. I returned to my seat next to Alice, I'm sure looking redder than I had since I had opened the door at my house and seen them on the floor on the bed they had just broken.

"Why didn't you stop me, Alice?" I scolded.

"I told you, Renee, but apparently you need to discover things for yourself before you'll let it go," she smirked.

She was right . . . and I had a feeling there would be lots of discovering on this trip! I settled back into my seat as we descended for our last refueling stop and admired the scenery. Amsterdam I think they said. It was all quite dreamlike . . . I never ever thought I would get to travel much, other than the road trips I took with Phil. This trip, the way the Cullen's apparently traveled, was more than I had ever imagined.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"I really did just want you to be comfortable," he tried to convince me again as his fingertip stroked down the side of my breast and the corner of his lips turned up giving me that crooked smile.

"Can it, Cullen. You wanted to join the mile high club and you know it!" I smiled.

I was lying with my head on the shoulder of the man I loved, my husband, as we crossed the Atlantic, headed to Europe. I hadn't even bothered to ask where. It didn't matter. The plane had two bedrooms, one for my mother and the other for us. Though my husband did not require sleep, he had certainly not left the bedroom yet, well, except to bring Masen in to feed, then take him back out to Rosalie. Rose had taken charge of Masen, other than Edward and I, and I could see that she was not too thrilled that Renee had come along as it would cut down on her _Masen_ time. She was dealing with it, but I would need to get my mom to go shopping or sightseeing with me for awhile each day just to let Rosalie have some uninterrupted time with the baby.

The change in Rose was amazing. Gone was the bitchy, _have to look perfect and everything for me,_ sister that had once detested me. I suppose her argument for me staying human didn't exist anymore. She thought I was giving up too much, giving up the possibility of having children and a family to grow old with. Turns out, the only thing I would be giving up was the growing old part, and I could live with that.

"Are you tiring of me, Mrs. Cullen?" the naked vampire in bed with me asked.

I could only stare at him, my hands holding his face inches from mine as I looked at him incredulously.

"God, no," I answered.

"Well, normally when I do this," he said as he fondled my breast, "or this," he said as he sucked the nipple into his mouth, "or this," he said as his fingers drifted between my legs, "you focus on me, but your mind seems elsewhere."

I moaned. Loud. There was no doubt that he had my attention now as I grasped him and he moved to rest his hips between my legs. I was driving him absolutely wild.

"Do we need to do this in each time zone during the flight, Mr. Cullen? I think there are five of them and you're already done with four," I laughed, stroking his beautiful face.

His movements were somewhat erratic, his breaths coming ragged and hard . . . kind of unusual even for Edward.

"If we're only going to make love once more before we land, I need to be inside you . . . now," he said hoarsely.

I stilled my hips rocking against him and brought both hands to cup his face, pushing it a little distance above me so that I could stare into his coal black eyes. Something was off, and he needed something from me.

"Edward, you know I love you more than anything, right?"

"I know you do, love, as I love you . . . ," he immediately answered.

"And you know that I will never leave you and you will never leave me, right?"

"Never. I will NEVER leave you again, Bella," he insisted emphatically.

His movements against me stopped, his attention fully focused on whatever it was I was about to say to him.

"Well, I want something from you, sweetheart," I told him so softly it was barely a whisper.

"Anything. I will do anything for you, love, buy you anything . . . take you anywhere you want to go . . ."

"Edward," I said as softly as I was capable of, kissing the very edge of his lips while I still held his face in my hands.

I trailed kisses across the angle of his jaw and to his ear, taking much longer to answer than necessary. He was beside himself, I could feel his tension and need growing. Still, I continued my slow, soft kisses to his neck. Ever so softly, I put my lips to his ear and whispered to him.

"Edward, I want you to pick me up and hold me, sweetheart."

Done. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with me straddling him, sitting in his lap, his arms around me holding me to him. My lips never moved from his ear.

"Now, I want you to stand up, baby."

We were standing before my lips closed, one of his hands under my bottom holding me up and the other around my back. It was effortless for him, and I knew that. Though I really had no concept of just how strong he was, I knew this was not difficult in the least for him.

"Is this what you wanted love?" he asked as I felt his cool breath on my neck.

"Yes, baby. Now," I whispered as softly as humanly possible, "I want you to stand here . . . and fuck me . . . hard."

It took a moment for my words to register with him, his arm behind me loosened so that he could lean me away from him long enough to stare into my eyes. He needed to see my face to know that I meant what I had just said, that he hadn't imagined it.

"I don't want you to touch anything but me, sweetheart, no holes in the walls of the plane or furniture torn up . . . but I need you to fuck me. I need all of you, Edward, everything just short of hurting me."

He came unglued. His face became angular, his eyes a deeper black than before and his purring turned to a growl, complete with something of a snarl on his face as his lips pulled back, exposing his teeth. There would be fingertip bruises where his his hands held my hips, but it wasn't as though he was hurting me. I encircled his length, scissoring him between two fingers and using my hand as padding between us to absorb some of the impact from my husband so that it wasn't bone on bone. He was beyond noticing, moving me up and down so fast it felt as though I was vibrating. I felt my muscles start to tense . . . and so did he, as he doubled his efforts. His mouth consumed mine, his tongue exploring every crevice in mine as he kissed me fiercely. It was my turn to come unglued. Had he been human, there would have been deep trenches in his back from my nails, and his lips would need stitches I was biting his lower lip so hard. He muffled my screams as best he could, but I was sure he was occupied trying to contain his own as well.

We actually fell back onto the bed, my body wrapped around his and both of us breathing hard, trying to regain control.

"Is that what you wanted, love, you wanted your husband to fuck you?"

"Ummmn, yes, I did want that . . . and you do it so well, sweetheart," I said as we held each other close and nuzzled our faces together.

It took a few minutes for my heart to slow and stop pounding out of my chest, and my breathing to return to some semblance of normal so that I could even think about talking.

"So, where is it that we're going? What country are we landing in, sweetheart?"

"Well, we have to make one more stop to refuel, then I thought we would start off in Paris, since your Mom is with us. We have a flat downtown there, and Alice is dying to shop," he told me.

"A flat?" I asked.

"Yes, a one level apartment. It's the whole floor, actually, with enough bedrooms for us all. I thought since we had all fed before we left home, we could stay in the city for a few days before exploring more of the countryside. The flat is mostly for Alice's benefit, she loves to shop in Paris."

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" I smiled.

"I tried, love. I even made a file on your laptop of all properties owned . . . joint assets," he laughed.

I slapped him lightly on the chest at his teasing me.

"I just wanted to know what our options were and you know it! The only _assets _I'm interested in right now are lying beside me," I told him as I stroked him from base to tip and lightly scratched through the curls between his legs..

He loved it when I scratched him anywhere, but especially there and on the inside of his thighs.

"Have we not accounted for all the time zones, love?" he asked playfully, his hand ghosting down my side and across my bottom.

"We have. Hasn't all that effort made you the least bit thirsty?"

He stared at me with the strangest look, shock really.

"EDWARD! I meant for milk, geez, I didn't mean _thirsty_ thirsty for heavens sake . . . not like _vampire_ thirsty!

He was laughing so hard at me trying to backtrack from that statement that it was a good thing his breaths were unnecessary, he would have been finding it hard to breath for laughing so hard. He was literally doubled over with his arms curled over his chest and his knees drawn up!

"I love you, Bella! I know what you meant, sweetheart, I just couldn't help teasing you," he said as his laughter died down and he crawled on all fours across the bed and over the top of me, trailing kisses from my stomach to my lips.

He settled himself in his favorite spot between my legs, his body covering mine. He caressed my breast with his hands while sucking on my neck and that little spot he loved just under my ear before he latched onto me to nurse. My body immediately went rigid with pleasure, startling him somewhat as he pulled away from me and looked up to make sure I was alright.

"Oh My God, Edward! That feels so amazing, so good I can't even stand it baby. Please don't stop . . . don't stop!" I told him, I'm sure my expression looked like something wild as I writhed beneath him.

He smiled in spite of the vampire features that were so distinctive on his face right now, a semblance of the crooked smile I loved emerged as his lips latched onto my nipple again and the tickling feeling that started to go through them as milk was released into his mouth. His hips were more involved this time, thrusting into me with each stream released as he nursed from me. He didn't hold me in a vice grip like he had before, he grasped the bed on either side of me and allowed my arms to be free to hold him and stroke down his back and run my fingers through his hair. I met his thrusts, driving him into even more of a frenzy so that, like always, when one side was drained and started to get uncomfortable and I broke his suction with my finger he growled at me. He growled so loud this time that I was sure everyone heard. As he moved to drain the other side, there was a knock at the cabin door.

"Bella, Bella dear, are you alright?" I heard the worried voice of my mom call out.

Edward paid no attention except to hold onto me instead of the bed. It was obvious that disturbing a _vampire feeding_ was not going to be possible, I mused.

"I'm fine mom. Go Away!" I all but yelled, finding it hard to muster anything but moans.

She must have gotten the message because I didn't hear anything else from her, and my full focus shifted back to my husband and the impending orgasm I was having . . . again.

~oooOooo~

**Author's Note:** Now, about this chapter -

Yes . . . there is lots of sex, but there is a reason for that - Edward's needs are growing as it is his first year of being a mated vampire!

Yes . . . Renee is ACTUALLY on vacation with them, as horrific as it seems . . . we will make the best of it!

Yes . . . the little Pixie got her way and she has some things in store for Bella in Paris! _ Brazillian?_

Yes . . . Tanya and Aro will be a part of this story . . . eventually!

**Thanks for sticking with me and let me hear how you feel about this chapter!**


	101. Chapter 101  Landed

**Disclaimer: **All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.**  
**

**Chapter 101 Landed**

_She was right . . . and I had a feeling there would be lots of discovering on this trip!_

**Rosalie POV**

"Now baby, just simmer down," Emmett whispered to me, way too fast for the humans to hear.

I just didn't want to share. Period. It wasn't that I didn't like Renee, she was alright as humans go . . . better than most because she was accepting of Bella and my brother's relationship and encouraged them. I just didn't want to share Masen right now! Had just gotten him, for heaven's sake. Bella and Edward stuck to him like glue, the only exception was when they were fooling around . . . which, right now, was a lot. Hours on end in fact, and I loved it. Oh they let us hold him when they were up and in the room, I got to feed him his bottle even, but I loved the alone time with the baby.

Alice and Esme held him some of the time and Carlisle as well as the guys from time to time, but mostly it seemed to be just me and Esme for most nights. Edward used the excuse that Bella needed to sleep. Edward needed to fuck was more like it. I couldn't say I blamed him. He had waited over 90 years as a vampire to find just the right woman for him . . . we just didn't expect her to be _human._

Of course, I didn't expect Renee to be going abroad with us. I was expecting to get lots of alone time with the little guy and had offered babysitting services whenever they wanted. I had been to Europe countless times and while I did enjoy it, I liked being with the baby more.

"She's only here for a week or two, Rosie," my husband reminded me.

"I know, I just do not want to share," I stated petulantly, staring him in the eye as he put his arms around me and the baby I was holding.

"Tell you what, I'll make it up to you."

"Yea?"

"Yea. I'll take you dancing and to clubs every night that Renee wants to watch the baby and I won't even complain once," he told me, kissing my cheek.

"Emmett, you mean that?"

"Damn right. I'll dance your socks off and you won't even miss Masen while we're out we'll be having so much fun!"

"You big oaf, I do love you you know," I told him as I leaned into him.

Of course, Masen was in my arms between us and he pushed Emmett away, resting his head back on my shoulder. It was the single most fulfilling thing that had happened to me since I became a vampire, other than Emmett of course. I loved this little baby and if Alice's predictions were right - and they almost always were - I dared to hope that we were going to have a couple more little ones running around.

Bella was fast becoming one of my favorite people and I no longer considered that she was making a mistake wanting to become what we were. It seemed only natural that she would become immortal so that she would always be with Edward and their children, though we didn't yet know if the children were immortal or not . . .

True to his word, after we were settled in the apartment and it was obvious that Masen would be spending at least the afternoon and evening with Bella and Edward . . . and Renee, Emmett insisted that he and I have a night out on the town. There was this favorite dance club I knew and I was anxious to go there again, hoping it still existed.

"What fun!" Alice trilled as she came into our bedroom with curling irons and makeup, threatening to get us both ready for a night out. I could live with that. She must have known this would happen because when we opened our suitcases, there were dress clothes for Emmett and the most beautiful short red dress, formfitting and cut low so that cleavage showed.

"Alice! When did you do this?" I asked, eying the shiny silver dress that she was shimming into.

"I ordered it a month or so ago when Europe became a firm vision. I thought we might get to go clubbing a few nights, especially since Edward and Bella would be _preoccupied _for most of the next few weeks (or years)."

"I seem to remember our brother harassing Emmett and me about breaking furniture and being so noisy, never coming up for air. I guess now that he understands what it's like in the beginning . . . even if she is human."

"What's that about being human?" Bella snickered as she walked into my room, "And what's all this?" She said as she gestured to our dresses and the killer Louis Vuitton shoes that Alice had picked out for us to wear.

Five inch heels. Love it.

"We thought we would go clubbing since you and Edward were going to take Renee to dinner and for a walk through the streets to see some of the sights and lights this evening," Alice told Bella.

"But I was just coming to tell you . . . I should have known you would have already seen, Alice. You guys have a good time!" Bella told us as Emmett emerged from the bathroom looking hotter than I had seen my man look in a while.

"Babe!" he drooled as his hands grabbed my waist and pulled me to him. "I don't think I want to go out anymore after seeing you in this dress," he exclaimed.

"On no you don't. You promised, if I had to share Masen time with Renee, you would occupy me. I can't wait to see all the women drooling over you tonight," I told him as I reached up and kissed his lips, his hand going to the back of my head to pull me closer to him.

"Wow!" Jasper exclaimed as he walked into my room as well, probably wondering what the gathering was about.

"I wondered why there was so much lust coming from this room, but now that I see you, darlin', I understand completely," he said taking Alice's hand and holding it above her head for her to twirl around, obviously ogling her. "Those shoes will not be coming off tonight, however," he said hoarsely, kissing the top of her head as he hugged her to him. "I think Paris will thank both of you for bringing sexy back," he said as he held her to him.

"Bella!" Alice chided, why are you not dressed yet?"

"I am dressed, Alice. I'm not standing here naked and I'm not going clubbing, just dinner and sightseeing," Bella said defensively.

"That may be, but this is Paris and there are outfits for you and Edward waiting in your dressing area. Go on, you don't want to miss your dinner reservations!" Alice insisted.

I knew my sister, so her having arranged everything was no surprise. If she had thought to order and pack me a dress and shoes for the occasion, she surely would have planned Bella and Edward's evening as well.

"Dinner reservations?" Bella asked, "You saw us coming here . . . and my mom coming?"

"BELLA! Yes, I saw this as a possibility and I prepared for it . . . you don't think I would leave something like that to the two of you, do you? Best restaurant in town for food, not so much for romance so Renee and Masen won't seem out of place," she whispered,

I took Emmet's arm and Alice grabbed her clutch as we walked into the living room to leave. Alice had one of her silent discussions with Edward as we headed to the door and Renee walked into the room. Edward had appropriately put her in the room farthest away from the rest of the rooms - I guess it was designed to be the master or something, Carlisle and Esme usually used it, and we all understood Edward's reasoning. We needed a little space when we could get it.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Baby, could you go and get Masen for me, please?" I asked as i snuggled into his side and nuzzled his neck.

"Ummmn, I'm not sure I can move, love. My very human wife seems to have had her way with me so many times that even a vampire is tired," he said as his hand stroked down my side.

I knew this game and I wanted to shock him somewhat.

"Stow it, Cullen. My favorite vampire just had his way with me half a dozen times and YOU need to go get the baby . . . you're not fooling me. Vampires don't get tired . . . and we're not going to lay here till you convince me to fuck you again."

"Bella! Language! You know talking like that just makes me hard, right?" he said rubbing himself against me.

I had to laugh, he was just so damned cute when he was this needy.

"Sweetheart, you're 17 . . . a breeze blowing by makes you hard. Now move, I know my son is hungry!"

"Bella, I'm the mind reader, remember?" he whined.

"Well?

"Okay, okay, I'll get him. You're right, he is hungry and he wants his mom," he said as he rolled away from me to sit on the edge of the bed and grab his boxers.

I saw the sparkle in his eyes and knew something was coming.

"It seems he's had enough bottles and wants his home brew on tap!"

I flung a pillow at him as he stood to go get Masen and I grabbed my tee shirt. Ridiculous vampire, honestly. Does he think we can just make love ALL the time and do nothing else? I smiled to myself at the thought . . . of course he does, deep down that's all he wants to do. Apparently that was instinctual for a newly mated vampire, and Edward was no exception.

I had made several bottles to bring on the plane, refrigeration not being an issue, but I really wanted to nurse him myself. I missed the connection with my son and though I knew he was being well cared for and spoiled even, I kind of hoped he missed being with me as well.

Edward walked back into our room with Masen sitting up on his arm like he was six months old or something . . . maybe even older. He was reaching for me with his little hand, fingers outstretched.

"Ma . . . ma . . . ma"

"Edward . . . ," I breathed the word so softly, not even sure I said it out loud.

"Ma . . . ma . . . ma," Masen repeated, staring straight at me. He was three weeks old.

"Apparently Rose worked with him most of the night, when he wasn't sleeping, love, He's quite proud of himself," my husband told me as I sprang from the bed and stood to put my arms around them both.

"Rose says he has da da down as well, though I haven't heard it yet," he continued, Masen turning his head to stare at his father.

"Da . . . da," he said in the sweetest little voice imaginable.

"That's right, son, I'm daddy," Edward told him as he rubbed his back and looked at him with a look that could only be described as absolute love and adoration.

We were immediately surrounded by family, Alice smiling widely while Rose was almost glowing with pride at having helped our son with his first words.

"Dude, you are just too cool," Emmett exclaimed as he held Masen's hand and showed him a high five.

"Nice," Jasper commented, "I bet he'll be high fiving us all soon enough."

"He will," Alice said, her arms crossed as she stood and a look of amusement on her face. She had obviously seen something and wasn't about to share it with us, though I caught the smile that crossed Edward's face as he snickered at her. I would have to remember to ask him about it later . . .

"So, what's all the fuss? Is something wrong?" Renee asked, timidly holding onto the door jam as she leaned into our bedroom.

"Everythings cool," Emmett answered, turning his head toward her, "Little dude just said mama and dada, that's all."

My mom looked pale.

Rosalie slapped Emmett on the shoulder, "Emmett!"

"What?" he said surprised, "I thought we were supposed to treat Renee like family?"

"You are you big lug, but things like that let Edward or Bella tell her!"

Alice grabbed my mom's hand and led her to sit on my bed and ushered the rest of my new siblings out of our room. Edward handed me the baby and I sat beside my mom, deciding that the best way to handle the situation was just to go about my normal routine. I reached for a breast shield and pulled up my tee shirt which, thankfully had been one of Edwards and long enough to cover my but when everyone had come in. Luckily I had also slipped on a pair of panties.

Masen took the nipple greedily and was busy playing with pulling my shirt down to hide his face, then unhide it and stare at me while he nursed. It was just the cutest thing. I told him how much I loved him and how proud I was of him and how happy he had made me and his father by calling us mama and dada.

Edward returned from the ensuite with a cool washcloth and laied it on the back of my mom's neck. She was almost ghostly white now and she was barely breathing.

"Are you okay, mom?" I asked, Edward nodding behind her to let me know that she was.

"I . . . I . . . ," my mom stuttered, "I just never expected him to be talking, well I mean saying anything. Then of course I never expected him to be sitting up either and I just . . ."

"Mom. We told you he would be different, more advanced . . . remember?"

"Well yes, of course I remember you saying he would be more advanced I guess I just never realized what that would mean, that's all," she said quietly.

"I think, Renee, that it means he will be calling you grandma much sooner than you thought," Edward chuckled.

"Yes, well . . . I imagine he will. Bella, I . . ."

Edward cut her off, obviously having read something in her mind.

"Renee, accept what you see, remember? No explanations, no questions . . . you agreed. If you can manage it, I think getting to know this little guy will be amazing," Edward reminded her, "and you don't want to miss out on any other children we may have. Just accept what you see at face value and enjoy this time with us."

She nodded and left, the captain having come over the intercom to tell us that we would be landing in Paris in about half an hour. I was so excited.

Paris . . . with Edward.

We landed and were met by a limo, of course, typical Cullen style, and a car seat already strapped into it. Mom looked stunned and I just shrugged my shoulders at her, laughing. We drove through the streets of Paris and Edward had the driver take us by the river and the Eiffel Tower before going to the "flat" they called it. Well, the Eiffel Tower first, it seemed that the "flat" was on the Seine River.

I was so excited, Alice was bubbling up and down just from the excitement that was rubbing off from me! Edward carried Masen in as the doorman held the door and gestured to an elevator off to the side. Penthouse, of course.

"Alice, this is yours?" I asked.

"Well, technically, I suppose, though we all use it. I'm the logical choice to buy a flat in Paris, after all. You're going to LOVE it. Even Edward's room has an amazing view, though not as good as the living room . . . ," she chattered on.

My mom followed, seemingly stunned.

The doorman had our bags brought up and Alice was busily directing him which bags to which room.

"Edward, will you show Renee to the master while I finish here?" Alice asked.

"Sure," he gestured towards a hallway at the other side of the room and grabbed her bag.

My mom just stood kind of dumbfounded and Edward had to call to her to get her attention.

"Renee," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder to nudge her along.

"Wait here, love. I want to show you our room myself," he said with his crooked smile.

He was back in a flash, Renee staying to unpack. Edward had handed me Masen before he grabbed my mom's suitcase and I carried him down the hallway at the other end of the room that Edward pointed to. Third door on the left, sweetheart, he said.

I was shocked. I wasn't even really expecting a bed as Edward said this was his room and he had never had a need for one before. There in the middle of the room was a bed that matched the one in our bedroom at home. Instead of the beige curtains that hung like gauze from the canopy at home, the curtains here had a slight pink tone to them, as did the comforter. Though the room was basically done in beige, the bed fit beautifully and the matching gauze curtains framed the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that led to the balcony.

What was the most surprising, though . . . even more than the light pink color of the curtains and bed linens, was that one of the two walk in closets, one with a window, had been converted to a different use. There was a dresser with a lamp and a crib there, the room done in shades of blue that perfectly complimented the obviously original cream colored room. The crib was an exact copy of the bassinet at home, just a little larger and deeper and no shelf underneath.

"Edward, you thought of everything," I exclaimed, hugging him and Masen to me.

"Do you like the room your daddy fixed for you, sweetheart?" I cooed to Masen as I sat him in the crib and he grabbed the bars and stood to look at us.

"Bella, I had the room done, the colors that is. Edward insisted the crib match the bassinet and he ordered another duplicate of the bed in your room at home," she snickered. "Actually, the crib and bed are duplicated in almost every house we own now."

I laughed and hugged my husband, going up on my tip toes to reach his soft lips with a kiss.

"You had beds put in all the houses?" I asked.

"Of course. I had no idea exactly which places we would visit, but we will get to them all in time . . . and I knew you loved our bed so I had one made and delivered to each place. We do, after all, need a bed . . . ," he said seductively, kissing me again. "Alice insisted on the pink, though, for here."

I turned to Alice and her eyes were sparkling. I wondered if she had some specific reason, or if she just thought the color went nicely in here for a change. Hum. Alice always had her reasons . . .

"I"m just going to go check on mom, sweetheart. Can you entertain Masen for a little while?" I asked.

"I'd love to, We'll be in here waiting for you, though. Don't be gone too long, mom," Edward teased, giving Masen a sideways glance.

I walked to the other end of the flat, realizing that Edward had been smart to put her off on her own, well, as on her own as she could be, Esme and Carlisles's room was usually away from the '_kids_' rooms and that was a good thing in this instance. I found her just sitting on the bed somewhat dazed.

The room she was sitting in was just gorgeous, like all the places that I had seen that the Cullens owned. Since Carlisle and Esme usually used this room, it was done in her preferred shades of cream, ivory and beige. I walked over to the bed and sat down beside my mom, putting an arm around her and gently rubbing her back.

"It's a lot to take in, mom. I know," I said as her head turned and she looked at me, "Just enjoy this time with Edward and Masen and I, okay? We don't have to do anything special today, we'll just take a walk by the river and get some dinner, alright?"

I spent quite awhile just talking to her, not about anything in particular. We discussed the cream decor of the room, how pretty the hardwood floors were and how wonderful it would be to lie there in bed at night with the view of the city out the window. She agreed with me, of course, and we both took turns hanging up the dresses from in her suitcase. She looked confused by some of the things we found in the suitcse and I had only one explanation.

"Alice!" I laughed.

Mom sighed, realizing that, like I told her, the Cullens took some getting used to!

I left her to take a nap, having spent over an hour with her, and could not help but look into Rosalie's room as I headed toward mine, having heard a part of their conversation.

"What's that about being human? And what's all this?" I asked as I took in their appearance . . . and their shoes!

"We thought we would go clubbing since you and Edward were going to take Renee to dinner and for a walk through the streets to see some of the sights when they are lit up in the evening," Alice told me.

"But I was just coming to tell you . . . I shook my head. I should have known you would have already seen, Alice. You guys have a good time!" I told them as Emmett emerged from the bathroom.

Jasper and Emmett seemed impressed with the clothing and shoes as well and commented in typical form, Jasper accusing them of '_bringing sexy back_'! Alice's answering smile was blinding as she hugged him to her.

"Bella!" Alice chided, why are you not dressed yet?"

"I am dressed, Alice. I'm not standing here naked, and I'm not going clubbing, just dinner and sightseeing," I told her.

"That may be, but this is Paris, and there are outfits for you and Edward waiting in your dressing area. Go on, you don't want to miss your dinner reservations!" Alice insisted.

"Dinner reservations?" I asked, "You saw us coming here . . . and my mom coming?"

"BELLA! Yes, I saw this as a possibility and I prepared for it . . . you don't think I would leave something like that to the two of you, do you? Best restaurant in town for food, not so much for romance so Renee and Masen won't seem out of place," she whispered as she took Jasper's arm and headed toward the living room.

I headed back towards Edward's room - well, _our _room. He was sitting on the floor with Masen, rolling a ball back and forth between them and they were both laughing.

"If it's alright with you, sweetheart, I think Mom would do better with an evening with just us. Something quiet, maybe a walk by the river and dinner?" I told him, "And it seems that Alice has already laid out clothes for us and made dinner reservations."

"Sounds like a plan, love. Your mom is somewhat overwhelmed right now and some alone time with just us would probably be good. He looked up at me, trying to comfort me, "She is trying," he said quietly.

"I guess so, but do you think it's all just too much to expect from her? Maybe we should just consider that it would be easier to break all ties with her, Edward," I said thoughtfully.

"Let's see how the evening goes, okay? Maybe you'll feel differently in the morning, and I can't wait to show you the lights of Paris at night!" my husband said excitedly, a gleam in his eyes, "I would suggest some alone time with her though, maybe I'll leave you two on the balcony tonight and say I'm putting Masen to bed, would that seem human enough?"

I had to laugh, "Yes, babe. Very _human._"

~oooOooo~

The restaurant Alice had chosen was just a few blocks away. Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett had taken the limo to the club and we decided to just walk there rather than bother with a cab. Walking was good, walking was natural and I was hoping my mom would come out of the mild trance she seemed to be in. She was obviously overwhelmed and trying to process everything. Edward kept rubbing my back and whispering to me that she was fine, she was just trying to adjust and let go of her fears and concerns. He wanted me to just treat her as though there was nothing wrong and give her some time.

Time. I could do that.

The restaurant was small and charming and on the river, having a wonderful view. We sat at a quiet table outside as the sun started to set and we were handed menus. In French. Huh. Edward looked at us and asked if we minded if he ordered for us, which relieved me tremendously. What I didn't expect, however, was that when the waiter walked over and greeted us, Edward ordered our meal in fluent French . . . at least it sounded fluent to me. As soon as mu chin reattached itself to my face, I started with the questions.

"Sweetheart, I had no idea you spoke French. Do you speak any other languages?" I asked. I knew better than to be surprised, but he never ceased to amaze me.

"A few, love," he looked somewhat sheepish and I saw his eyes dart to Renee. "I never had friends in school, remember. Lots of time to study," he said by way of explanation.

"So, Edward, what other languages _do_ you speak?" Renee asked. It was one of the first things she had said, other than commenting on the beauty of the river and how much she liked the blouse and heels I was wearing with my jeans.

"Italian, German, Spanish . . . ," he started telling us. I should not have been surprised, I guess it had just never come up. It was just like Edward to have spent all his nights studying languages, well, when he wasn't playing piano and composing.

"Um, I want to hear some of this later, baby," I told him as my hand ran up the inside of his thigh under the table. From the expression on his face, he would have been blushing if he could. After all the things we do together, him being shy was still just so cute.

Dinner was amazing. Mom and I had some sort of lamb with vegetables and a sauce that the restaurant as apparently famous for. It was completely delicious and I found it difficult not to moan with each mouthful. Edward seemed to be enjoying listening to me moan over food, in addition to my reaction whenever the waiter spoke to us and Edward answered him. I didn't think there was anything sexier than Edward's velvety voice . . . till I heard him speak French.

Masen sat in Edward's arms throughout dinner, looking around the restaurant and greedily eating any bits of Edward's dinner that his dad would share with him. I noticed that Edward had ordered himself some sort of chicken dish and I suspected that it was so he could give bits of it to the baby.

Mom seemed to loosen up a bit, probably the normalcy of sitting and eating together. After we finished dessert, we walked along the Seine, stopping to admire the boats and some of the street performers. Paris was just beautiful and the way everything was embellished with flowers and the buildings ornately carved, I could see how this was supposed to be the city of romance.

"I'll just put Masen to bed, love. I have a bottle for him," Edward told me as we closed the door to the flat. Mom was slipping out of her heels and sat on the sofa looking out the window at the tower which was lit against the night sky.

"Mom, what are you thinking?" I asked as I sat with my arm on the back of the couch behind her.

"Sweetie, I was just thinking what an amazing life you're going to have."

**Author's note:** I thought about ending this story since it's geting so very long . . . but I really like writing it and I just have so many more ideas rolling around in my head. I just don't want to bore anyone or to drag things out. Detail is just important to me and some things take many words to write. If Edward's need for sex is too much for you (too much sex, though I have no idea what that would really be) you might want to skip or skim for a few chapters - or maybe even just stop reading here.

Edward nursing from his wife while she produces milk is not gross, as I have personal experience with this. Trust me. Of course, some folks think that missionary position is enough, and more power to them!

I'm excited about the visit to Europe and all the possibilities, and I hope you'll join me!


	102. Chapter 102  Paris

**Disclaimer: **All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.**  
**

**Chapter 102 Paris**

_"Sweetie, I was just thinking what an amazing life you are going to have."_

**BPOV**

We spent the next week in Paris. I had no idea how long Edward had planned for us to stay, but he seemed to have no timetable. He had chosen Paris first for three reasons. First, he and his family had all fed before we left. It seemed that hunting near Paris was not a convenient thing and he didn't want to have to leave me for entire evenings to get far enough out into the countryside to find game to hunt. Being well fed before we got there, he might only need to leave once in a weeks time. Secondly, Renee was with us and she apparently had always wanted to see Paris. Since we didn't know how long her being with us would last, he wanted to bring her here first. Thirdly, and apparently the most pressing reason . . . Alice. From what I could gather, if she had not gotten to shop and take me to every store on the _Champ Elysees (apparently THE place to shop)_, he would never have heard the end of it.

We slept in . . . yes, we. Edward had resumed actually sleeping with me part of the time rather than being on alert or continuing to make love after I had fallen asleep, though he did that as well. He seemed most content when we were connected physically and to tell the truth . . . so did I. I never worried that his being asleep would make us not hear our son if he needed us. We both woke to anything Masen, regardless. There were so many vampires listening out for him, ones that never slept, that we had no reason to worry.

Edward would make me breakfast in bed or mom had coffee and breakfast waiting in the kitchen. She learned quickly that only she and I would be eating. It didn't sit well, but she didn't ask. She stopped asking about the noises coming from our room as well. Alice said she would just roll her eyes and shake her head when she accidentally heard us . . . which was most evenings as she played with Masen.

We spent our mornings walking the streets to see the sights, visiting the Louver three times so far since it was within walking distance of our flat, not to men all the other great museums we visited.

That is . . . when Alice could be torn away from dragging us shopping_._ Paris, for Alice, was all about fashion and I just wasn't sure her flat was going to be large enough to hold all the bags after all the purchases were delivered. Edward always said that none of them ever came close to even spending the interest off their investments, but Alice seemed to try.

Lunch would be out somewhere, a small cafe on the sidewalk or a particular restaurant that Alice recommended. My siblings even joined us once for dinner, pushing their food around on their plates as they were accustomed to doing and laughing and watching as Masen learned to reach for food and feed it to himself as he sat in one of their laps. He really was amazing, and so well behaved.

I wasn't sure if he was just such a good baby or if the fact that Edward could read his mind and meet his needs just always kept him happy. Regardless, his intelligence was astounding . . . and he remembered everything, having apparently gotten perfect recall from his father. He was the most wonderful little guy, gentle and loving with me though I knew he was already far stronger than I was. His eyes sparkled with wonder at each new thing he saw or learned . Edward was an amazing father, always patient and never seeming to tire of explaining things and laughing with our son.

When we visited the Eiffel Tower, Edward even threatened to have us take the elevator to the top and see if he could scale the tower faster than the elevator could get there.

He won.

It reminded me of the bets with his brothers while we were at the theme parks in Florida before Christmas, bringing back the flags off the tops of the castles. Mom thought the boys were just being routy and took the other elevator . . . she really was kind of easy to fool with things like that. Alice and Rosalie just smiled.

Rose actually smiled a lot these days, mostly when she was around Masen. Her face lit up when she stayed up with him at night. When mom wanted to keep him her face lit up in an entirely different way, Emmett being the cause. He had insisted on dancing the night away with her at all the hot spots in town. Edward and I accompanied them to one while Alice, Jasper and my mom watched Masen one evening. My sister could really paint the town and after the third club in one evening, I was done - begging Edward to take me home and put me to bed.

Edward had no problem complying with my request to go to bed.

We had maintained our routine, never going to bed or getting up without making love at least once, and someone had obliged and watched Masen each evening or early night - playing with him and giving him his bottle while his father had his. Edward didn't seem to mind changing diapers nearly as much when Masen's diet consisted strictly of breast milk, and he regularly changed him without me even noticing that the baby needed it. Edward's enhanced since of smell really came in handy . . . just not for him when it was a particularly bad smell, which I think was why he had stopped worrying about blood for Masen. Masen seemed perfectly content with wi was peilk and seemed to enjoy what I was giving him.

Mom seemed to be enjoying the sights and scenery, but most of all she seemed to be enjoying the time spent with her grandson. She held him regularly, giving him at least one bottle a day and more if I would let her. I rarely did though because I just saw no reason to spend the time pumping milk into a bottle when I could have my son with me and drinking directly from me. I seemed to have a supply of enough for Masen, as well as his father.

Edward. God I loved him so. He was just the sweetest man to ever walk the planet. He knew I loved books, and even though he tried to hide the price from me, I saw how many thousands of dollars he spent on the first editions he purchased for me, insisting on completing set after set for me!

And the food . . . the food was more amazing than I ever thought possible. I was so excited to have this opportunity to taste all the creamy sauces and decedent desserts. Edward had been right to insist I try everything before food no longer mattered to me. Even wine.

We had only been out one night alone, Edward and I. Alice had me buy this crazy expensive dress that sort of hung like a shift with spaghetti straps. Something about the silver fabric clung to me and moved when I did, apparently showing things that drove Edward wild. It wasn't that the dress was cut low, though it was really really short. I just moved with me and made even me think I looked good. The heels Alice picked out helped, though, and Edward never seemed to take his eyes off my legs.

Apparently others were noticing me as well, as Edward shifted into jealous mate mode and refused to step away from me for even a moment. I would have sworn I heard him growl when a young man happened to brush past me as we were dancing. There was no tree for him to strip me and take me against, as he had done in our meadow when he had become jealous of Jacob, but he claimed what was his the moment we got home, the dress narrowly escaping being ripped to shreds. He was after all, forever 17 and a vampire . . .

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

Renee settled down into somewhat of a routine once we were in the flat in Paris. She cooked breakfast for herself and for Bella, unless I beat her to it and took my wife breakfast in bed. She insisted on holding Masen and giving him at least one bottle a day. I saw no use in the bottles, except for when we were in our room and someone was watching Masen for an extended time in the evenings. It was selfish of me . . . needy, I knew that, but I needed time with Bella as well . . . time alone.

Bottles also had their use if my son got hungry while we were out walking and there was no place Bella could take him to nurse him privately. She only endured my reaction once to know that pulling up her blouse and letting Masen latch on in public was never ever going to be okay with me. I simply could not handle it and would have been willing to toss her on my back and hold the baby till I climbed the nearest building and let them perch on the roof with me, away from all prying eyes if her breast was going to be exposed!

"Edward," she had exclaimed when I fastened her blouse and had Masen in my arms before she knew what was happening, "It's perfectly natural and acceptable for me to nurse my baby on a park bench! No one will see anything, sweetheart."

She tried to convince me, as did Renee, but it was just not happening.

"Bella, men walking by will know what you're doing," I tried to tell her.

"So? Let them. Who cares, Edward. I'm just feeding my baby the way God intended us to for heavens sake."

"I know, love, but you don't have to listen to the thoughts it inspires and the visions in the heads of the men that walk by . . . I do. I don't think you want me committing mass murder here by the river, do you?"

Understanding showed in her face and her attitude turned from mad to sympathetic in a heartbeat. She knew me, once I pointed out the obvious. I guess it was just sometimes easy for her to forget the differences between me and other men. She just never thought about the mind reading she was so accustomed to it. I couldn't read her mind so it was not something she maintained awareness of.

She clearly did not see herself as other men did. It took only one evening of dancing with her in a club to know that my self control was lacking. Had we stayed any longer, collateral damage would have ensued as I snapped the necks of twenty or so men that were entertaining unacceptable thoughts about MY wife. To be fair, it was not entirely their faults. She looked like sex on legs in the shimmery dress she wore that barely covered her assets at all. My hands never left her till I had her in our room, the lovely dress decorating the floor and my rock hard dick buried as far as it would go into my wife . . . repeatedly.

One afternoon as we walked tough some gardens admiring several replicas of famous statues, my wife decided to explain the similarities between me and the statues. One statue in particular, _The Thinker._ It was a naked man, his muscles toned and well defined, sitting with his chin resting on his palm and his elbow on his knee, meant to depict _Dante_ in front of the _Gates of_ _Hell_. She started naming off the similarities between me and the statue as her mom drifted on to the next exhibit. When we had first met I was brooding and contemplative most of the time, never really smiling, thoughtful as the statue depicted. Apparently snuggling with me was somewhat like snuggling up to a statue . . . cold and hard. I must have snickered when she told me that because she was quick to point out that I felt like silk covered granite and that it was her favorite, so I guess that was alright. I knew that as soon as she was changed I would feel warm to her and my skin pliable . . . I would feel like what her human idea of a man was supposed to feel like because we would be the same.

We were reading the inscription and information about the statue titled _The Winged Victory of Samothrace _in one of the interior hallways in the _Louvre. _ Apparently his _Winged Goddess of Victory_ stood on the bow of a marble sculpted ship that overlooked the sanctuary on the island of Samothrace (NorthWest of the Aegean Sea). It was thought that the statue was to commemorate a naval victory in the early second century BC. It was an amazingly beautiful piece and we were both anxious to read more information about it. Neither of us noticed our son for the few minutes it took to read the plaque.

Masen, however, apparently did notice the lack of attention from his parents and took the opportunity to climb the rough hewn base of the statue and stand, patting it's base and reaching to touch the statue.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, but paid no attention, perceiving no threat. When we finished reading I heard a gasp from my wife and followed her gaze to see Masen, wide eyed and smiling, several feet up on the base of the statue reaching for the carved figure.

"Masen! My wife exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped.

I had our son in my arms before she took a full breath and before he had been noticed, my movements too fast to have been detected by humans, even if one had been watching.

We both looked at the stroller he had been sitting in and noticed the straps ripped in half, Masen's fingers being too small to grasp the fasteners and open it normally so he had simply ripped the strap in half.

Damn.

"Masen," I spoke calmly to him as he sat in my arms, Bella's arms around him,"the straps were there so you would remember to stay in the stroller. Mommy and I do not want you getting out unless we get you out, understand son?"

He wanted to know if I was mad, I had explained the concept to him time and time again whenever Jasper and Emmett would play video games and get agitated with each other. He read my mind and knew that my concern was only for his safety and our need for him to blend in with humans while we were in public. I explained things as simply as possible and kept approaching things in different ways until he got the basic idea. He was, after all, just a month old.

His concern was that his mom had gasped and her heart rate had increased and it scared him. He thought she was upset with him and making her happy was important to him.

"He's afraid you're angry with him, love. He only wanted to touch the statue to see what it felt like," I explained, Masen's little cherub face staring at his mom.

Bella stroked his cheek with the back of her hand and ran her fingers through his hair while she softly kissed his forehead.

"I'm not angry with you sweetheart. Next time you have a seat belt on, you need to stay put unless we get you out or you ask someone, okay baby? We don't want to loose you and you need to act like a human baby while were around people."

_Yes, that's right, anyone with a heartbeat, son_, I answered his silent question.

"I guess this is why Alice pr Alice was so looked skeptical when we bought the stroller yesterday," Bella said.

"Probably, love. I should have thought to explain to him the purpose of the straps. I never really thought about the fact that he was strong enough to rip them apart," I chuckled, marveling at all the things my son was already able to do and ducked my head so that Bella would not see me grinning from ear to ear.

I sat Masen back in his stroller, reminding him not to get up unless his mom or I got him out, and we strolled off to find Renee who, thankfully, was so mesmerized by the art and the surroundings that she had paid no attention that we were lagging behind.

We walked through the Apollo Gallery in awe of the intricate and ornate gold designs adorning the curved ceiling. Though I had sees it before, it was no less impressive than the first time I saw it over 60 years earlier.

I pushed the stroller for awhile, silly as it seemed to me to not just carry him, it seemed to please Bella since she couldn't carry him endlessly without tiring. She seemed to keep stealing glances of me with Masen, whether I was bent down to quietly answer one of his questions or to gesture to him to look at something in particular. His questions were silly, like any three year olds would be, but I loved answering them just the same. I kept the stroller close, always making sure one of us stood beside it when we stopped to admire something. I didn't want a repeat of him climbing a statue so I stayed close and tuned in to all his movements.

"This piece reminds me if you, love," I whispered in her ear as I moved to stand behind her and hug her to me as she admired another exhibit.

"Edward, that"s a likeness of the goddess, Aphrodite! You can"t be serious."

"Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) statue. Yes. And I'm perfectly serious," I told her quietly as I kissed my favorite spot under her ear, my lips never leaving her skin as my arms wrapped around her from behind, "and I've been around for over a century observing to come to that conclusion." She turned in my arms and I bent to kiss her, probably more passionately than was polite in public, but she was my personal Goddess, after all.

Renee's subtle cough did nothing to slow my attentions to my wife, but the tug on my pants leg from my son did as his mind told me that a crowd was gathering. When I broke off the kiss, applause started and rounds of _bravo._ It seemed that a tour group had caught up with us, admiring Aphrodite's likeness and enthusiastically being led to clap and cheer at our obvious display of love in public. It was Paris, and the guide was busily telling the tourist that_ love springs eternal in Paris._

Bella was not able to stop the blush that I was sure extended down her chest from occurring. I leaned close and whispered in her ear,

_"Je t'aime plus que tout . . . vous êtes tout pour moi,"_

which only made her blush more though I was fairly certain she didn't understand what I had said.

We spent time at other museums of course, and Renee seemed to particularly admire the impressionistic paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Renoir at the_ Musee D'Orsay._

We spent the better part of a day at _la cathedrale notre dame,_ Bella's eyes wide as she took in the grandeur of it all.

Bella loved the Eiffel Tower so much that we came back at night to enjoy the view high atop the tower from the restaurant named after _Jules Verne_, the I knew she was anxious to try the food in that particular restaurant, it was a challenge convincing Bella to return to the tower after my brothers and my escapades the day before.

We hadn't caused a problem, really, and certainly no humans (other than Bella) were ever aware of anything going on. My brothers, Emmett in particular, were always making bets and daring each other to do things and holding competitions. Bella had seen a mild form of it when we had the swimming race to Rio from Isle Esme and our pranks retrieving the flags from the tops of the Hogwarts Castle in _Islands of Adventure_ and Cinderella's Castle in _Disney's Magic Kingdom_ in Florida. I don't think any of that prepared her for the idea of me climbing the Eiffel Tower though.

I had done it before several times in the last century, myself and my brothers preferring to spend our time in Paris with races and bets rather than face shopping with Alice. For days. Alice could quite literally shop for an entire week without stopping. Carlisle had even joined us a few times when we had raced up the tower and back. It wasn't difficult, especially when you took away all the consequences of falling. Bella had trouble seeing it that way. I rode the elevator up with her the first time, of course, enjoying her wide eyed wonder at seeing the view for the first time. Renee, Masen, Alice, Rosalie and I all took the elevator up together and Emmett and Jasper made excuses, saying they would meet us at the top. Renee assumed they took another lift, but in reality Jasper creamed Emmett, quickly scaling the inside of the corner girders with no problem and beating the rest of us to the platform, according to him, by a full minute. I had to remind my wife about being unbreakable, even if I did fall before she would let me out of her sight to race down with my brothers. I beat them, of course . . . I always did.

Alice had replaced the stroller, of course, after the incident at the Louvre, but there were more than enough of us to carry Masen, and we never tired of it. A stroller would have been of little use on the railway to _Montmarte _anyway, and once there the numerous staircases would have limited its usefulness.

The most noted landmark of Montmartre, one of the most indelibly Parisian, was the _Basilica of the Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart)_. Bella was almost entranced by its beauty and stood still as a statue for the longest time, just staring at the architecture and detail of the ornate carvings on the exterior and the roof lines. After touring the interior, we walked down the terraced stairway to find

the area where many artists, famous and not yet famous would sit and paint, portraits and sketches included if you asked them. I immediately knew that I wanted a sketch of Bella while we were here and Alice must have seen as she led us to a small booth away from most of the traffic, the artist appearing to be waiting on us.

"Bella," my sister begged, come on! This artist may be famous someday and your likeness would be immortalized! Of course, we knew that Alice had seen, which made Bella even more nervous. She sat for several hours and the gentleman took several photos of her. I sat in the grass and played with my son while we waited, Renee and the others choosing to wander through all the sights around us.

_"Yes, that does look like mommy. It's a painting, son. The man is an artist and he is painting a picture of mommy."_

_"Yes, your mommy is beautiful, Masen." _

_"No, mommy is beautiful without all the time it takes your aunt Alice to do things to her in the bathroom," _I laughed.

_"I know, son, this is taking long. Let's go find a toy to play with, a ball or something, okay?"_

I let Bella know that Masen and I were going to go find a toy. She looked at us like she was so sad not to be walking off with us. She really did hate attention and her sitting there posing for the artist was drawing attention from people as they passed by. We returned shortly and sat in the grass again, rolling a ball back and forth and laughing together. Bella had a hard time not staring at us and laughing, but the artist only smiled at her movements, his mind screaming that he could paint a vision of her no matter how she moved. He was quite taken with her, though he was an older gentleman, in his 40's perhaps. I adjusted myself as I sat watching her. I couldn't help it and I tried not to listen to the thoughts of the men that noticed her as they passed by. I tried to just let it be background noise, but Masen startled me by laughing when he heard me growl.

The artist finally finished with the initial painting and had the photos and his own mental image of her to finish by. From what I read of his mind and the image of my wife that he had engraved there, the finished painting would be nothing less than spectacular. It was a good thing he was through, as Masen was getting hungry and I only had one more bottle for him before Bella would have to feed him and that damn sure wasn't going to be here with everyone around!

We gave him our address in Highlands in case we did not come back to pick up the canvas and I paid him well for it, knowing that Alice would have it in hand before we left. I only wished that my wife's hair had more time to grow longer since she had cut it in her effort to escape Victoria, and I slipped the artist a photo from my wallet of her with her mahogany locks flowing over her shoulders and nodded.

Bella seemed to be really enjoying herself at the different restaurants. We went to a new one for lunch and dinner every day and sometimes stopped in for her to try a different dessert at one of the many small bakeries that lined the streets. Tea time meant coffee and macaroons in one of the countless cafe's on the sidewalk. By the end of the week my wife had gained a few pounds and I was thrilled. She, however, seemed determined to walk enough during the day to offset the extra calories.

"Be careful this evening," Alice warned as she continued to block me, repeatedly conjugating all the verbs she could think of in French.

"Alice, just tell me," I insisted as we waited for Bella to finish feeding the baby and slip on her dress.

"No, brother. Some lessons you need to learn all on your own. I can't always tell you the right move, you know,"

Damn.

On the other hand, how bad could it be? My son was safe, my wife loved me and there were no vampires that I knew of trying to take her from me. I was going to enjoy another evening out with my wife!

~oooOooo~

**Authors Note:** Thanks for all your patience! I spent the weekend in Florida trying to train an old mind for a new skill (I got a new job). I did get a walking tour of the Art Deco on South Beach, Miami though! Delicious abs and muscled males everywhere!

Anyway, a very special THANK YOU goes out to my friend Fanette! I met her here on fanfiction because we started talking when she reviewed the story the first time, months ago and way back in the chapters. She lives in the south of France and her help has been AMAZING and INVALUABLE! I am excited to try and go visit her sometime next year!

All this to say, Fanette convinced me that Paris needed an entire chapter and that France was fascinating - I've never been there, and she has spent hours sending me pictures, links, stories, and anything she could to spark my imagination! THANK YOU!

Hope you loved the chapter - next chapter Bella and Edward on the town, and in the spa . . .


	103. Chapter 103 A Romantic Evening, Part 1

**Disclaimer: **All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Authors Note: ** I promised I'd try to update at least weekly, if not twice a week. This one is short, only the first half of the chapter, really, but I will update it on Friday and add the rest!

Getting my house ready to sell has proven to be somewhat of a nightmare. Sewing room and office yet to paint and put down new carpet in the office. Hard to do with a one year old and a three year old (though the three year old LOVES to paint! lol)

Sorry my life has gotten in the way of my pleasure. I would love to immerse myself in Edward's reality and write non stop. Hopefully, as soon as this blasted house sells, life can go on and reality can stop gettin in the way of my fantasy!

Thank you for sticking with me, you guys light up my day with your reviews, and believe me - my days NEED lighting!

**Chapter 103 A Romantic Evening (part one)**

_My son was safe, my wife loved me,_

_and there were no vampires that I knew of trying to take her from me._

_I was going to enjoy another evening out with my wife . . ._

**EPOV**

Everything was planned. This evening, thanks to Alice, I had reservations for two at what was supposed to be one of the most romantic spots in Paris. She and I had never had a honeymoon, never been alone for any length of time, really, and I had started to think about that a great deal. I was pretty sure it also had to do with my growing need to be with her all the time. With no impending threat to her, no vampires after her, it was time we relaxed and settled into just us.

Us. God I loved that.

For nearly a century it had always been _me. _I had my family, and I loved them dearly . . . but there was never an _us, _not like the rest of my family had anyway. Now there was Bella and Edward . . . _us_. Of course, we had somewhat skipped the _just us _part . . . now that we had a son. I had gotten everything I ever wanted and lots of things I thought I could never have.

I wanted my wife to know just how special she was to me, how much I loved her and wanted her.

I had made a trip to the jewelers a few days ago while Alice had all the ladies out shopping. I wanted to give her something special to remember our time here. I wracked my brain trying to think of something, and Alice refused to help. Neither of us ever took our wedding rings off, and I never removed the signet ring with the swan on it that she had given me for Christmas. We both liked it shown and obvious for all to see that we were taken. The sapphire ring I had given her at Disney she wore on her right hand . . . when she wore jewelry. Though she loved the pieces I had given her, she seemed only to wear them to please me. My wife cared nothing for diamonds and jewels . . . but she loved sentiment. The necklace I had designed for her for her birthday, the E and B initials overlapping, I had sent back to Tiffany's to have restored after it was damaged in the fire so I thought a necklace for her to wear for now might be good . . .

I fingered the jewel in my pocket hoping that when I gave it to her she would accept it and understand that I loved giving her things. I knew I had gone overboard with the marble sized diamond, but it was one of a kind just like my wife. She was just so beautiful, she should have beautiful things.

Emmett and Jasper had left last night for a hunt, knowing the ladies would be at the spa all day today and I had stayed home with my son. Jasper had sensed my uneasiness lately, I hadn't fed in a week or so, and he had taken two large flasks with him to bring me back dinner. It was pretty obvious I was loosing fluids quickly with Bella around me and I had started to sleep more. I just couldn't bring myself to leave them for an entire day. I was brought from my musings by the thoughts of my son. He had been quietly playing with toys with me on the living room floor for the last hour or so and we were both enjoying the alone time. I answered his unspoken.

"Yes, son, mommy has been gone a long time. Aunt Alice stole her from us and took her out for the day with aunt Rosalie and grama Renee."

"No, I have your bottle, but I also have some baked chicken that I brought home for you from dinner last night if you want that as well."

"I thought so. Let's go warm it up and you can practice eating."

I put Masen in the new high chair that Alice had delivered this morning and heated up the left over baked Chicken that Bella and I had brought home last night. I had ordered it and pushed it around on my plate and Alice had uncharacteristically suggested that I get a to go box. You had to love Alice. The dinner coming home with me and the arrival of the high chair meant that she had seen this . . . Masen starting to eat human food, other than solely nursing from his mom. I cut the chicken into small bites as Masen's mind insisted that I just give it to him. He was not terribly patient when it came to his food and I had no idea if that was the human part of him or the vampire . . . or both.

"Alright, son. Settle down and daddy will give it to you," I told him as he slapped his little hands on the tray of the high chair uttering a continual stream of '_dada dada'. _

I had seen small children do just that in restaurants before over the years, but somehow it was funnier when it was my son and I knew his thoughts.

_"I can bite it dad, I have teeth. You keep telling me not to bite mom or grandma Renee or anything with a noise but this doesn't make any noises and I can bit it, right?"_ his mind shouted at me.

"Yes, son, I know you can bite and yes, it's all right to bite this. You're eating, having a meal, and it's all right to bite the food and chews it up good before you swallow it. I don't want you to eat very much of this kind of food yet, I don't know if your tummy will like it and Masen," I changed to a stern voice, "you need to speak and think nicely to me. Please would be nice, and be patient."

He looked at me like I had slapped him and the corners of his mouth turned down as he started to cry. I had him in my arms instantly. His mind had no idea how to react, I had never spoken to him other than softly and sweetly and he was scared.

"Everything is all right, sweetheart. Daddy loves you, I just want you to be a little patient with me and I always want you to be polite," I told him as I hugged him to me and he nuzzled his face into my neck.

"It's my job to teach you, son. I have to tell you how you should act or how will you know? I correct you when you do things wrong, and I let you know when you do wonderful things. You know this, you read my mind all the time, son."

His wailing stopped and I noticed the tears that stained his face as he looked up at me. I kissed his cheek, realizing from the taste that his tears were pure venom.

"No, of course I'm not mad at you, I was just explaining how I expect you to act towards me. I'm new at being a daddy, just like you're new at all of this and we have to work on it together, okay?"

"Dada da," came from his mouth as he patted my cheek with his little hand and his mind told me he was sorry he did anything that I didn't like and he would try to remember to be patient. It was just so hard for him to understand what exactly that was. Apparently anything other than _now _was not a concept that small children understood.

I put him back into the high chair and gave him a dozen or so bites of chicken and some of the green vegetables that Bella assured me were good for humans, along with some rice. He used his pincer grasp quite effectively and showed a tremendous amount of dexterity in handling even the small grains of rice as he lifted them and put each one in his mouth without dropping anything. I explained to him that I only drank blood, like the bottles he had a couple of weeks ago, and he let me know that the chicken, etc, wasn't nearly as tasty as the blood had been and that neither thing was anywhere near as good as his mom's milk.

No argument from me.

He wanted to know things like why my siblings and I felt cool to him but his mom and grandma Renee felt really hot. He wondered why his grandma's eyes leaked sometimes when she rocked him and sang to him. He read her thoughts, but he couldn't understand them. He wanted to know why he got different feelings from me about his mom than he did from everyone else . . . and he wanted to know why we were so different. He couldn't read his mom's mind either, and he didn't like it.

"Well, that's a tall list son. Humans with heartbeats are always hotter than you are, so they feel really warm. Your aunts and uncles and I aren't human, and we are whatever temperature the room around us is . . . probably always seeming a little cool to you. Grama Renee cries when you're alone with her sometimes because she is just so happy to have you to herself and she loves you so much. She's afraid she might loose you. As far as your mom's mind goes, son, I can't read her mind either . . . I have never been able to and it drives me just as crazy as it does you. Just enjoy the quiet when you're with her. You'll be able to talk to her soon and communicate with her, don't worry. You're growing up so fast, little one. Don't worry. Your mom will tell you what she's thinking, and I'll tell her whatever you want me to till you can talk to her yourself, okay?" I said as I sat in a chair in front of him and caught his stare.

"As far as my feelings for your mom being different from anyone else . . . that's because she is my _mate _son. Your mom and I love each other in a way that we love no one else, just like we both love you in a way we will never love anyone else.

Yes, I'm sure she has the same feelings for me and for you that we have for her. Yes. No, it doesn't matter that I can't read her mind, I'm sure of her feelings. Well, I can be sure because of the way she looks at me, the way she holds me, and the fact that she tells me of her love for me, just like she tells you that she loves you. You'll understand better when you're older, son I . . . ,"

I was saved from answering more questions when Jasper and Emmett walked in, each carrying a flask for me as Masen finished his chicken.

"Thanks guys, really. Thank you," I said as I turned the first flask from Jasper up and greedily downed the now cooling liquid.

Masen stared at me and Emmett moved closer to him with the other flask.

"Emmett!" I spoke, getting his attention just as Masen reached for the flask.

Though I knew he did it to me, and he had apparently done it where Victoria had been concerned to protect his mom, but my son's powers still amazed me. He could seemingly put thoughts into my siblings heads at will, and he was busily convincing Emmet that he should hand him the flask of blood. I would have to remember to ask Emmett about it later when Masen wasn't near. Jasper was amazed at the intensity of feeling coming from such a little person as he sought to get to the container of blood. It wasn't blood lust exactly, not as much as it was need.

"You want some little buddy? You want to try deer?" Emmett cooed to my son.

Masen stretched out his arm with his hand fisting towards the flask asking me all the while if he could have some. He didn't really ask, it was more a need being expressed in his mind. We all agreed that he was thriving on his mom's milk, but we had no idea what his diet would eventually become. Emmett took him out of the highchair and held him while I shared my dinner with him, filling a bottle with deer blood . . . something he hadn't had before. His bottles back in Highlands had been the human blood we had kept in case Bella needed it during delivery. Masen drank his bottle greedily as I finished off the other flask my brothers had brought me. I wasn't sure how I felt about both of us needing blood, but he was my son after all, and there were bound to be some similarities. It was just strange somehow to be passing along vampire traits to my half human son. Emmett and Jasper went to the living room, taking Masen with them, and flipped on _Call of Duty_. I had explained to him not to pay attention to the emotions my brothers displayed while playing the game, and he how pretty much ignored them when they fussed and fumed at each other, sometimes laughing at them and how animated they got.

I texted Bella, wondering when she would be home.

_B  
_

_Miss you._

_Dinner reservations at 8._

_Meet you in bed beforehand?_

_Love you,_

_Would like to be 'loving' you_

_Your eager husband,_

_E_

I kept my phone in my hand, hoping for a quick response. I really missed her and though I wanted her to enjoy her time with her mother and my sisters, I hated being away from her. My response came quickly as I stood there staring at the phone.

_Dear eager Mr. Cullen,_

_You're quite sure of yourself . . ._

_. . . not happening though . . .  
_

_Love you, too,_

_B_

Damn. I had gone without her all day and now we would apparently have to go to dinner and out on our date before I had her in bed with me again. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy being out with her . . . I did. i just was so very needy lately, and I had to feel her next to me as many of the hours in a day as possible.

It wasn't long before I got a message from Alice that the limo would be here to pick me up in an hour and I was to be ready, in the new suit that was hanging in my closet. I walked into my bedroom, Mason contentedly nodding off to sleep in Emmet's arms, and grabbed the suit from the closet. It was easy to spot . . . it was the only Armani bag in there. I changed quickly, making sure I had Bella's gift tucked securely away deep in a pocket.

It wasn't long before the girls came clamoring into the apartment, Alice quite satisfied with herself and reciting poetry . . . as was Rosalie. Renee, however, had no idea how to block me and she was thinking of how beautiful Bella looked in the dress Alice had gotten for her and how dashing I looked in my suit. She was wishing she was 20 years younger and so head over heels in love. I couldn't blame her and I didn't wait to get the specifics of the day. Bella was downstairs in the limo and I had no intention of keeping her waiting . . .

~oooOooo~


	104. Chapter 104 Spa

******Disclaimer: **All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** I know, I know . . . you all wanted to hear about the romantic date in Paris. I wanted you to know what had happened at the girls day at the spa first, so here it is!

**Chapter 104 Spa**

_"Alice insisted that she wanted to take you two to a couple of salons _

_that she knows for a girls day out," Edward explained. _

_"Edward! You know what that means if the little pixie has her way! _

_Hairstyles and facials and manicures and who knows what else they do in a salon," Bella fussed._

_"Mud wraps and massages," Alice chimed in, obviously having heard us out in the lounge area._

_Edward was laughing at the horror stricken expression on my daughter's face. _

_"Just wait, mom, you're in for it too," she pouted. _

_"Yes, but the difference, dear, is that I just might enjoy it!" I told her, _

_a loud 'yea Renee' coming from Alice in the other room._

_~oooOooo~_

**Alice POV**

"Bella, really - for heavens sakes. That's the third time you kissed my brother goodbye. I just don't see it, he's alright to look at but really, Bella. He's just my brother after all," I huffed as I took her by the arm and Renee grabbed her other arm.

I thought I was going to have to pry them apart with a cattle prod or throw cold water on them like the neighbor below us did out of her window when the cats were mating on the street. Honestly. You would think they hadn't sen each other in forever, not that they had just finished making love for the who knew how manyuth time during just last night alone!

I understood. Edward was a newly mated vampire and he had almost no control over his need to be with her, it consumed him. Though Bella was still human, you'd have thought she as a vampire as well the way she held him to her and accepted his advances, even coming on to him herself! I had no idea that humans acted that way, well, not so intently anyway.

I hadn't planned this day for the girls at the spa to be agonizing for either of them and I was second guessing the idea of taking Bella at all. Her mom grabbed her other arm though, and we were out the door leaving my dear brother with empty arms and a puppy dog look on his face . . . almost the same look as she wore.

"Bella, this is going to be fun," Renee whispered to her as we got downstairs to the limo.

All Bella did was give her mom a sideways glance that said it all. She was obviously not looking forward to this like the rest of us and was just coming along to appease me.

"So, Alice, where is it we are going?" Bella asked.

"Well," I told them all, not without a certain amount of gloating in my voice, "I got us in at _Guerlains_!"

"Really?" Rosalie exclaimed, "I thought you had to be a movie star or related to the Royal family to get in there without being on a year long wait list."

"It just so happens that I know someone, sister dear, and we have the private room to ourselves, the four of us . . . mud bath, wraps, facials, manicure, pedicure, steam room, massage . . . whatever we want," I explained.

"Oh, Alice! Are you serious?" Renee half whispered she was so impressed.

"Now, Alice," Bella stared at me questioningly, "you and Rose aren't really going to do all that, are you?

"Bella! We can get mud wraps and get the hot rock therapy and have our nails painted and sit in the hot tub and steam rooms and love it!" I explained.

We walked in to the perfectly detailed, exquisite waiting area and sat for a brief moment until we were escorted to the private areas of the spa. Decadently fluffy robes were provided for us as well as slippers as we were all asked to disrobe and all went to the hot tubs for the first part of our day. Renee was a little shy about dropping her robe to get in at first, but as soon as Rosalie and I disrobed and stepped into the water naked, Bella and her mom followed. An employee of the spa assigned to each one of us to make sure we had things to nibble on and drinks to refresh us as we sat and talked and laughed with each other in the warm water. I was happy to see Bella continuing to sample the different cheese, crackers, grapes and strawberries that were in an unending supply on the silver tray at her elbow.

The girls attending us kept bringing glasses of delicious red wine . . . at least Renee kept telling us how delicious it was. Bella kept switching glasses discreetly with both Rose and I and it wasn't long till she had a definite smile on her face, regardless of being at the spa and away from my brother. Renee looked disapprovingly at the glass in Bella's hand and I informed her that here in Paris, there was no drinking age and everyone had wine.

"I want to thank you both for being so gracious about my insisting on coming along," Renee said meekly, "I suppose you all know about my . . . acceptance of the unusual . . . in return for being allowed to get to know my grandson, as well as all of you and my new son in law."

"We know about it," I chimed in, "And as long as you can agree to just take things for face value, we love having you along."

"Bella is such a vital part of this family now, Renee, that we welcome the opportunity to get to know her mother better," Rose added, "especially since you are willing to do it on our terms."

"Well, it isn't easy," she admitted, "and I won't lie and tell you that I don't have a thousand questions . . . ." She paused and took her daughters hand for a moment, "But I trust that my daughter has all the answers, and I trust her judgement. I would never give up the opportunity to get to know my grandson, he is just such an exceptionally intelligent, sweet little guy."

"He really is, isn't he, mom!" Bella exclaimed . . . obviously what the humans called _buzzed. _

She seemed to loose some of her inhibitions and I only hoped that it didn't go so far as to jeopardize our secret.

"And Edward, well, isn't he just the sweetest most amazing man you've ever met?" Bella asked her mom.

"He seems very in tune with your needs, sweetheart . . . and you with his," Renee added.

"Don't you just love it when they want to_ do it_ all the time!" Rosalie added, laughing, "It's just so new to see that side of my shy, inhibited, socially proper brother."

Renee blushed a very deep red, but Bella just shook her head in agreement, the effects of the wine in lifting her inhibitions were never more obvious, and maybe it was time to get her to do some dishing on my dear brother . . .

"So, Bella, when we went shopping before your birthday, you never did answer us . . . how is our big brother in bed?" I asked, laughing.

She studied me for a moment, her mom making some excuse about that information being personal and not to embarrass Bella.

"Edward is wonderful, sweet and gentle, always worried about not hurting me. You guys know all that already," Bella chided.

"Bella. That's not what we meant and you know it!" Rose quipped.

Our new sister looked away into the distance for a moment before coming back into the moment and answering me -

"Your brother is an amazing lover. He takes care of me before he ever even thinks of himself," she snickered, "and his tongue causes the most amazing tingling sensations."

Rose and I just looked at each other. We both knew the effects venom from our partners mouths had on us when they went there, and it made me squirm just to think about it. We both nodded out heads in agreement, muttering something about loving it when they did that.

"Bella!" her mom all but shrieked.

Bella wasn't through though, and continued as we all had somewhat far off looks on our faces,". . . and it's a good thing he does . . . I need all the wetness possible for him to even think about fitting comfortably. He has the most deliciously long, thick . . . well, you know . . . ever with almost no recovery time needed. He can stay rock hard all night long, no problem."

"Bella!" her mom almost shouted, dismayed at her daughter's frankness.

". . . and, well, you all know how much he and I both love him nursing from me."

Renee gave her daughter the most disapproving look, and I had to step in and defend my new sister!

"Ha! Renee! We're sisters, it's okay," I reassured her mom, "and remember, Bella isn't used to drinking wine. We're likely to get honest answers out of her now more than ever!"

The words had only just left my mouth when I realized that I should never have said them. I could only hope that nothing too incriminating about the family would be revealed if Renee decided that now was the time to ask questions.

"So, you're saying that big brother is well hung?" Rose blatantly asked.

"Well, I have nothing to compare him to, Rose. I've never been that close to any other man," Bella said somewhat shyly.

"Well, does your hand wrap around him?" Rose questioned.

"Oh my God, Rose!" Bella stammered, almost choking on the sip of wine she had just taken.

I thought she was embarrassed and would refuse to answer. I misunderstood.

"Rose, my hand doesn't come close to reaching around him. I don't know how large most men are, but when Edward is in a mood, he peeks out over the waistband of his jeans."

"Alice, big brother is _hung_!" Rose exclaimed.

"He's just so gentle and careful with me, Rose, you know the reasons, but it's just not very often that I can just get him to let go of being my overprotective husband and just . . . let go," Bella started to go on till the girls reentered the spa area, holding warm towels up for each of us as we stepped out of the water. Luckily, the girl helping Bella realized how much wine she had drank and held her arm as she stepped over to a dry area to put on her robe. She had, after all, been drinking wine for a couple of hours now . . .

Rose and I got hot rock massages, reluctant to let the masseuse touch us with their hands because of the hardness and temperature of our skin. Bella and Renee got the full body hand massage, and we all chatted and laughed while our bodies were kneaded, rubbed and oiled. Then we showered in huge luxurious showers with benches and jets of water spraying at all levels against our skin. The jets were hard enough that they even felt good against my somewhat harder exterior!

Once our hair was towel dried and combed, we were shown to a small garden area within the building where a banquet style lunch was served privately for just us. From the moans coming from Bella and Renee, I'd say that the food was delicious.

Facials and mud plasters were next on the agenda. Bella and her mom went to one side of the room as Rose and I were es courted to the chairs on the other. It wasn't that we were very far apart, but apparently Renee felt some sort of privacy and took the opportunity to talk to her daughter. I heard everything, of course. Though our heads were towel wrapped and we had been offered a choice of music coming through the speakers in the headrest of the chair, I could clearly hear them . . . vampire . . .

_"Are you alright, sweetie?" Renee asked her._

_"I'm fine, mom, but I'm still kind of pruny from being in the hot water for so long."_

_"So am I, but it was fun, wasn't it?" _

_"I suppose so, mom. I'm enjoying spending time with you and my sisters."_

_"You really think of them as your sisters, don't you, sweetie?" Renee asked, hesitantly._

_"Yes, of course I do. I really love Edward's whole family. They're awesome."_

_"Bella . . . Bella, are you sure you're okay with all of this . . . I don't mean the spa and the money, sweetie, I mean . . . Edward."_

_"How can you even say that, mom? I love him more than anything and now I have a son he's given me . . . and maybe even another child."_

_"Honey, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I just want to know that you aren't trapped in all of this . . . that you want it, you want him. I know I'm not supposed to ask questions, but I have to know that you want this . . . all of it."_

Thank God I had seen this conversation happening, or I would have been worried that Bella, as much wine as she had in her, would tell her mother something to let her in on our world. I listened closely as the vision I had seen earlier played out in reality.

_"I want Edward. I honestly wouldn't want to live without him, and I don't mean leave him . . . I mean that I wouldn't want to exist if I couldn't be with him, mom. I love him so much, he's such a part of me now . . . I know you see it . . . I don't care who sees it. I love him. I can barely stand to be away from him even just this morning . . . I need to feel his hand in mine or him near me, and I know he feels the same way about me."_

_"It's just a lot to take in, Bella. Even Masen is so . . . so different, even though he's obviously your child."_

_"He's amazing, isn't he! So cute and smart, and he had the sweetest little personality. I really hope I can have another child. Edward and I decided that unless I get pregnant on this trip, in the next few weeks, we're not going to have any other children."_

_"Well, that seems like a foolish decision and one with no reason behind it. Children don't have to be born months part to grow up together and have happy childhoods, Bella. Some siblings are years apart," she argued._

_"No, mom. We agreed . . . now or never."_

_"Well, buy the nursery furniture, the way you two go at it I can't see any possible way you wouldn't get pregnant as soon as you ovulate. You know, it does take some time for your body to recover from having a baby, sweetie, and you are still nursing Masen. As long as his food isn't supplemented, you're probably not going to have a period or be able to get pregnant again. It's nature's way of giving your body time to recover."_

_"I know. And thanks, mom."_

_"For what, sweetie? For being nosey about your relationship with Edward or for pushing myself on all of you to come along on this trip?"_

_"For just caring . . . and for being willing to accept the Cullens, with no questions."_

_"Well, you didn't exactly give me a choice, did you?_

~oooOooo~

With our hair in a towel, each of us was led to a reclining chair which positioned our heads over a sink where our scalps were massaged and our hair shampooed and conditioned.

We were all asked if we needed any waxing done. Renee had her eyebrows and mustache done and Rose and I declined the offer. Hair no longer grew for us and we had everything bare already.

Everything.

"Bella, how about treating Edward to a Brazilian?" I suggested.

"Brazilian? Alice, what are you talking about?" Bella cocked her head and stared at me.

"She's suggesting that you have a bikini wax," Rose explained.

"Can't I just do that with a razor, Alice?" she asked.

"Bell la . . . let them wax so that _all_ the hair gone . . . bare," she nodded.

"Oh, _oh _. . . . OH! Alice!"

"Edward will go insane, trust me, Bella. It increases the sensations for you as well," I told her.

"God, Alice. I don't think I can live through any more sensation that he already gives me . . . I've passed out twice you know!"

Rose and I both doubled over as Renee's mouth hung open in horror.

"Passed out?" her mom asked, concerned.

"Yes, mom, I passed out cold. Carlisle said I just hyperventilated probably the first time Edward and I were together, but it has happened since and I don't want to see that smirk on his face again," she smiled, "He just looks so damned smug and proud of himself when it happens."

"Bella!" Renee all but yelled.

"Yep, he would be proud of himself," Rosalie agreed, "it's a wonder he hasn't told Emmett. Knowing Emmett, he would be trying to make it happen to me just so that Edward hadn't bested him."

"Well, I told him it wasn't nice to try and make the human pass out!"

We all let that slide and laughed it off and Renee seemed to be too horrified at the idea of Bella passing out to pick up on the _human_ reference. Bella had definitely had quite a lot to drink and was feeling it.

Renee agreed to the waxing as well, if Bella was going to try it. Bella had refused unless someone joined her and her mom was the only candidate. Renee and Bella were each shown to small private rooms and I went in with Bella to hold her hand, promising her that she really wouldn't die of embarrassment. We all had on our soft white robes and Bella climbed up onto the table and laid down, awaiting the torture to begin.

One of the girls that had been attending to us all day came in with a mixture that looked like melted pink wax and set it on a table on top of a warming tray, taking cloths and wooden applicators from the drawer and setting them on the table. She then reached over with gloved hands, and exposed Bella's crotch, scissoring away most of the curls there. Bella reacted by covering her face with both forearms and I just shook my heads and chuckled at her. The girl finished with the scissors and told us that Jean Claude would be in momentarily.

The minute the man walked in I knew there would be a problem. He was quite gay, and obviously not someone the least bit interested in Bella's lady bits, but Bella sprung up off that table to a sitting position almost instantly.

"Can I help you?" she inquired, her legs crossed at the knee as she sat on the table and her robe pulled tightly around her.

He reached to open her robe and she held it firmly closed in her hand.

"Madame, I am here to wax," he explained in broken English.

"No. You need to be female," Bella insisted.

I explained to him, in his own language, that my sister in law was shy and we would need a woman to come in and do the waxing. He was offended, but Bella's comfort was more important and I was sure that a large tip would compensate him more than enough.

"It's okay, Bella," I explained, stroking her hair and putting an arm around her shoulders. "We were all embarrassed the first time."

"It's not that, Alice," she stated calmly.

"Well, what is it then? Have you changed your mind?"

"No, no. I haven't changed my mind. I just know Edward. He would never forgive me if I let any other man that close to me . . . even Jean Claude!"

"Really, Bella. You'd think my brother was a Neanderthal the way you describe him," I scoffed.

"Believe me, Alice. He would loose it," she said as a woman entered the room apologizing profusely in French for not knowing that we would be needing a woman to do the waxing.

Bella laid back and let the woman work and had I been human, the flesh on my forearm would have been torn off each and every time they ripped the cloth away from her skin, removing all the hair between her legs and on her rear as well. I couldn't help but snicker at her as she limped out of the room, though I would never let her see my expression. What I had not expected to feel, however, was the tiny blood lust that started to burn in my throats. and from the look on Rose's face, she felt it as well. Apparently Bella had very tender skin and there was a small amount of bleeding involved with the waxing.

Rose and I excused ourselves and moved out into the fresh air of the garden for a moment before going in to have our hair styled and our nails painted. We both needed the air, and a little less smell of humans . . . and blood. The humans were not in danger from us, but it was an uncomfortable moment none the less. We were, after all, vampires . . . and the smell of blood in the air helped nothing.

Bella and Renee continued to enjoy the wine as they got manicures and pedicures as well . Rose and I had our fingernails and toenails painted, insisting that we had just had mani's and pedi's last week and had no need for them again just now.

The stylists had seen our dresses for the evening and though Rose and Bella were made up to hit the town, Renee's and my makeup was stunning all the same.

Dresses and shoes were waiting for us, of course, in the dressing rooms, and i went in with Bella to help her dress. She had continued to sip wine all afternoon and she wasn't totally stable o9n her feet . . . much less in the heels I had gotten her. The dress I had bought for Bella was stunning. Bella had loved the midnight blue nightgown I had gotten her for her birthday . . . and I knew that my brother had liked it as well. This dress was the closest thing I could get to backless and still be descent to be seen in in public. I had seen the jewel Edward had for her, and the restaurant he was taking her to. They were going to have an extremely romantic evening, and the heels that went with that dress were just extra added insurance. Louis Vuitton had never yet let me down!

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I didn't even care about being tortured by Alice, I just wanted Edward. I realized that I had many glasses of wine today and that what I was feeling must be equivalent to being tipsy, but I just wanted Edward.

My sisters were asking me questions about my husbands sexual prowess, and this time I had no inhibitions about telling them that he took very good care of me and was apparently very well endowed. The problem was, the talking about him got me thinking about him . . . all of him.

I wanted him. I wanted to feel his hard, cool body under my hands. I longed to trace the muscles of his shoulders and back as they flexed while he made love to me. I wanted to taste the deliciousness that was Edward as his tongue explored my mouth and his lips devoured my skin . . . the silky feel of his hair between my fingers and the feel of the curls around his erection as he sheathed it in me again and again. I wanted Edward.

The girls had talked me into shaving the curls between my legs. They were completely gone, bare and smooth skin was all that was left. I could only hope that my husband would like the new and different way I would feel to him. I remembered the times that he had brushed his nose back and forth across those very curls and hoped he would not be disappointed in their absence. The hair would grow back of course, it was just a matter of me remaining human for a few months to give it time. If I became pregnant on this trip, there would be time for all of that and I guess I was counting on it.

Edward had given me any and everything I could ever imagine wanting in life. He was kind and fiercely protective, loyal and tolerant of all my foolish emotions and I just loved him so much. I wanted to give him another child before I joined his world. He would never admit it, he wouldn't ever want to risk my health, but I knew my husband. Though he had never thought it possible for him to father a child, his son was a vital part of his life now and another child would make him beyond happy.

I think I had even managed, in my somewhat_ less than inhibited_ ramblings, to convince my mom that I wanted to be here with the Cullens . . . with Edward. I knew she was worried and I had wanted to ease her mind, knowing that if she made a wrong move we might have to leave and never see her again. She kept her promise though, at least so far, and we were having a great time together.

I was anxious to get on with the evening. I knew that Edward had plans for us and I knew that Alice would have seen and shopped dress Alice had for me, along with the shoes, were sure to work their magic. We were going to dinner alone, that much I knew. My husband had wanted to have a romantic evening out with me in Paris, and I had spent the entire day at the spa away from him getting rubbed, oiled, cleansed, waxed, soaked and primped. I had slipped on the dress Alice had for me, hoping nothing fell out of it, and the shoes she had for me hoping I didn't fall off of them.

I had eaten the most delicious food and had countless glasses of wine lulling me into the most relaxed mood I could remember, well, relaxed except for wanting my husband. We were all in the limo, heading back to Alice's apartment and as we pulled up to the curb, Alice told me to wait in the car - that her brother would be down momentarily. I leaned back in the seat and sighed, waiting for my Edward to appear.

~oooOooo~


	105. Chapter 105 A Romantic Evening, Part 2

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** Sorry this wasn't up Tuesday. It's kind of intense - I know how all of you hate that! lol Let me know what you think!

**Chapter 105 A Romantic Evening, Part 2**

_Bella was downstairs in the limo and I had no intention of keeping her waiting . . ._

**BPOV**

I had been poked and kneaded, plucked and had the hair yanked off of more things than I wanted to think about. There were only two things I wanted as I sat, squirming uncomfortably in the soft leather seat of the limo - Edward, of course, and to figure out a way to avoid Alice ever being able to get me to a spa again.

Ever.

It wasn't that I was ungrateful and I understood that to some women, apparently my mother included, going to the spa was the ultimate treat - a day of decedent pampering and self indulgence. For me . . . it was torture. Edward seemed more than content with me just as I was, without all the lotions and makeup and soaking and plucking and for that I was grateful.

I simply wasn't a "spa" kind of girl.

Now give me a meadow . . . or a beach . . .or anywhere, really, that I was alone with Edward, _that's_ what kind of girl I was. _That _was my idea of self indulgence.

The man walking out of the building and toward me was just absolutely amazing. Each stride he took exuded confidence, each movement dripped with sex appeal. He was drop dead gorgeous . . . and he was mine. It astounded me each and every time I looked at him or even thought about him. Edward said it was the camouflage, the lie, that all vampires had that appeal to draw in their victims . . . but it was much more than that. The electricity that sparked between us each and every time I was near him was more than just the draw that vampires had. Jasper, Emmet and even Carlisle had the appeal all vampires had - the looks, the voice, the smell. This was more . . . way more.

He moved flawlessly as he sat and scooted towards me, his arm immediately moving to surround me and pull me to him and his lips taking mine. If I hadn't known better I would have said that his breath hitched when he first saw me and again when his arm covered the bare flesh of my back. Part of it, and a large part, had to be the dress.

Alice had picked it, of course. It was midnight blue and hung in soft folds from the spaghetti straps over my shoulders. The back of the dress was held together by similar strings crisscrossing all the way from my shoulder blades to very close to where the top of the thong panties sat on my ass, which the dress barely covered. I had argued that perhaps I should just go naked because this dress covered little, the neckline went closer to my midsection that I would have thought possible and my breasts, already enlarged from nursing, looked huge. They would never have stayed hidden behind the fabric were it not for the stick on semblance of a bra that Alice had me wearing to insure I didn't leak all over everything.

She had been right about one thing, though . . . Edward loved the dress.

"Bella . . . you're so beautiful, sweetheart . . . I missed you so much," whispered in my ear, his lips never leaving my skin as he hugged me to him.

"I missed you, too," I whispered . . . well, more like moaned as he traced kisses across my collarbone and throat.

"Are you alright, sweetheart? I smell blood," he said worredlyas Ire felt him tense beside me.

"Sorry about that . . . Alice and that damned spa," I fussed.

He laughed at me and nodded his understanding of the little pixie and my frustration with her.

"I think I need to change our reservations, love," Edward continued.

I pulled back slightly to look into his face, "Am I late? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to . . ."

"No," he cut me off with a finger to my lips, "you aren't late . . . I'm just not sure I'm willing to share you and I'm trying to think if there is anywhere I can call and have dinner served to us here, in the limo."

"Edward," I laughed dismissively as I heard an unmistakable growl come from his chest.

"I'm quite serious. If I take you out in this dress," he whispered as his finger traced the neckline, "the headlines tomorrow will be an account of mass dismembered bodies that were dumped into the Seine."

We kissed and necked like the teenagers we were till the limousine stopped in front of _Le Grand Vefour, _a restaurant with a name so well known that I had heard it several times over the last few weeks but only accompanied by the comment of just how long it took to get a reservation there and how magnificent the food was. Edward got out and took my hand, ever the gentleman with his turn of the century manners and we walked in, only to see one of the most beautiful rooms I could have ever imagined.

We were shown to a quiet table by the window and handed menu's. The host as well as the waiter, spoke French - the same language the menu was written in. As if he sensed my discomfort, or realized the impossibility of my understanding the menu,Edward stepped in . . .

"Would you like me to order for us, love?"

"Yes, I would love that," I answered as I folded the menu and I was sure a look of relief crossed my face.

The waiter greeted us and from the surprised look on his face, Edward must have answered him in perfectly accented French.

"Ho vous parlez Français! Très bien donc qu'aimeriez vous ce soir?

Edward smiled and answered as he opened his menu, "Nous aimerions L' agneau à la Provencale et Le Filet de saint Pierre avec son beurre mousseux avec des carottes et des oignons nouveaux, un plateau de Fromages et pour le dessert, fraises et fraises des bois sur un lit de meringues."

_the waiter_: "C'est parfait, permettez moi de vous féliciter pour vôtre choix, le sommelier va venir à vôtre table tout de suite. Je vous souhaite un agréable repas.

_Edward_: "Je vous en remercie"

_the sommelier_: "Bonsoir madame et monsieur, que puis je vous conseiller pour accompagner vôtre repas?"

_Edward:_ "Vôtre meilleur cru de Champagne Veuve Cliquot."

_the sommelier_: "Excellent choix monsieur."

_the waiter_: "C'est parfait, permettez moi de vous féliciter pour vôtre choix madame et monsieur, je vous souhaite un agréable repas."

_Edward_: "Je vous en remercie."

I watched the scene in front of me unfold. My seventeen year old husband handled himself with the confidence I would expect from Pierce Brosnan as 007. I was completely in awe as he appeared comfortable and confident reading and conversing in French.

"Edward," I leaned forward after the waiter left and took our menus, "you have to stop."

"Pardon?" he said, his head tilting to the side and his eyes smiling seductively.

"Edward!" I chided.

"Oui, mon coeur," he said as his hand held mine, his thumb softly stroking my knuckles.

I sipped the champagne that had been poured for me as I stared at my husband. There was no way I could handle this gorgous man speaking to me in French and still sit here and eat a meal . . . no way.

"Unless you want to make a scene with me straddeling your lap, you need to speak to me in English, sweetheart. Your voice combined with the wine I've had all day is making it hard for me not to use your lap as my seat and impale myself on your ever ready hard dick."

'Tu peux te servir de mes genoux pour tout ce que tu souhaite, mon coeur, tes moindres souhaits sont mes desirs, et je me fiche si on nous regarde," he purred, bending to kiss the top of my hand that he held.

"Edward, please . . ."

"I'm sorry, love," he laughed, "You're just so beautiful that speaking to you in French seems more appropriate than English. They do call it the_ language of love_, you know."

"What is it you said to me?"

"You can use my lap for any and everything you want, sweetheart. Your slightest wish is my command and I don't care who sees us," he translated. "And I meant it," he said as he raised himself off his chair and leaned across the table to kiss me softly. "I'm glad you think of my dick as _ever ready_. Only for you, love," he all but purred.

The meal he ordered was amazing and I ended up eating most of his as well as mine. He was not eating, of course, and had apparently ordered two of the dishes they were known for so that I could try both. I enjoyed the lamb every bit as much as the fish, the _St Pierre _, which was delicious. France was known for it's cheeses, and I had enjoyed several different kinds at the spa earlier, but the platter of cheeses brought to our table enticed me to try even more of a variety. I had never been fond of soft cheese, it was gooey and smelled kind of off . . . but not these. These were delicious and I smeared as many of them as possible onto the breads provided I'm sure a moan escaped my lips when some of the flavors hit my taste buds.

Edward told me about his day, how much he liked playing with Masen and caring for him and just how smart our son really was. He described things in such detail, it was obvious just how much he loved our little boy and was serious about enjoying his time with him. What an extraordinary life our son would have with Edward as his father . . . nothing would be beyond his reach and he would always know just how very much he was loved not only by his father and me, but my the entire Cullen family. I could just see Masen sitting on his father's lap as Edward played the piano for him, the baby reaching for the notes as he listened to the music . . .

Edward pushed his food around on his plate as he continued to describe all the cute things Masen had done and how he felt about them. I continued to eat and eat and eat, pausing only long enough to drink champagne and then resume eating. Edward sat and smirked at me and my obvious enjoyment of my food.

"I'm glad you thought of wanting to taste the different cuisine in other countries, love. From what I can see, I would not have had you miss this for the world," he said thoughtfully, watching me eat absolutely everything in front of me and hum with pleasure from the taste.

He was just too far away from me, sitting at the other side of our table. I slipped my shoe off and found I was able to reach his ankle with my stocking covered toes. His eyes widened instantly as my toes crept inside the leg of his pants and moved up his calf, stroking up and down and i giggled to myself when I noticed his unnecessary breaths increasasing.

The waiter approached with our dessert. Edward had ordered strawberries with meringue on them and the waiter placed the dish in the center of the table with two spoons, removing the other dishes from the table and refilling my glass of champagne.

"Too bad we're in public, sweetheart. I can think of a something better to serve this dessert on . . . ," I told him in my best seductive voice.

"Sweetheart, if you keep rubbing me with your foot like this," he said, gesturing under the table as my foot came from under his pant leg and climbed toward his inner thigh, "it's not going to matter that we're in public."

I couldn't help but giggle again at the expression on his face. His gaze was intense and his head was tipped back ever so slightly as he seemed to contemplate the situation. His hand stroked the bottom of my foot as he held it in his lap and I continued to torment him. I was just barely able to reach far enough into his lap that I could feel something familiar becoming quite hard . . . quickly.

We left the restaurant shortly after that, Edward actually having tasted the dessert with me, well, on my lips anyway after he made a toast.

"A ma merveilleuse épouse, puisse t'elle être pour toujours aussi heureuse qu'elle est à present. Je t'aime plus que tout. . . tu es tout pour moi."

"Edward, what does it mean?" I just had to ask as he smiled my favorite lopsided grin at me.

"To my beautiful wife, may she always be as happy as she is right now. I love you more than anything . . . you are my everything," he said as he stood and rounded the table to take me in his arms and kiss me.

Apparently we had drawn more attention than I thought and several nearby tables turned to us and raised their glasses in a toast. Edward thanked them in words I had no chance of understanding and we left the restaurant, getting into the waiting limousine.

The ride was short, or at least it seemed to be as we kissed passionately and I stroked him, causing him to pin me to the seat and let me feel him grinding into me as he devoured my mouth. The door opened and I quickly straightened my dress and took Edward's hand. We were beside the river at a park lit by thousands of twinkling lights.

"Walk with me," he asked as he kissed me softly.

"Edward, the lights are so beautiful," I told him as I leaned into him.

"You're so beautiful," was the only response I got as we continued to walk, his arm around my shoulder.

We stopped as we came to a boat moored alongside the walkway and Edward gestured to me to step aboard. It must have been obvious that I was a bit wobbly as the boat captain held his hand out to help me. I settled into the comfortable sofa like seat with my husband beside me, his arm around me as we slowly pulled away from the dock and headed towards the twinkling lights of the Eiffel tower.

"Was this Alice, or your doing?" I asked.

"Well, the reservation at the restaurant was Alice, but the boat ride was completely my doing, love," he told me as we slowed to almost a standstill at the very edge of the river, a bridge coming into view. I noticed a mischevous look on his face, only for a moment.

"Edward?"

The response came from our driver, in a thick French accent - "The Pont-Marie is known as the _"bridge of lovers"_ and legend has it that if you kiss under the Pont-Marie and wish for eternal love, your wish will be granted.

Edward smiled his 100 watt smile and turned to me, reaching over my head with one hand to lift my hair and fasten something behind my neck. I looked down to see the most brilliant clear stone with almost a blueish tint hanging from a gold chain. The stone was quarter sized and cut into the shape of a perfect heart, brilliantly reflecting even the small amount of light from the twinkling lights on the shore.

"I saw this and thought it would be a good representation of me - it's cold and hard and it casts rainbows in the sun. Like my heart, it too is yours," he said as he kissed me.

Not just any kiss, but a kiss that poured all the love we had for each other into it, our bodies melding into one being as we sat there under the bridge, oblivious to anyone or anything around us.

"Je t'aime plus que tout tu es tout pour moi," his lips mouthed against mine just before he broke the kiss.

"Do you like it?" he asked, gesturing to the stone.

"I love it, sweetheart."

"It's called the _Heart of Eternity_ and I thought it appropriate that I give it to you here, under this bridge.

"The stone has a name?" I asked, realization dawning on me.

It wasn't just a stone - it was a jewel . . . a very large jewel.

"Edward . . . ," I all but whispered as I held the heart and stared at it in wonder, "Where did you find this, sweetheart?"

"There is an auction house in Geneva, famous for just such special jewels. They had it up for sale and I had it sent to me. It gives off a slightly blue color, rather than completely clear, and I thought the heart shape was perfect," he paused, "It isn't too big . . . is it?"

"No, baby. It's perfect, just like you," I said and kissed him again. "You never have to buy me jewels, Edward. I have you. You came back to me and found me, sweetheart. You're all I'll ever need," I told him as I stroked his cheek with the soft pad of my thumb.

If he could, I knew he would have shed tears like the ones that were running down my cheeks.

We toasted each other from the chilled bottle Edward had arranged to have on hand and he again had a sip of champagne to seal the toast. We nearly didn't make it back to the flat.

Things became heated in the limo and I was feeling bold. I dropped to my knees in front of my husband and slowly unbuckled his belt. Had he not had his shirt tucked in and a tight waistband on his underwear, his length would have been showing itself out the top of the very large tent he was making in his pants. I unzipped his pants with my teeth, my eyes never leaving his as my hands explored his chest and then his taunt abs, following the light trail of copper hair that lead to my goal. He sprung free from the confines of his pants and I licked the entire length of him, his breath catching as my tongue dipped slightly into the small slit at the tip. He grasped the handles of the doors on either side of the car as his head threw back against the seat. I was getting better at this . . . but then again, I had lots of practice while I was pregnant, seeming to need the protein I would get from him almost like a vampire needed blood.

I sucked hard as he writhed in front of me, his hips responding in spite of his obvious attempts at keeping still. I was afraid the growl coming from his chest was growing loud enough for the driver to hear, in spite of the privacy window that was closed. I reached over and turned on music just in time to disguise the string of words that came from his mouth, including

" . . . baby, please . . . please don't stop . . . oh fuck, Bella . . . please never stop . . ."

I raked my teeth along his length only once and hummed as the muscles of his thighs and abdomen tightened. His size increased and he came down my throat, pulsing in several hard bursts, rocking his hips into me in spite of his attempts not to and holding my head to him with both hands in my hair. God, I loved it when he let go like that. Knowing how much he affected me, I loved that I could give back some measure of the same feeling. I continued to gently suck as his erection stated to harden again and the limo came to a stop.

"We're home, love," he told me.

It was an obvious effort for him to form words at that moment and he pulled me up to kiss me softly before tucking himself in and refastened his pants. I started to get out of the limo and fell into Edward's arms, the sidewalk slightly spinning.

"I think you've had way too much to drink tonight, sweetheart," Edward whispered in my ear, "but I think I like you tipsy! It seems to make you . . . more adventurous."

We made it up the elevator, my legs around his waist as he pinned me to the wall . . .

I stumbled somewhat, obviously wobbly as Edward kept an arm around me on the way to our room.

"I put Masen down a couple of hours ago," my mom said as she watched us head down the hall, shaking her head disapprovingly as we somewhat ignored her existance.

"Thanks, mom," I managed.

Just before Edward shut our bedroom door I heard my mother worriedly talking to Alice about my not drinking when I might be pregnant. Oh God!

"Edward! I drank all day today . . . what if I'm pregnant?" I all but sobbed, my emotions all over the place.

"You're fine, love. I would never let you do anything to hurt our child . . . medical school twice, remember," he said as he tapped his temple. "I kind of like you tipsy, but it's best not to make a habit of it though. Alice saw that you weren't pregnant yet, love . . . but there is always tonight."

I slumped into him, relieved sort of but worried none the less. I would never endanger one of our children, even those that were unborn, I thought as I clung to him, my arms around him and my fingers scratching through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I have a present for you tonight, too," I said somewhat shyly.

Somehow I wasn't at all sure about it now. The ladies had told me that I shouldn't have sex after waxing for at least 24 hours because of bacteria . . . but my husband was a vampire and I wasn't at all sure that counted. What did worry me was the fact that even just the soft lace of my panties rubbing over me seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable, and there had been just a small amount of bleeding involved.

"You are the most dangerous creature on the planet, Bella Cullen," Edward said as he slipped his hands under the straps that laced across my back and down to grasp my rear.

He kissed his way from the spot he loved under my ear to the very corner of my mouth before he picked me up and carried me to the edge of our bed.

"As much as I love this dress . . . I think it would be even more beautiful on the floor, love," he said as he undid the lace ties on my back and let the dress fall, pooling at my feet.

His eyes went wide when he saw the appliques holding up my breasts and the red lace garter belt holding up my stockings, just slightly covering the matching red lace thong.

"Is this my present?" he asked, as I swear he licked his lips.

"Sort of," I said, pushing his diner jacket off his shoulders and loosening his belt.

His clothes were gone in an instant and I was lying in bed with Edward beside me, holding me to him and kissing me passionately. He removed his lips from mine only long enough for me to breath before moving to kiss down my chest and take each nipple in turn into his mouth, his hands occupying the one he wasn't kissing at the time. The appliques gone, my breasts were huge having not nursed all day and the cool of his hands felt good as he held both breasts in his palms and continued to kiss me, his body partially covering mine and my arms pulling him to me. His hips ground into my thigh as I realized he was hard as steel and purring loudly.

I couldn't help laughing.

"What's so funny, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked as he looked up from my chest, moving his lower body to lie between my now parted legs.

He was apparently occupying himself by running his hand down my thigh to my knee and bringing it up to my shoulder so that he could reach my ankle, but it was tickeling me somewhat. I started to unclasp the strap on the shoe that I could now reach but he shook his head and pulled my hand away.

"The shoes stay," he managed to say between kisses.

"And the garter belt?" I asked playfully.

"It stays . . . and the stockings," he moaned as I rubbed my stocking clad legs against the naked skin of his waist and hips.

His fingers slipped under the sides of my thong and it was gone in an instant, ripped away.

"I hope you weren't too attached to the panties, love," he said as he tossed them to one side and kissed down my stomach and abdomen . . . stopping cold.

He didn't move. He didn't breath. He was still as only a vampire could be as he stared. After what seemed like an eternity, his head tilted up to look at me and I smiled.

"How's that for a present, sweetheart?" I asked as softly as I could, running my hand over the smooth skin that joined my thighs.

"Bella . . ."

I jumped slightly from the icy touch of his fingers as he stroked over where soft curls had been before.

"I didn't realize how tender it would be right after, sweetheart," I told him somewhat remorsefully.

"Not to worry, love. Venom will make it feel better."

And that was the last thing he said before he licked ever inch of the inflamed skin, coating it with the most icy tingling sensation I had ever felt. He held me in place as I came apart, writhing and clutching his hair as I screamed his name over and over again. He was beside himself, his eyes black fire and his face intent as he crawled up my body, his cheek rubbing my stockings as he kissed his way up my bended knee.

It was fair to say that my husband, and my vampire, liked the present.

I held his face in my hands, staring into his eyes as he came apart in my arms, his face strained with the intensity of emotion he was feeling. There was nothing more glorious than my husband's face as he gave himself over to his emotions and his ecstasy shone on his face. He had been afraid of this for so long when we were first together, years ago. Afraid that in that moment that he lost control, that he would hurt me by either biting me or crushing me with his strength. He couldn't have been more wrong. Edward's body always managed to protect me.

He lowered his lips to mine as he continued to rock his hips slowly into me in the most delicious way. Kissing down my neck and chest, his lips gently started suckling on the nipple of the breast that he now held, his other arm holding firmly to my backside and pressing me against him. His expression quickly changed as milk began to flow into his mouth and he gently pinched the nipple with his fingers to stop the flow and raised his head so that I could see his eyes.

"Bella, you taste like your milk is almost completely alcohol, love," he said as a small drip escaped from his lips.

I raised my head and kissed his bottom lip just before the drip escaped.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, my lips never leaving his.

"Nothing about you is ever a bad thing, love. It's just different and it surprised me. I should have expected it. Alcohol is stored in breast milk," he said as he filled his mouth with it again and swallowed, "and I think that makes it twice as intoxicating,"

He attacked my breast with a ferocity I had not seen from him since we first discovered the effect my milk had on him. He had learned to control himself somewhat, no longer pinning me to the bed and growling so fiercely when he drank. Not this time. Both my hands were immediately held in the steel grip of one of his hands and pulled above my head as he grasped my rear with his other hand. He did not pin my legs to the bed as his hips were between them as they encircled his waist. There would be no escape, regardless . . . and I screamed his name as I came again and again with him, an overload of senses and emotions filling me,

"Edward."

"Edward, please," I said as I began to squirm, my breast emptying and his grip tightening, becoming borderline painful.

"Sweetheart . . . please change sides . . . Edward!"

I finally got his attention by raising my head and rubbing my face back and forth across the top of his head as he nursed from me, calling to him and urging him to stop, to change sides. It was the word stop that seemed to work . . . I had never said that to him before and it registered almost immediately.

He stared at me, his pitch black eyes unfocused for a moment before understand crossed his faced and he latched onto the other side, releasing my arms and cupping the breast he has just drained.

I scratched his scalp and played with the soft hair I loved at the nape of his neck as he growled at me, his lips obviously trying to curl back into a snarl but refusing to release my breast. He was just so damned cute when he did that, I had to snicker at him in spite of the pleasure he was giving me.

His growls quieted to a loud purr and his thrusts became a gentle rocking as his head slowly fell to one side, resting on my shoulder. He eventually stilled, his upper body still mostly on top of mine and our bodies still joined as I stared at the sleeping form of my husband. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open, my nipple just on the edge of his lips with milk still visible in his cheek. I hugged him to me, the arm his head was on still playing in his hair and the other holding onto his shoulder as his hand still cupped my other breast . . . and that was how we fell asleep.

~oooOooo~


	106. Chapter 106  Reactions

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 106 Reactions**

_His growls quieted to a loud purr and his thrusts became a gentle rocking _

_as his head slowly fell to one side, resting on my shoulder. _

_He eventually stilled, his upper body still mostly on top of mine _

_and our bodies still joined as I stared at the sleeping form of my husband. _

_His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open, _

_my nipple just on the edge of his lips with milk still visible in his cheek. _

_I hugged him to me, the arm his head was on still playing in his hair _

_and the other holding onto his shoulder as his hand still cupped my other breast _

_. . . and that was how we fell asleep._

**EPOV**

I opened my eyes, slightly disoriented, taking a few moments to discern what was going on. I was lying between my wife's legs. That part was not unusual, but the crust of dried milk on my lips and her breast were not a common occurrence. I had apparently fallen asleep partially on top of my wife, my head on her arm and my cheek resting on her naked breast. I must have actually fallen asleep while I was nursing from her.

In spite of my weight on her, she had managed to pull up the electric blanket that was our constant bedroom companion, making my body temperature comfortable enough for our skin to touch all night long and causing me to wake with a warm feeling each and every morning - well, that is the few times I would sleep.

I paused to look down at her features, the flawless features of her face, her soft alabaster skin, the gentle rise of her breast from where it joined her flat abdomen . . . the small stretch marks from her carrying my son still slightly evident, at least to my eyes. Her scars were there, of course, from the motorcycle accident that tried to take her from me, but they weren't something I took much notice of. She was just so beautiful.

She had never had alcohol before, at least not more than a glass or so of wine and from what I could tell, she must have been drinking wine all day before we ever went to dinner and had the bottle of champagne. I couldn't help her drink it, and she refused to leave it there to waste. Her breast milk, however, had been filled with alcohol, the taste tremendously different than I had become accustomed to.

I stared at the jewel that was laying on the pillow, the chain to it still clasped around her neck and I remembered her reaction when I had given it to her. Ummmn . . .

Woops, that wasn't going to help me to get out of bed and I knew I needed to get some things and have them ready for her when she woke up, though I had no idea when that would be. I knew we had made love far into the night and I had no idea what time it was, or if it was even close to being morning. I had read the minds of humans for years and heard many tales of the _morning after_ and _hangovers. _I had also heard various tales of remedies and ways to not feel bad the next morning and all of them involved drinking something. I also knew from my medical training that I needed to get fluids into her and that a few Advil would help, so I reluctantly pulled myself away from her to go check and see what I could find in the kitchen and have it on the nightstand when she awoke. I just wanted to try and anticipate her every need, especially this night.

Emmett and Rose had just gotten in from dancing the night away when I walked into the living room. Jasper and Alice had been with them as well, having gone to join them when Bella and I had gotten in. None of us were willing to leave Masen alone in the flat with just Renee to watch him, even if Renee thought she was the only one caring for him. Masen's abilities went far beyond anything a human could handle if he decided to insist on something. My sisters had gone to their rooms to change and my brothers had flipped on the TV as I passed through the living room. They gave me the oddest looks.

"What? The sparkling water is for Bella. She apparently drank way too much alcohol yesterday," I told them as they continued to stare.

I didn't have to ask, I read their minds and knew what they were thinking even before Emmett spoke.

"Dude, you're acting drunk," Emmett declared, dead serious.

"That's just redic . . . redickilous bro, I so can't get drunk and you know it," I said as I plopped down on the sofa beside them and put Bella's drink on the coffee table, having to steady the drink somewhat from falling over.

I stared at the bottle for a minute, realizing that something _was_ off, but not knowing what. I had perfect balance, of course, all vampires did . . . and we never dropped or misplaced anything . . . yet the bottle of water that had just left my hand that I had sat on the table, was teetering precariously.

"You are definitely off, brother. Your emotions are all over the place - I can feel them," Jasper commented.

"Well, I just came out here to get Bella some water and Advil but since you're here I just wanted to tell you both how much I appreciate all the time and effort you put into doing things for Bella . . . for me. I know I've put this family through a lot and I just want you to know I love you, both of you. I could not love you more if we had the same mother and father and were human blood brothers. I mean it. I just really love you guys. You're both amazing," I said as I reached out and put both my arms around Jasper and hugged him.

Emmett leaned away from my reach looking somewhat stunned.

"Woah dude . . . let's keep our man cards intact here, alright? I love you, too, brother, even when you fall in love with a tiny human girl who, by the way, is awesome. Why she puts up with your emo ass I'll never know," Emmett shrugged, his attention turning to the video controller in his hand.

"Well, from what the girls told us tonight, we have an idea why she puts up with him," Jasper said in full southern drawl, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Oh God!" I splurted, reading Jasper's thoughts and hearing Bella's description of my cock and how large it was in comparison to her hands and mouth. My elbows immediately rested on my knees to support the weight of my face hidden in my hands. Women really did talk about that sort of thing, especially sisters, and I knew that . . . I just never thought about Bella talking about me that way . . .

"I've been in the shower room with you my brother and all I can say is you must be a _grower not a shower_ for what Bella told Rosie to be true!" Emmett declared, looking me up and down with a smirk on his face.

All I could do was snicker, lifting my head up from my hands. Something was indeed off and it took only a moment once I thought about it, for me to realize what had happened. Alcohol is stored in breast milk and Bella had an entire days worth of it. I realized that it had been absorbed into my system unlike anything I had ever heard of before and I was feeling really strange. Normally my brother talking about my genitals would have upset me to no end, especially since he had first . . . well, third hand knowledge straight from my wife. For some reason, though, I could only grin widely and snicker at them.

"Dude, she swallows every time?" asked Emmett, astounded.

He had to be fishing . . . surely Bella wouldn't be talking about such things, even to my sisters! I wondered where the hell that comment came from, but his mind told me right away. Rose. I guess swallowing was preferred and apparently he didn't always get it that way. My mind flew through all the times Bella had put her mouth on me and I had to adjust myself as I sat there thinking about it. My brothers noticed and got quite a kick out of it. I finally answered him in a way that I was pretty sure was going to surprise him.

"Every single damned time, since the day after we moved to the other house, bro. I even tried to pull away from her, grabbing the headboard and ripping it to shreds as I used it to pull myself into a seated position but she crawled up the bed hanging on to me till I came in her mouth, hard."

Emmett's jaw dropped open and they both stared at me, still as statues. Their minds were all over the place, wondering how the hell I could even move against a _human, _fragile as her body was, and not hurt her and how she could possibly suck or grasp me firmly enough for me to even respond to it.

I continued to grin widely and leaned towards them as I whispered, as though anything was still a secret in this house, "sometimes she wakes me up with her mouth on me!" I said as I nodded my head up and down.

"That's just unreal. That right there is worth sleeping for! Man!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Ha! She says she has to get her daily vitamin E!" I laughed, holding onto my sides to contain the laughter that was forcing itself out. "Apparently I'm her own personal Popsicle." I told them as I slipped off the sofa and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

They both stared at me, then burst out laughing, virtually rolling around on the floor in front of me.

"Why is that so funny?"

"Edward, my dear turn of the century prudish brother is getting sucked off on a daily basis, even though he tries to crawl away from her . . . and you don't see the humor in that?"

I looked up to see the little pixie standing with her hips cocked and her arms folded across her chest, smiling down at me.

"Edward, you're drunk. Leave it to you to be the first vampire in history to have alcohol effect you," she smirked, extending her hand to help me to my feet.

I turned to answer my brothers, determined to have the last say,"Brother dear, I just know that I love my wife more than anything else on the planet and if she never sucked anything or let me fuck her ever again, I would be a happy man till the end of time just being near her."

"Damn, bro. You have it bad," I heard Jasper say as I left the room, sparkling water and Advil in hand, and headed back to bed with my wife."

~oooOooo~

I woke a few hours later, my arm around Bella and the light streaming in the window. My head actually ached and I wondered if pain killers really were ineffective where vampires were concerned. I pulled on some jeans and a tee shirt and wandered into the kitchen to put some coffee on, not knowing if Bella would want it or not but wanting to be prepared. Renee was already up and cooking and I had been so unaware, I hadn't even realized it.

"Morning Edward," my mother in law cheerfully called out to me.

"Morning Renee," I said quietly.

Oh for the love of everything holy. Her mind was racing over the comments my wife had made about my sexual prowess . . . description included. As though she needed any encouragement to pry into the intimacies of our lives. From watching the conversation unfold in her mind, I knew she had heard the same information that Rose had heard.

"Edward," she chuckled, "so you tied one on, too?"

_Tied one on_ . . . I had to think for a moment to understand what she meant. Renee thought I had a hangover as well, so I went with it.

"It seems that way. Bella isn't up yet and I thought I'd make her some coffee."

"Well, there's plenty already made son, but I doubt she'll want it. Did you have drinks with dinner last night?" she asked.

"Well, we had champagne with dinner. We drank an entire bottle actually," I quietly told her.

"Edward! If you two are trying to get pregnant, shouldn't you be worried about her drinking?"

"Well . . . yes," I said, realizing that I hadn't actually considered it before, though I vaguely thought I had discussed it last night. "You're absolutely right, Renee. It's never come up before and we really should be more careful, though I doubt she's pregnant yet."

"But you're trying . . . ," she interjected.

"Well . . . we're not trying not to, I mean, we're . . . ," I stammered.

"I know what you mean,. My daughter is hell bent on giving you another child right away. I'm sure you'll succeed in getting pregnant," she snickered, thinking about all the noises she heard daily coming from our room and wondering how I reacted to Bella's new _Brazilian waxing._

Most of the time I took Renee's questioning about our sex lives in stride, but wanting to know how I felt about my wife's bare crotch was going too far, though she was only thinking it and had not verbally said anything to me about it. I continued to monitor her thoughts as I poured a cup of coffee to take back to our bedroom. She was sitting at the table starting to eat the breakfast that she had cooked and thinking about the fact that the guy that had waxed her the day before had been kind of cute, in a way. I stopped cold, mid stride, and turned to face her.

Guy?

A male did the waxing?

A MALE, other than me saw the _most intimate part_ of MY wife?

A MALE touched MY wife . . . there . . .

I was finally able to control myself enough to ask her verbally.

"Renee, you let a male do the waxing at the spa yesterday?" I asked, trying to maintain my composure.

"Edward, how did you . . . of course," she said, shaking her head slightly, "I keep forgetting you can read my thoughts. Anyway, yes, Jean Claude did the hair removal yesterday,"

"And this man . . . he had to touch you to do this, didn't he?"

"Well, yes, of course, Edward," she answered reflexively, scoffing as though it was everyday knowledge.

The coffee cup in my hand snapped under the pressure, sending pieces of it flying across the room and hot coffee spilling all over my jeans and tee shirt. I couldn't even think. I couldn't see straight. My fist hit the table, splintering it and startling the entire household with the noise of the impact and the pieces of table and dishes hitting the marble floor. I heard my mother in law asking me what in heavens name had gotten into me as she jumped back and away from the mess I had made. My brothers and sisters were there in the kitchen instantly, their minds shouting at me to hold it together, to calm down but all I could think of was that my wife had allowed another man to touch her . . . there.

She was MINE!

THAT was MINE and mine alone, and she had . . .

I hadn't realized that I had shouted that last sentence aloud . . . or that I was shaking, until I saw it reflected back towards me in their minds.

Bella appeared in the doorway and quickly walked over to me wearing only my dress shirt from the night before. She softly put her hand on my shoulder, worriedly asking what was wrong. I moved away from her instantly, not wanting to hurt her accidentally in my rage. I was out the front door and in the street before the door even hit the floor, torn from it's hinges as I passed.

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV**

"I haven't felt anger like that since Riley walked into our front yard in Highlands," I said into the air.

Bella walked past me, headed to the door and I was afraid she was actually going to try and follow him. I put a hand on her shoulder and she immediately turned to me.

"What happened, Jasper? What's wrong? What made him so angry," she asked, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm not sure, darlin', but we'll find out. You can't follow him though, you know that," I told her, "He was angry but the overwhelming emotion as he left was hurt. Did you and he have a fight or something?"

"No. No, far from it actually," she said and I noticed her fingering the huge heart shaped rock that hung from her necklace.

Renee came in to stand beside her daughter, the only emotion coming from her was concern for Bella mingled with fear. She had just seen Edward apparently hit the table so hard it shattered and rip the front door off its hinges as he moved faster than humanly possible. Damn.

"He was asking me about the spa, Bella. He wanted to know if I let a man do the waxing," Renee told her.

"That makes sense," I muttered to myself.

Bella stared at me and Renee went to get Masen who had just started crying, something he almost never did.

"What makes sense, Jasper? Please please tell me what I did, what's wrong with him?" she asked, panicked and desperate, "He's never ever left me like this before!"

"Your newly mated and overly protective husband thinks a man did your waxing, sweetheart," I told her calmly, though calm wasn't exactly the way I was feeling.

"He _what_?" she demanded, her demeanor changing immediately.

"From what your mom said and what we heard him saying about that's _mine and mine alone, _I think he's in a jealous . Which spa was that, Alice? Emmett and I need to go and stop Edward from doing anything he might regret. You stay here, darlin'," I told Bella as I hugged her to me.

She was in tears and it was getting worse.

"He thinks I let another man touch me? That's what this is all about?" she stammered, "he didn't even_ talk_ to me! He never even asked _me_ about it!"

Bella looked lost, her face showed that she was absolutely shattered but the worried, hurt feelings that had been exuding from her changed instantly. My sister was mad, really mad. Alice stood there with her arms crossed shaking her head saying something about her brother needing to listen before he flew off the handle. Renee entered the living room carrying Masen and Bella took him from her, instantly soothing his tears as she told him not to worry, that his dad was just being silly, and offering to play his favorite game with a ball with him. He grabbed the heart hanging from her necklace and smiled, rolling it in his fingers. She left the room chattering to the baby, and fuming to herself.

"Emmett, let's go. We need to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless," I insisted, picking up the pieces of the door off the floor and standing them against the door frame that still clung to the opening.

"Don't worry about the door, Jasper. I'll take care of it," Rosalie said, gesturing to the door.

We tracked him for awhile, but he was moving fast, even for Edward. My only hope was to head him off, so Emmett and I headed to the spa the girls had gone to. Edward must have seen us there or heard our minds, because he never showed himself. I started to regret not just continuing to follow his trail when he left the flat. Emmett suggested that I go back, he would wait at the spa to see if our brother showed up. Bella would be needing me to calm her, and I knew he was right Alice was waiting for me at the door when I returned, Rose having already replaced it and no trace of Edward's tantrum remained, other than the fact that he would need to replace the kitchen table.

"Renee and I are going out. Bella is still in her room with Masen and I need you to stay here and help keep her calm, baby. Rose has already headed out to the spa to help with Edward."

"Okay, darlin'," I said as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her.

There was never any real reason to try and argue with my Alice.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I ran.

I didn't know what else to do.

I wanted to shake her.

I wanted to scream at her.

Most of all, I wanted to know why she would betray me like that. Why she would let any other man see her . . . touch her . . .

I felt the tears on my cheeks, I wasn't oblivious. I was hurt. Hurt that my wife had been anywhere near any other man.

It wasn't that I thought she had feelings for anyone else, I knew she loved me. I knew.

I had felt something like this once before when she had told me that she and Jacob had shared a bed for months before her wreck. They were just friends . . . and I knew that. That knowledge hadn't stopped me from ravishing her against a tree in our meadow in my need to claim what was mine. The same feelings were there now . . . but somehow they were stronger. She was _my wife. _ My reaction to finding out that she had shared a bed with Jacob was mild compared to this. Their relationship was before I had married her . . . before I had claimed her, marked her as mine. She was _MY mate_, damn it.

I left quickly this morning, not trusting myself around her, knowing that I would be unable to control my strength. I would surely have hurt her had I tried to make love to her, to claim her like I wanted to. It was better for me to just find the damned human that had touched her and rip his hands off his arms.

I burst into an abandoned building on the less populated side of town, needing to expel some of my anger. I took out wall after wall. Each and every one until I realized that the three story building was now collapsing in on itself. I left out the back, certain that there was no human near the building but putting some distance between me and the impending collapse of the building. Dust went everywhere and debris settled onto the sidewalks. Luckily the building collapsed quite nicely in its own footprint. It did, however, draw the attention of everyone any where near and sirens were fast approaching.

I was somewhat calmer now, as I dusted myself off. I headed to the spa that I knew the girls had used and as I approached I listened to Jasper and Emmett. They knew I could hear their thoughts, though I wasn't anywhere near close enough to them for them to pick up my scent. They begged me to calm down, not to do anything I would regret or that Bella would not forgive me for. Bella forgive ME? What the hell. They definitely had that one backwards.

I saw Jean Claude leave the spa through their eyes and unlike my brothers, I knew it was him. I had the image of him from Renee's mind branded on my brain. He headed to a small cafe a few blocks from the spa and I fell into line behind him, striking up a conversation. He was quite chatty and somewhat taken with me.

Like flies to honey.

They all bought the cover, the disguise that drew them to me, to vampires.

"So, do you work around here?" I asked him charmingly and somewhat suggestively.

"I do," he told me, taking in my dust covered jeans and tee shirt and giving me the once over with one eyebrow raised. "I work over at the spa yanking the hair off ladies girlie parts."

"Well," I said, quite taken back by his frankness,"that sounds like a job with fringe benefits."

He looked at me like I was nuts and his mind agreed. Jean Claude found women disgusting and their privates revolted him. I had to laugh.

"Not a job any man would enjoy if you ask me. Women are disgusting and never, ever clean," he said as he somewhat shuttered.

Now that was more information than I wanted. Jean Claude obviously tried very very hard not to think about the girls he worked on and I had no vision of Bella coming to his mind at all - or Renee for that matter, though his mind did flitter over the shoes Alice had worn home last night. We both ordered sandwiches, paid for them and turned to leave. I continued to read his thoughts and chat to him, hoping yet dreading that his mind would remember something of my wife. The thought never came.

I had followed him with the full intent of seeing through his mind what he had seen of my wife, and disposing of him in an alley. There was no way I was letting him live having touched her . . . but there was no clear memory of him having seen my wife and I had been with Carlisle too many years. When it came down to it and the opportunity arose as we walked past a deserted alley, sandwiches in hand . . . I just couldn't do it.

Damn it.

I walked all the way to the spa with him, Rose and Emmett tensing as they saw me round the corner, walking beside him as we neared the spa. Jean Claude waved coyly and went into the building and presumably back to work as I stopped beside them on the sidewalk, Rose looking inquisitively at the sandwich I had in my hand, wrapped in wax paper.

"Are you going to eat that, or would you like to go hunting with us?" she asked as I saw a smile lift the corner of her mouth.

Half a day and five deer later, well, four deer and a goat . . . we sat down to talk. I all but sloshed I was so full, and being that full I found myself somewhat calmer.

"You know, she's absolutely nuts over you, don't you?" Rose asked as she recounted the conversation she had with Bella at the spa.

_Edward, well, isn't he just the sweetest most amazing man you've ever met?_

_He's just so gentle and careful with me, Rose, you know the reasons, but it's just not very often that I can just get him to let go of being my overprotective husband and just fuck me . . . and he tastes delicious. He's my favorite Popsicle . . . _

_Rose, my hand doesn't come close to reaching around him and I can only cover all of him if I use my mouth and both hands, but I could never hope to get all of him down my throat. I don't know how large most men are, but when Edward is in a mood, his dick peeks out over the waistband of his jeans._

"Okay, okay, okay Rose!" I said, throwing up my hand and ducking my face.

I in no way had wanted my sister to ever know any of those things . . . but I was glad to hear that my Bella thought them. This also explained why my brothers were kidding me so mercilessly in the middle of last night when I went to get Bella water.

"Why are you so angry, Edward? She has never been anything but faithful to you - she loves you! Alice and I pushed her into having the Brazilian. We told her you would like it . . . we thought you would, Jasper and Emmett do, so why wouldn't you . . . ," my sister insisted.

"It's just . . . I like Bella any way she wants that part of her to be . . . just not with another man touching her, Rose. I can't handle it. I wanted to rip his hands off his arms before I castrated him."

"Dude, castrating that guy would be a wasted effort. He probably doesn't even _have_ any balls," Emmett added, disgusted.

"Yea. I kind of figured that out when he told me that he hated his job," I snickered.

"The dude gets to look at and touch pussy's all day and he hates his job?" my brother looked amazed, "That's just wrong. I hope he never even had a man card to pull."

I had to laugh. Emmett was absolutely horrified that the guy had a job doing something he himself would love, and the guy hated it. I would never tell Rosalie that he felt that way though . . . she might castrate him just for fun.

Rose smacked my brother hard enough to knock him off the log where he was sitting before asking me if I was ready to get home to my wife and son.

"Yea, Rose. Thanks. I'm ready to go home."

~oooOooo~


	107. Chapter 107  Simple Question

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 107 Simple Question**

_"Yea, Rose. Thanks. I'm ready to go home."_

_~oooOooo~_

**EPOV**

I checked on my son. He was asleep in his crib in the little room that Alice had decorated just off of mine and Bella's room. I leaned down and kissed him, breathing in the soft baby smell of him that I had missed all day.

It was fairly late at night and I got undressed quietly. We never wore clothes to bed, but I knew that I had hurt my wife's feelings at the very least, and she was probably mad - really mad. I knew Bella was awake when I crawled into bed with her, but she didn't yell at me or order me out, and for that I was thankful.I could smell the dried tears on her face and I leaned over and kissed her cheek before lying back, my head on the pillow on my side of the bed. She turned over and without a word, put her head on my shoulder and wrapped an arm over my stomach. She didn't speak for the longest time, but I knew by her soft breaths that she was still awake.

I reached a hand up to move a strand of hair off her face and I let my fingers gently trail down her arm, noticing that her breathing sped up. She nuzzled her face into my neck and held me tightly as I hugged her to me. I propped myself up on the arm that was under her and leaned over her to look into her deep chocolate eyes and place a kiss on her soft lips. I had no idea when she was going to start yelling at me or crying and I was barely keeping it together. I was still angry. Another man had seen my wife and I felt the overwhelming need to claim her, to mark what was mine . . .

Her mouth opened to me and I roughly pulled her hip to mine as I kissed her hard, relenting only long enough to allow her to breath. She held me tightly as I tried to consume her. I grasped her breasts, harder than I should have and probably painfully as I sought to cover her with my body, licking and sucking every exposed part of her skin and ripping the clothing from her body in my effort to get to the rest.

She never refused me, never acted in any way like she wanted me to stop.

I scooted down the bed, my lips never leaving her skin as I stared where her curls had been. I took an unnecessary deep breath, struggling with all I had to contain my rage as I licked and sucked every part of her, causing her to scream and writhe on the bed above me.

" . . . mine, only mine . . . no one else . . . ever, never Bella . . . only ever mine . . ."

"Yours, only ever yours, Edward," she moaned as she made every possible effort to pull the hair from my head, grabbing me to her.

She came that way twice before I was willing to move up her body. It was all I could do not to bite her . . . literally . . . as I licked and nipped at her skin. The blood had come to the surface in several places as I had sucked too hard on her tender skin there . . .

I kissed her with all that I had, thankful that my brother had seen to it that I was completely fed and full. I sucked the skin of her neck and breast, knowing it would leave marks and somewhere in my mind, realizing that I was doing it intentionally. Her lips would be bruised as well, but I found it hard to care.

I came in my wife time and time again as I claimed her, my scent covering her. I had no idea why she was allowing me near her. She had to be mad and confused and she had to know how angry I was with her. I would have stopped on a dime had she asked me to or given me any indication that she hadn't wanted me, wanted this attention from me . . . but the request never came. She told me she loved me as she held me to her.

I knelt between her legs, sitting on my heels as I pulled her legs up onto my thighs and stroked her. I stroked myself and she watched as I came in streams, covering her stomach with my venom filled semen. She reached her arms up towards me, entreating me to lie down on her and I complied, suckling the breast she offered and continuing to come all over her as I fed from her, emptying one breast and hungrily moving to the other without being prompted.

She knew how much I loved her. She knew.

I had missed her all day, and I could relax now. I was home, and she was mine. I felt her arms around me and heard her tell me that she loved me as I fell asleep, my body still covering hers.

~oooOooo~

I awoke as she gently pushed against my shoulder, her face sleepy as the sun came in our windows and rainbows danced around the room, refracting off my skin. I moved off of her and she got up without a word and went to shower, dressing before she came out of the bathroom.

I continued to lie in bed, stunned. Her mannerisms said she was angry . . . but she had made love to me, let me lie with her and held me all night . . . I had claimed her . . .

"Bella, I . . . ," she cut me off, turning sharply to face me.

"Just because I'm mad at you, Edward, does not have anything to do with the fact that I love you more than anything. I even accept your need to claim me as yours. I get it, you're male and a vampire," she said as she left our room and slammed the door.

I dressed quickly and followed her into the kitchen where she was making breakfast.

"You're mad at me? What the hell is that about. You're the one that let another man see you and touch you!" I all but yelled.

I heard my family gather in the living room and Renee waking in her room, but I didn't care. This was between me and my wife.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! You never even took the time to ask me about it . . . but you certainly seemed to enjoy it when you first saw me, didn't you?" she asked, hands on her hips in a defiant stance.

There was an irate vampire inches from her face, screaming at her and she didn't give an inch.

"Of course I liked it, you're my wife and I love you." I told her, towering over her not inches from her face, the exhale of my breath blowing strands of her hair, "You can have hair there braided its so long or none at all for all I care. It's you I love, not the details, Bella!"

"Then why the hell are you yelling and angry with me . . . insisting on marking me, and why did you run off yesterday, breaking things and throwing a childish temper tantrum instead of talking to me?"

"Childish! _Childish_? In 119 years I don't think I have ever been called _childish," _I said as I stormed out of the room, passing my siblings and mother in law as I went to my room to get my son.

I had been away from him all day yesterday and it wasn't happening two days in a row.

"Masen and I are leaving, we'll see you this evening at the train station," I announced before she even had time to voice an objection. I left the flat at vampire speed with my son in my arms, thankfully having remembered to grab a diaper bag and a few bottles of milk for him.

Once we were a distance away from the flat, I slowed my pace and tried to calm myself. The small creature with his arms around my neck had quite a calming effect on me and it took only a few of his smiles to have me smiling as well. We spent the day looking at things and I spent the day explaining them. He wanted to know everything about the things he saw, whether it was a strawberry or a statue or a ball to play with.

I carried him, since I never tired I had no need of a stroller. We strolled along the streets, looking at the people, the dogs they wee walking and the items in the store windows, eventually passing the first displays in the window of a toy store called _Le Nain Blue_. Masen stared in the store window and reached his hand out, fisting at something he saw there.

"Would you like to go in the toy store?" I asked aloud, talking to him like he was a human baby rather than listening to his thoughts.

He gave me the funniest look then broke out laughing, his mind telling me that he did indeed want to go in and see the things inside. I explained the concept of _toys_ to him as best I could. He had toys at home, of course, but he wanted to know why there was a whole store full of them and what it was that you were supposed to do with them.

"These little cars are for pushing along the ground with one hand and crawling after them. I think that most children enjoy watching the wheels turn, Masen, but I can't be sure what the attraction is other than that," I explained, realizing just how much I really didn't know about human babies and the _why's_ of what they did.

I had been to medical school, of course . . . twice. I knew the growth and development process . . . I had just never had occasion to think about the _why_ of what they did. We walked along the aisles looking at almost each and everything, Masen wanting to touch and feel the texture of almost anything that wasn't in a box or wrapped up. From where he sat in the crook of my elbow with an arm over my shoulder, he had a free hand to grab whatever I was showing him. As we came to the infant toys, I picked up a jack in the box and turned the handle so that he could see what it did. His movements were quite fast for a human and borderline vampire speed as he grabbed the offending clown's head and crushed it in his hand. I was still holding the box in one hand and turning the handle in the other as he waved the clown, severed from the box, through the air and threw it down the aisle.

"Can I help you, Sir?" the sales girl asked, retrieving the mutilated part of the toy from the floor in a bit of a huff.

She rightly thought that my son had thrown something . . . till she saw the crushed head of the clown and his ripped clothing. No amount of pulling from an human infant or throwing it on the floor for that matter, could have caused the kind of damage she was looking at. Her attitude changed on a dime, and she feared that my son had been hurt by the faulty toy and that i would be outraged.

"Oh, my," she gasped, "that one must have been defective, is the baby alright, sir? Did it frighten him?" she asked, coming to place her hand on my son's back as he sat in my arms.

"He's fine. No harm done. Luckily, I was the one winding up the toy and it was pointed down the aisle when it exploded out like that. I would check the others though, if I were you. I'm sure that you wouldn't want a child hurt or frightened by one whose spring was wound as tightly as that one must have been!" I offered as I continued to pick up things and let my son touch them.

She disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a cart which she loaded all the Jack in the Box's and took them off the display floor,

"I know, I know, son," I mentally soothed him. "The toy surprised you and you reacted, but you need to learn to hold your reactions till you see if there really is danger, if it is something that is going to try and hurt you. It's important because you're already so much stronger than most things around you, you could hurt people as well as destroying objects."

He continued to ask questions and I answered him as honestly as possible,

_"Yes, you ruined the toy, son. Your fingers crushed the clown's head and you ripped it loose from the box." _

_"No, I'm not angry with you."_

_"No, the lady isn't mad at you either."_

_"Yes, you can have a toy from here to take home with us if you want one."_

We looked at the different size balls and blocks, and though he liked them, something else had caught his eye.

"It's a _teddy bear_, son." I told him when I finally isolated exactly what he was looking at on the next aisle.

I picked up the bear and handed it to him, explaining that he had to be gentle with it like it was a human because it would break apart if he wasn't. The bear seemed strangely familiar, as though I had seen one like it before. I concentrated for a moment, looking at the stitched on eyes and nose and the red thread used for the mouth. It was a brown bear, a replica of those made in the early 1900's.

. . . 1900's . . .

Realization dawned on me. The bear seemed familiar to me because I had one as a child. It was a human memory and extremely fuzzy . . . but it was there. I had carried a bear just like this one everywhere with me when I was small, even hugging it tightly to me when I slept. It was interesting that my son had been drawn to the same toy that I had loved as a child. We left the store with a new ball and some blocks in a bag, and the teddy bear grasped tightly in Masen's hand. I had to laugh. He was just such a combination of both of us, Bella and I.

He wanted to touch and taste everything and I couldn't help but be reminded of Bella. She loved to taste things just as he did and I couldn't help my mind going to the gutter for a moment as I thought about her describing me to my sisters as her _favorite Popsicle._

Damn. How had things gone so wrong so quickly.

I remembered Alice's words from yesterday . . .

_"Some lessons you need to learn all on your own._

_I can't always tell you the right move, brother."_

What was I missing?

We had been in Paris for the better part of a month, and everyone was having a wonderful time. I loved my wife and I knew she loved me. She would never purposefully upset me . . . so why had she done this?

_"Done what_?" my son asked mentally.

I turned to look at his face as he sat in the grass across from me, playing with the ball we had just bought from the toy store as we continued our silent conversation.

"_Your mom did something that hurt my feelings, son, that's all. I love your mom, you know that," _I told him.

_"Then why are you mad at her? Did you ask her if she did it?" _he said, looking me in the eye as he thought it, still rolling the ball back and forth as we st on the grass across from each other.

_"What?" _I asked, cocking my head as we continued to communicate.

_"Did she say that she did what you say hurt your feelings?" _he asked again.

_"Well . . . no son. No. I never asked her if she actually did the thing that made me angry."_

My infant son looked at me like he just didn't understand at all.

_"Then how do you know she did it?" _he asked.

I was stunned. My infant son had thought to ask the question that had never entered my mind. How could I have been so stupid. I never asked her if she let a man wax her. I assumed when I read Renee's mind, but I never actually asked Bella what exactly had happened. What if all this was for nothing, all the upset and drama . . . maybe she hadn't allowed a man near her at all. Damn it all to hell, why hadn't I asked her? I trust her, I should have trusted in her and her decisions yet I hadn't even asked!

My phone rang, Carlisle phoning to check on how we were all doing . . . especially Masen. Apparently he had called Bella to ask her about my son, and she had let him know that Masen was with me. He had also apparently gathered from his talk with her that there was a problem.

"Is everything alright, son?" my dad asked me, concern dripping in his voice.

I went into detail about the toy store and what Masen had done, his abilities and growing strength and dexterity . . . and his ability to reason. I told Carlisle that Masen had come up with the question I hadn't thought to ask - the one thing that would have mattered with my wife.

"Well son, flowers work well with Esme, but since Bella is still human and probably somewhat hormonal from having given birth, chocolates might help."

I had no idea what he meant and he had no problem spelling it out.

"Over the years when I've come home late or been inattentive or hurt your mother's feelings, I bring her flowers. Sometimes ones to plant but more often fresh flowers for a vase. Since Bella is human and probably having some postpartum hormonal issues, a box of chocolates might be good as well. You're apparently in the doghouse, as they say, and you'll need to add a gift or gesture of some sort to the apology you'll be offering her," he said, no humor in his voice.

"But dad, she could have just told me," I reiterated.

"Edward. Did you ask her?"

"What?"

"Did you _ask_ her if she let a man do the waxing?"

"Dad," I all but whined, taking a deep breath. "No. I never talked to her about it at all. I assumed that since a man did her mother, that the same man did her. There was no thought of anyone other than Jean Claude in Renee or Rose's mind, though, and Alice is blocking me completely."

"A large box of chocolate's, son . . . and a sincere apology. Then you can deal with the issue of whether she actually did it or not. Your apology at first will just have to be for jumping to conclusions."

"She called me childish," I added, waiting an inordinately long time for his response.

". . . and?"

"Fine," I huffed, I suppose running off this morning with Masen was a little sudden.

I heard a slight scuffle as my mother took the phone from Carlisle. Vampire hearing - she had been listening to the entire conversation and she certainly had some opinions for me on how one is supposed to treat their wife.

"Yes ma'am. I will. Yes. But . . . but mom, I suppose leaving quickly with Masen fits the definition when you put it like that but . . . yes, a very large box. No, no Masen and I are meeting her at the train station. I hadn't even considered it, mom, you know Alice always packs for us. Yes. Yes, I should have been there to help her whether I was mad or not, you're right. Yes. I love you too, mom."

Damn.

Looks like I was going to be apologizing for the way I acted before I even got to discuss if there was any reason to have been upset in the first place.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I heard him come in. I had been lying in bed for hours, ever since Masen had fed and fallen asleep. It was evening and I always spent this time with Edward - just us.

He had stormed out this morning, breaking things and screaming something about '_mine'. _Jasper had explained that along with the anger that was obviously displayed, Edward's overwhelming emotion was hurt. Stupid ridiculous possessive vampire thought another man had seen and touched me . . . like I didn't have enough respect for his feelings to keep that from happening.

I knew my husband. I knew.

The problem was that _he _should have known. He should have trusted me and known that I would understand him. The insecure side of me screamed loudly as he rushed out the door, flinging it from its hinges in his haste and anger.

He was leaving me.

Tears poured down my cheeks as I struggled to quell my insecurities. I knew he loved me . . . I knew he would never leave me. I knew . . . but the tears came anyway.

I had pulled myself together after Emmett and Jasper took off after him. Alice had talked me into taking Masen for a stroll in the park by the river and my mom had come as well. Rose stayed home, opting to replace the front door rather than come along.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't _say _anything to him, I swear," my mom kept telling me, "I'm just not used to watching what I _think_!"

I told her not to worry about it, we all knew that he should have talked to me first. They all tried to comfort me, Rose even going to find Jasper and send him home to help with my mood. Nothing worked, really. I just wanted Edward and I hoped that he hadn't done anything drastic - though we all thought the news report about an abandoned building collapsing for no apparent reason sounded suspiciously like a vampire venting his anger and frustration, and the wink from Alice confirmed it.

My thoughts came back to the present as he got into bed with me, leaning over to kiss my cheek before he laid down on his side of the bed. Edward had no need of sleep, so it was obvious that he just wanted to be with me. I rolled over and put my head on his shoulder, his arm immediately going around me as I held him tightly. I was furious with him in so very many ways . . . but my love for him was the strongest emotion that played in my head and I breathed in the familiar and comforting smell that was Edward.

We made love long into the night . . . I knew he needed to claim me. He surprised me by taking it a bit to extreme, marking me and grasping me roughly in his need. He ejaculated all over my stomach at his own hand as he sat on his heels between my legs, and it was then that I knew I could not just forgive him and let it go. He had to know that he didn't need to act this way, that I wouldn't just accept it. Though some of it was well beyond his control, the vampire part of him showing dominance, he needed to trust me . . . he needed to trust us. I loved him beyond all reason and I would never turn down the opportunity to make love to him, but he had to know that I didn't like the way he had behaved.

When I awoke, Edward was still lying on top of me, partially covering me just as I loved. I pushed against him just slightly and he immediately woke, kissing me softly and moved to let me get up and go to the bathroom. Apparently he sensed my anger when I came out of the bathroom fully dressed and realized that I was mad, though I had made love to him all night. I'm not sure what he expected, but my anger seemed to take him by surprise . . . and calling him _childish_ just set him off even further. There was no other word for it - his behavior WAS childish . . . running off without even talking to me to see if I had done what he suspected me of. Seriously.

This time when he left, he took Masen with him. If it hadn't been for Jasper calming me and Alice assuring me that everything would be alright, I would have lost it. It had been bad enough to spend the day before without Edward, but for him to leave and take my baby with him . . . what if he decided to really leave and not come back . . .

No. I wasn't going to go there. He said he would meet us at the train tonight and I had to trust that he meant it. If I expected him to trust me, I had to trust him as well.

This time, I was every bit as mad as my husband.


	108. Chapter 108  Orient Express

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** I finished this way early, so I thought you might enjoy reading tonight rather than tomorrow. Remember, they're young and they have never had this type of misunderstanding before . . .

_Remember to review so I will know what you think and know that I really appreciate it!  
_

**Chapter 108 The Orient Express**

_This time, I was every bit as mad as my husband._

**EPOV**

Masen and I were waiting at the train station an hour early, gifts of chocolate in hand. We were anxious to see Bella. I heard the minds of my siblings long before I saw them. They all arrived in the limo, the driver checking in all the bags and Renee looking everywhere, desperate to see that I was there with her grandson . . . as if she thought I would be parted with my wife for very long at a time . . . ridiculous woman.

I walked over to them and Masen reached for his mom as I leaned in to kiss her cheek and hand him to her. Her entire body stiffened as I leaned close and it was then I knew I was really in trouble.

There were three cabins and a suite making up each car on the train. Cabins had one room and slept two people each. The suite was a cabin with an extra room added that could also sleep two and I had booked it for Bella and I, the extra room being for Masen. The porter showed us to our cabins, Emmett and Rose getting the first one, Renee the second and Bella and I had third door on the car with Alice and Jasper having the other cabin at the end. Instead of walking into the suite with me, Bella took the diaper bag from my shoulder and walked back to her mother's cabin, shutting the door behind her.

I stood there stunned.

"I told you to watch what you did, Edward. I can't tell you every move you should make. At some point, you need to go on blind faith and trust each other to know the right thing to do. Bella seems to instinctively know what you need but you, brother, have a ways to go," my sister said as she followed Jasper into their cabin, leaving me standing alone in the hallway with an empty suite to keep me company.

I walked into the suite and put the package Masen and I had gotten for his mom on the table with the note I had written to her, and sat. Alone.

The porter came and went, offering me refreshments but I declined. I heard my wife and mother in law leave their cabin to go to dinner, taking my son with them. Rose and Alice followed shortly and it wasn't long till Jasper and Emmett knocked on my door and invited themselves in.

"So, you're finding out how the doghouse feels, hey bro," Emmett shared.

If looks could have killed, surely he would have been a goner.

"Edward, calm down," Jasper insisted as he tried his best to calm me.

It was no use. I couldn't handle not getting along with Bella and I was ready to do anything that I had to to solve the problem, including groveling.

"So, brother, you're probably at the point that you're getting ready to grovel, am I right?" Emmett asked.

"Yes. Absolutely. Anything it takes to solve this," I stated in all honesty, my hands clasped and my elbows on my knees as they had been the last few hours while I sat alone in my cabin.

"Let's go for a run."

"What?" I asked, my eyebrow raised and my tone surprised.

"A run. Let's see if we can beat the train as it takes a loop around the coming mountain range. We can go over it instead and be waiting on the train as it passes. Lots of deer and sheep on the way as well, if you're thirsty."

"Emmett."

"What?" my brother retorted, a mock look of innocence covering his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Edward, Emmett and I have done this countless times when Alice and Rose spent the evening discussing fashion and shit. Trust us. We've done this lots of times when you were off buried in old manuscripts and books in Rome with Carlisle, arguing whether or not we had souls.

"Why did I never know about this?" I asked.

"Apparently you don't ask enough questions, brother. Am I right?" Jasper asked with a twinkle in his eye. Apparently he knew something from Alice, but he wasn't letting me in on it directly.

"You have no idea," I sighed.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Bella," my mom almost whispered as I stepped into her cabin with Masen and closed the door, "Are you not even going to talk to him?"

"No. Not right now anyway. I love him so much, if I'm near him I know I'll just hug him and cave and he really needs to know that I'm not okay with him acting this way," I told her as I sat on the sofa and hugged Masen to me.

My mom would have been horrified if she had seen the hickies and bruises he had left from last night . . . not to mention his act of purposefully marking his territory . . .

I focused on my son. He seemed as anxious to see me as I was to see him, nuzzling into my neck with his little head full of curls and pulling me to him with hand fulls of my clothing in his little fists. His curls were shoulder length now and I wondered if we shouldn't trim them even just a little. He was a boy after all and the gorgeous ringlets gave him a feminine appearance, despite the blue clothing and little boy outfits that he wore. I ran my fingers through his soft hair, holding him tightly before lowering him into the crook of my arm for him to nurse.

"He's hungry," mom observed.

I couldn't get my nipple uncovered fast enough for him as he pulled at my blouse trying to help me. I had to laugh.

"Alright, son. Don't bite mommy and we'll try this without the shield this time," I laughed, "I'm not sure you could stand to wait while I found one in the diaper bag anyway."

Masen nursed nosily as the otherwise quiet train cabin started to move along the tracks. I had been so excited last week when we planned this trip, having heard about the Orient Express as being something quite special and even kind of mystical . . . something you had to experience if you ever went to Europe. I had been so desperate to see Edward, to know that he did meet us and was going with us . . . I hadn't even noticed my surroundings.

The cabin I was in wasn't large, just enough room for several people to sit on the posh seat and have someone be able to walk in front of you to get to the lavatory. It was the design - the opulence of it all - elegant gold trim and ornate carvings in the woodwork. Somehow the word luxury didn't adequately describe it.

Masen finished nursing just as there ws a knock on the door, and mom rose to open it. I had hoped, somehow, that it was Edward but it was a young gentleman introducing himself as our porter. He explained that dinner was served in about two hours in the dining car and that while we were gone he would come in and prepare the cabin for sleeping - though I had no idea what that meant. We were also told that anything we wanted, at any time, would be his pleasure to bring us and that we should just pick up the phone and cal him. Day or night. This particular car of the train was his responsibility, and he was well informed about its passengers, referring to us by name - well, to Renee as Mrs. Dwyer, anyway. He paused a moment, noticing Masen lying on the seat as I reached for a diaper.

"Madame, you are Madame Isabella Cullen, yes?" he asked.

"Yes, but call me Bella. How did you know?" I asked, somewhat astounded at the personal touches.

"I have only one baby listed and he is the son of Monsieur Edward and Madame Bella Cullen who are registered in the suite next door on this car, yes?"

"Yes. I'm just visiting with my mother for the evening, thank you. We don't need anything right now," I told him as I folded up the soiled diaper that I had just changed and started to put it in the trash.

"Allow me to dispose of that for you, Madame," he said as his white gloved hand took it from me before it ever reached the trash, and he exited the cabin, pulling the door shut without a sound.

"Well, this is indeed going to be an experience!" mom laughed, the surprised look on her face almost comical.

I pulled up the soft jeans that Edward had Masen dressed in and he kept reaching for the diaper bag on the table cross from our seat. When I grabbed it and got it close enough, he reached both hands in and pulled out a brown teddy bear, half his size. Edward. The teddy bear was new, something he and his dad had apparently gotten today and he wasn't about to let go of it. It looked like an old timy stuffed animal, the way they were made back before plastic eyes and faces were added, it's features simply sewn into the fabric with the appropriate colored thread. Masen seemed to love it, just the same.

"How cute is that! He loves his teddy," mom cooed to him as she patted his back.

"Edward must have gotten it for him today," I said looking into the bag and pulling out a couple of small, colorful balls - just the right size for Masen's hands, and a package of wooden blocks with letters on them.

It seemed as though he and his dad had indeed visited a toy store while they spent the day together. I sat Masen on the floor and spilled the blocks in front of him as he laughed happily and started to play.

I had tried all day to remain calm and confident . . . Edward had told me he would meet us at the train, and he had done just that. All day I had pushed away the nagging insecurity that told me Edward had left me . . . and I was right. He had greeted me sweetly, moving to kiss me on the cheek and offering Masen to me immediately. I noticed the hurt look on his face when I had taken the diaper bag and turned to go into the cabin with my mom. I saw . . . and it nearly killed me to cause him pain . . . but he had to know that I was not going to put up with his childish behavior, even if he didn't think he was acting childish. I knew he was only 17. I was only 19, but we were parents and he had been 17 long enough to act responsibly and way more mature than he had demonstrated today and yesterday. Mom pulled me from my musings as she suggested that we_ dress_ for diner. Hum. There was only so much fancy I could stand, but I humored her, opening the small bag that I had hand carried onto the train to find a dress and heels there waiting for me. Alice.

The dining car was the equivalent of a five star restaurant, complete with a four course meal served on china and fine crystal. It was delicious, and Masen even enjoyed bites of my dinner as the scenery flew by outside the train window. Though it was dark, the moon lit the landscape just enough for some of the features to show . . . especially the lakes nestled in the valleys with mountains surrounding them.

"So, still punishing the dumb ass?" Rose asked as she slid into the seat next to me, Alice taking a seat next to my mother on the other side of the table.

"Rose," my mother scolded,"She's not _punishing_ him and my son in law is far from being a _dumbass_. He's just male, and that comes with some handicaps!"

That got a laugh from us all, like I think she intended. She had tried all day to keep things light and not let me get upset over Edward . . . they all had. Now Rose and Alice had even come to the dining car and were going to probably have to swallow several bites of food to make it seem real as they sat and visited with us.

"He hasn't left that suite yet, Bella. He's just sitting there," Alice shared.

"Good. Let him figure out where he went wrong so that he can grovel for the appropriate things," Rose scoffed.

"I think I'll go talk to him after dinner," I added, picking at my food.

"Bella, you'll just end up sleeping with him," Rose warned.

"Well, of course I plan on sleeping with him, Rose. I love him and I have no intention of spending my night away from him.

"Just make sure he understands your point, Bella. You don't want to have to make the same point again and again like I have had to do with Emmett. The big lug just doesn't ever get it the first time!" Rose fussed, shaking her head but then smiling, softness showing in her features.

I returned to our car, telling my mom goodnight and reaching for the door to the suite that Edward and I were supposed to occupy. It was decorated exactly the same as the one my mom was in except that it opened in the middle to join with another room where a small crib had been set up. It was beautiful. There was a beautifully wraped box on the side table with a note on top of it in Edward's elegant script.

_Bella,_

_I'm so very sorry that I over reacted._

_Please forgive me . . ._

_I will always love you,_

_Edward_

I changed Masen into some pajamas and nursed him, his eyes closing and sleep taking him before he had finished draining the second breast. He and his dad must have played hard all day for him to be this tired, I thought to myself as I laid him in his bed and covered him.

It was only then that I allowed myself to face the fact that Edward wasn't here. The suite was empty and the bed didn't look like it had even been sat on since the porter made it down. I opened the present he had left for me - a box of chocolates. He knew how much I had enjoyed this particular kind from a small shop I had found in Paris, and he had gotten me a whole box of them.

I reread the note . . . and the tone of it scared me. Why had he said _I will always love you_ instead of just telling me that he loved me ? Was he saying it so that I would remember his feelings always - even when he wasn't there?

No.

He promised he would never leave me.

"Edward," I called softly to him, knowing he would hear me if he was anywhere near or in one of the other cabins with his brothers.

Nothing.

"Edward!" I called as loud as I dared without alarming anyone else nearby. Surely he would hear me. He could have heard that anywhere on the train . . . unless . . .

Oh God. He wasn't on the train. He couldn't be, he would have come to me when I called his name, i knew he would have. No matter if he was mad at me or not, he would always come and check on me if I called him, I was sure of it.

He promised, I told myself again and again as I curled up in the bed I should have been occupying with my husband. The tears that I had been holding back all day finally flooded my eyes and streamed down my face.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I returned to the cabin a few hours later, refreshed from running the mountain and sloshing from the mountain sheep we found on the way. As I entered the train car I could hear her crying softly. I would know that sound anywhere and I hurried to her, discovering Masen asleep in a crib in the lounge area of our suite and Bella curled up in the twin bunk the porter had artfully transformed our sofa into.

"Bella," I softly called to her as I knelt on the floor and put an arm over her.

She turned instantly to face me, her face swollen and stained with tears.

"Edward! Edward I called you and you didn't hear me, you didn't come! I was so afraid you were going to leave me for awhile and I missed you," she said as tears ran down her cheeks and she sobbed into my shoulder.

"Sweetheart, I told you before that I will never leave you . . . and I won't. I will _never_ leave you, love. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. Masen pointed out today while we were playing ball in the park that I hadn't even asked you if you had done what I had gotten hurt over. I've never loved anyone like I love you and every emotion is just so strong where you're concerned. I'm so sorry. I was going to talk to you about it the minute we were alone, but you went to your mother's cabin and after you left for dinner the guys talked me into going for a run and a hunt I never left you, love, I promise."

She held me as tightly as she could as I knelt there with my arms around her. I stroked her from the top of her head to her lower back, again and again trying to sooth her.

"Bella, please forgive me for not talking to you . . . for not asking you. I behaved so badly by just jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst. I never ever meant to hurt you and I know you never meant to hurt me. I've just been alone for so very many years . . . decades. I waited so long for you, love. I just can't stand the thought of any other man near you, even though I trust you completely. I just . . . ," I paused for a moment, my voice cracking and betraying me with the weight of the emotions I was feeling, "I'm so afraid of loosing you. So afraid that one day something will happen to take you from me and I can't live without you . . . I wouldn't want to."

She grasped onto me so tightly, her tears wetting my face and neck as she tried to pull me impossibly closer to her.

"I didn't you know," she said, her lips never leaving my skin as I slipped onto the tiny bed beside her.

She threw her leg over me to hold me even tighter to her.

"You didn't?" I asked.

"I refused to let the guy do the waxing when he walked in. I made Alice get a girl to do it because I knew you would go all _Neanderthal_, as Alice says."

"Bella . . . you knew," I almost whispered, "I should have known that you would, you always do."

"Alice thought I was nuts, but I told her it had to be a woman."

"Bella, I thought when I came home after storming out . . . when I got into bed and you held me . . . made love with me . . .well, I didn't understand when you were still mad at me this morning. It didn't make sense to me that you would love me like that and then still be mad."

"Sweetheart, I love you," she said emphatically, pulling her head away to stare into my eyes. "I'm _in_ love with you. I might be mad or angry or not like you very much from time to time, but I will always love you," she told me . . . then half laughed half snorted the way only Bella could before continuing, "and I doubt I will ever turn down the chance to make love with you."

"No arguing in a horizontal position . . . ever," she said softly as she stroked my cheek with the pad of her fingers.

"Deal," I said in amazement, "No arguing while horizontal. When we lie down together, all arguments are off."

I kissed her lips softly as she told me she needed a human moment. She was wearing a soft white gown that was somewhat see through as she walked to the lighted bathroom. I took the opportunity to take my clothes off and lay them on the chair beside the bed as I waited for her.

She returned moments later, removing her gown and slipping into bed with me. The intake of unnecessary breath had to have been audible to her. Though she had undressed in the dark, it didn't stop my eyes from seeing the evidence of my rash behavior on her body. She snuggled into me as we lay side by side on the small bunk, the perfectly laid out bunk above us going unused.

I kissed the bruises that my lips had made on her neck the night before when I had sucked too hard. My fingers traced down to the ones on her breast as well, and I gave each one a soft kiss.

"I'm so sorry about all of these, love. Can you ever forgive me?" I asked, my eyes pleading though I knew her vision was limited in the darkness.

Only moonlight ventured in through the window to light our suite.

"Of course I forgive you, sweetheart. Your need to claim me is just part of your nature and I love you," she told me as I all but cried, noticing the bruises my fingers had left on her soft breasts.

"I never meant to hurt you, it's the very last thing I would ever do," I told her, my lips against her ear as I hid my face in her hair.

"Edward . . . your body could never hurt mine. I bruise easily, you know that, and the small blue marks are nothing. You never hurt me that way," she claimed.

_That way._

There was something in the way she said it. I pulled away from her just enough to stare into her eyes, her soft hands holding each side of my face as she started to speak.

"You did hurt me, though. You hurt me more than you ever could by leaving bruises, Edward."

I was stunned. I couldn't move, lying there frozen beside her as she continued.

"You _have_ to trust me. Even if I had made the mistake of letting a male do the waxing, you should still have trusted that he was just performing a job that he was being paid to do. You should know that it would have meant _nothing_ to me, Edward. _Nothing. _You are everything to me."

A tear found its way down my cheek as she continued to speak, pausing to kiss the tear away.

"I always consider your feelings but, there will probably be times when I will slip up, forget that your vampire tendencies cause you to go all _Neanderthal_ over things that would not normally be an issue. I get that. I get your need to claim me, but you took it too far . . . it actually isn't even that you took it too far. Watching you come is something I will never get tired of seeing, it's just that . . ."

She paused a long moment . . .

"If you had trusted me to begin with, trusted that I would always be faithful to you . . . Edward, if you had just _asked_ me. You blew up without even giving me the benefit of the doubt - you never even _asked _me if I had a man wax me."

"Bella I . . . ," she stopped me by putting a finger to my lips.

"If you had gotten mad because I made a mistake, did something that hurt your feelings or made you angry, then I could accept your reaction. Not even asking me is just not something I'm willing to have happen. Ever," she said with such finality.

Oh God.

My entire body froze. I struggled to force the words from my lips that my mind couldn't even bear to think about.

"Bella . . . are you leaving me?" I whispered, absolute anguish and panic sounding in my voice and written across my face.

She just stared at me, not moving. How could a human remain that still, not even blinking. A moment in time felt longer than all the years I had walked this earth. Why in God's name was she the only mind I could not read. Had I been human, my heart would surely have stopped beating.

"Edward," my name left her lips, barely a whisper, yet her face remained solemn.

Oh God.

"Edward. I understand, really I do. When you walked out the door with Masen today I had to tell myself that I had to trust you. You said you would meet me at the train, you were not leaving me. When you stormed out yesterday morning without a word . . ."

My grip on her tightened though she hadn't moved. She still held my face in her hands as she spoke.

"I am not leaving you, sweetheart. I love you and I want to be with you," she said with conviction, though it seemed to take forever for her words to connect with my brain.

"We have to trust each other. You can't read my mind and I certainly can't read yours. We have to talk, ask questions and then believe the answers we get from each other," she told me, her forehead leaning in to touch mine.

"Promise me that you will always ask. Promise that you will get an answer from me before you assume that I have done or not done something. Promise me, Edward."

She wasn't leaving me. She wasn't. She was right here beside me, right where she always was if given half a chance, Even when she was in labor with our son, all she had wanted to do was get to me, to be with me. How could I have been so stupid. How could I have underestimated the creature that lay beside me.

"I promise. Bella, I promise that I will always ask and get an answer from you before I react. I can't promise that I won't react badly . . . but you already know that," I smiled as she nodded in agreement with me.

"I love you, Bella. I always will and I promise I will ask and talk to you more about things that may come up. You know me better than I know myself. I do trust you, you have never ever given me any reason not to and I'm so sorry I jumped to conclusions without checking with you first. You're right. Even if it had been a male doing the waxing, he would have only been performing a service he was paid to do, nothing more. I just can't stand the thought of any other male being anywhere near you, much less touching that part of you."

"I kind of figured that out already, sweetheart," she said as she laughed and stroked my cheeks with her thumbs, "Stupid ridiculous jealous over possessive vampire."

"I really am so very sorry, love. I don't want to argue with you and I never ever want to be away from you again . . . it was torture."

I held her to me and hummed her lullaby as she fell asleep in my arms, my need was only to hold her, to have her near me and she had allowed that. She told me she loved me, that she wasn't leaving me and I would do everything in my power to make sure she didn't regret it. I tucked the blanket between us, making sure she was warm as I hadn't gotten up and put the electric blanket over us yet. I would. I needed to check on Masen anyway, but for right now . . . I just need to be close to my wife.

~oooOooo~


	109. Chapter 109  Scenery

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** _Okay, I suck at holding things back. I know, I know . . . if I would get ahead a few chapters I would never be late with my updates. I know. I'm like this at Christmas as well, often giving away the presents before Christmas and having to go buy new ones! _

_I am sick these last two days and coughing and I feel completely terrible and maybe I just want to hear your responses to the chapter to have some contact with the outside world! lol_

_I'm just getting really excited about the next few chapters. I have them clearly in my head and they are bounding up and down to get out! I'm excited about them like I haven't been excited since Bella escaped from Victoria and Masen was born! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 109 Scenery**

_I needed to check on Masen anyway, but for right now . . . I just need to be close to my wife._

**EPOV**

Morning came. I was lying in the small bed with my wife, her hand wrapped around my length like it had been when we first slept together after her accident. The only difference . . . I wasn't hard. I had been so scared she was leaving me, so worried that I had lost her that anything to do with sex was far from my mind. My need to claim her had resulted in bruises on her soft skin, like the scratches I had caused her in our meadow in Forks. I refused to indulge my needs if they were going to cause her pain.

Still . . . she held me.

I rose from under our warm blanket as I heard my son, his thoughts becoming more demanding as his hunger grew. I changed his diaper and brought him to Bella while she was still not quite awake, opting at Masen's request to forgo the breast shield on his promise that he would remember not to bite his mom. He was old enough to remember on his own and he assured me that he had done it quite successfully last night when he fed before sleeping.

I tucked him in bed next to my wife. She had slept on her side facing me, and Masen latched onto her breast without really waking her, starting to nurse from her. I laid with my chest to his back, my arm over his mom and my hand moving the stray strands of hair off of her face and tucking them behind her ear as her eyes started to open and she realized that the baby was there between us.

I felt her soft lips against mine as she said good morning, her fingers stroking through our sons unruly mop of curls.

"We should trim his hair."

"What?" I answered softly.

"We should trim his hair. He looks too much like a pretty little girl with all these curls down on his shoulders," she suggested, still running he fingers through it as Masen's eyes rolled and he looked at her. "Do you think it will cut?"

"I have no idea, really. I think it could be cut . . . with effort, if you really want it shorter," I answered, my lips never leaving her forehead as we lay there together.

She and Masen were everything to me and I had them both here in my arms. I needed to take better care of them, to pay attention to their needs instead of centering on my obsessive need to be close to her . . . to be inside her, making love with her all the time. I needed to show her that I cared about her in ways other than sex . . . it was just my vampire nature right now to be all but consumed by my need for her. I would have to absolutely refrain for a few days - there could be no half way for me. If I allowed myself to start something, there was no way I would stop.

We dressed casually and the steward brought the breakfast we had ordered . . . eggs Benedict for two. I was going to see if Masen enjoyed eggs as much as he enjoyed eating chicken, and I fed him small bites while Bella enjoyed the magnificent scenery of the Swiss Alps as we passed through them most of the morning.

Bella had put Masen to bed with the teddy bear I had gotten him the day before and he was fisting towards the crib he had slept in, wanting me to go and get it for him. I noticed the unopened chocolates on the table and wondered why none had been eaten.

"Did you not like the chocolates we got you?" I asked, gesturing to the full box.

"No. It isn't that . . . those are my favorite and you know it. I was just too worried about why you weren't answering me to eat. Thank you for getting them for me though," she answered quietly.

Apparently there was no end to the hurt I had caused her. When we had been in the chocolatier's store together, she couldn't stop eating the candy and I had been afraid she was going to make herself sick on them. For her to hot even have opened them . . . well, it just made me realize even more how badly I had upset things.

I retrieved the bear for Masen. He was becoming insistent and seemed as though he was going to actually cry if he didn't get what he wanted momentarily. He had developed quite an attachment for the stuffed animal in a very short period of time. He reached for it with both hands as he sat in his mothers lap, hugging it to immediately and rubbing his face in the soft fur.

"I really like the bear," she smiled, gesturing to the stuffed animal I had just handed our son.

"He picked it out. It's funny . . . I have a fuzzy, vague memory of a bear just like that from my childhood. I love that he has the same bear," I told her as she smiled down at him.

"Would you like to go and explore the train a bit?" I asked when she and Masen had finished their breakfast.

"I would love that! The woodwork even in the hallways is amazing," Bella observed, "It takes coat after coat of lacquer to get wood to look shiny and deep like that, and every hallway I have seen is just the same, perfectly done."

"Yes. These train cars are redone to look exactly like the original _Orient Express_ cars."

"Original? Isn't this the original _Orient Express_?" she asked as we crossed into the dining car.

"No, actually. The original_ Orient Express_ was discontinued in 2009. It ran from London . . . well, Paris, really, to Istanbul. The cars were purchased and refitted and it now only makes that trip once a year, but still services Venice, Rome and some points in Austria and Hungary. It looks much the same as it always did, though."

"So . . . you have ridden this train before?"

"Yes. Not nearly as often as my siblings, but I have ridden it at times over the last century, Bella,"I laughed. "When you've been around as long as I have, you have the opportunity to do and experience lots of things . . . and I can't wait to experience all of them with you," I told her as I bent down and kissed the top of her head as she stood in front of me.

The train came to a halt, stopping at a small station on the border of Switzerland and Austria, and Bella had a great time walking from one end of the bar car to the other announcing which country she was in at the time, then going back to the other end and announcing that she was back. I laughed till I was beside myself at how fascinated she was at just being able to step from one country to another in a matter of a few feet, and Masen was giggling in my arms from sensing the pure delight coming from his mom's feelings. I was happy to see her enjoying herself. We sat and she had hot tea in the lounge area while we watched the scenery and talked about the country side and what she would like to see in Italy.

"Where will we stay next? Do I get to see some of the jointly owned property, Mr. Cullen?" she asked.

"Actually, after we see Venice for a few days, you and I have a house in Bolzano that's about an hour north of Verona."

"Your house?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Our house, sweetheart."

"No, I meant that this is one of the properties that you own . . . like Alice owned the one in Paris?"

"Yes. This one is ours, yours and mine. You can start surveying the marital assets," I laughed.

"I can't wait to see it. Have you had it for long?

"Fifty years or so, give or take. The first house I bought I still have, it's in Ireland," I smiled, "and I can't wait to take you there either.

The town of Innsbruck, Austria, was the next stop and we disembarked for a half hour or so to wander through a couple of shops in the crisp, cold air. It was the dead of winter and we were fairly high up in the Alps.

We were laughing and talking to each other excitedly as we entered the dining car and sat at a table. We had only just ordered when Alice and Jasper arrived and sat with us.

"Well, you two seem to be in great spirits. Have you worked out your little spat?" Alice asked as she artfully dropped her napkin into her lap.

"We have, Alice," Bella told her, handing Masen over the table for her to hold.

"Thank goodness. I would have hated to see it continue any longer. Venice is such a lovely town and Verona is so romantic, what with Romeo first meeting Guilette there and all," she added.

"Alice. Did you not see how this would work out? You didn't know that we would make up by now?" I asked, trying my best to peek inside that brain of hers.

"No, brother dear. There were a couple of outcomes and nothing was decided till last night. This could have gone on and spoiled the train ride completely, as well as Venice!" she added, somewhat excitedly.

"But Alice, couldn't you just have told me what happened?" I asked, confused as to why Alice would allow something like this to be played out - even knowing that I would leave bruises on my wife.

"No, Edward. You, my hard headed brother, would never have listened and you, my ever forgiving sister, would never have stood up to him," she said with a frown, looking at each of us in turn, "You two had to go to the extreme with even just a simple misunderstanding to learn to trust each other."

She stopped for a moment to let me in on her thoughts, never wavering in her conviction as she continued speaking, turning to Bella.

"It nearly killed me not to just end the problem by telling Edward that a woman did your waxing . . . but then he would never have had it driven home so very clearly that he needed to talk to you - and how bad the consequences of not talking to you would feel," she explained as we both sat and stared at her, still annoyed that she hadn't simply stepped in and ended our misunderstanding when she so clearly could have.

She obviously felt how upset we were as a calming wave from Jasper tried to sooth the situation and my sister continued to explain.

"If I had seen anyone physically hurt, even a bystander in that damned building that you destroyed, I would have told you . . . but as it was, it was just the two of you going back and forth till you resolved it. Edward, now you know that she loves you and will tolerate - hell she even cherishes your damned need to claim her, and she's always there for you in that way. And Bella, you stood up for yourself with him and let him know that he needed to get direct answers from you, that your actions in allowing him to claim you are a gift and not to be abused or taken lightly. You needed to accept that he will always come back to you and really see that in action to know the truth of it."

Bella sat still and stared at Alice for a moment before her gaze turned to me. She gripped my thigh with her hand under the table and turned to me.

"You really will never leave me, will you?" she said, her head cocked to one side.

"No, love. I will never leave you," I said as clearly as possible, pronouncing each word distinctly and with intent.

"And I really will always want to be with you. There is no one else. I love you, Edward. I can't wait for you to change me and we'll both know that we can be together forever," she said as she leaned in and kissed me softly.

It didn't matter that my brother and sister were with us or that there was an entire dining car full of people around us. It didn't even matter when Renee walked up and scooted into the seat beside me. For that moment - there was no one on earth besides me and my wife.

"Well, it seems that you two have made up," Renee commented as she sat down and we continued to kiss softly and ignore the rest of the world.

"Good morning, Alice, Jasper," She said, greeting my siblings as the waiter brought her coffee. "How's my best guy today?" she asked, reaching to nudge my son who was still sitting across the table in Alice's lap.

Masen's mind was all over the place. He loved his grandma, but he was starting to really hate the way she treated him like a baby all the time.

"What's so funny, sweetheart?" Bella asked me as I smiled and broke our kiss, chuckling to myself.

"Masen."

"Masen?" Renee asked.

I turned to her, unsure as to how much I should tell her but determined to be as honest as possible.

"Yes. It seems, grandma, that my son thinks you treat him like a baby," I told her with a straight face.

Renee looked at me like I was nuts, her face frozen in disbelief and an awkward silence being broken by the simultaneous laughter of Alice, Jasper and Bella. Masen threw his hands over his cheeks and face and laughed as well.

"But . . . but . . . he _is_ a baby . . . he is barely 6 weeks old for heavens sake and if that isn't a baby I just don't know what is. How in the world else am I supposed to treat him? He needs us to dress him and feed him and change his diaper, and he certainaly isn't walking around and talking yet so I just don't know . . ."

"MOM!" Bella cut her off from her tyre. "Of course he is a newborn and needs care, but he understands us and his intelligence is certainaly not that of a typical newborn, well, not that we know of anyway. Maybe all newborns know what's going on around them and just don't have a mindreader for a father that's capable of understanding them."

"I suppose you have a point, it's just that . . . well . . . ," she said, turning her gaze directly to Masen, "I just love you so much little man, that I want to baby you. You need to get used to it though because it's not going to change and I'm going to be around for a very long time."

Masen clapped his hands, garnering yet another round of laughter from all of us, Renee include. I could only wonder just how long my son could keep his grandmother in his life. There would come a point when it was all just too much to explain, when our not aging or Masen's rapid growth would cause us to remain forever away from her. At this point, we didn't even have a clear idea of whether or not Masen would simply enjoy an extended life - or if he was immortal as well. There were so many questions to be answered. Bella had decided to join me in my world . . . to have me change her into a vampire so that we never had to be parted, and I had agreed. That much was certain. Whatever happened, she and I would face it together.

We lingered in the dining car before returning to out suite, the scenery outside was breathtaking.

"We're officially in Italy," I whispered to Bella, leaning towards her from my seat in our suite.

We were sitting on the sofa, my arm resting on the back of the sofa and occasionally stroking down her hair or squeezing her shoulder as she took in the sights passing outside our window. The alps were beautiful this time of year, snow heavy on all the peaks.

"How do you know?" she turned to me and asked playfully.

"Because," I pointed back at the view of the bridge we had just crossed and the mountains behind it, "we are passing through Brenner Pass and that's the border, love."

The steward brought us tea as we continued to take in the landscape we were passing through. Renee had come in to sit with us and she and Bella appeared to be having a wonderful time looking at everything. The Italian Dolomites were impressive. I snickered as I thought to myself that I had a similar reaction the first time I saw them, years ago. They were, in fact, the reason I had purchased a home here over half a century ago. I loved the fact that my wife seemed just as entranced by them as I had been, and still was.

I got up from my place on the floor where I had spent the last two hours playing with my son and listening to my wife's voice trilling with pleasure over each and everything she saw. Though her mom was with us, there was something I needed to share with her and I moved to kneel in front of her, next to the large glass window in out suite.

"I'm glad you seem to love these mountains, sweetheart," I told her, kissing her quickly and softly, just a touch of our lips really, "I felt the same way about them the first time I saw them and I'm so glad you like them."

"_Like them_. Edward I love them. I could spend an eternity here just staring at them, much less walking through them!" she said excitedly.

"As you wish, love," I said quietly.

She cocked her head, her hands holding mine in her lap as she stared at me, the reality of what I had said dawning on her. We would have eternity together to do whatever we wanted. Just now, I needed to share something with her, though.

"Look up and to your left as we round this next mountain, sweetheart," I told her, pointing out the window.

She and her mom both strained to see, anxiously waiting for the mountain to pass and whatever it was I had wanted them to see to come into view. Slowly, across the snow covered expanse, it came into view.

"You wanted to survey the _marital assets_, love. This is the first one."

"Edward! You own that?" she trilled at a pitch that, until now, I thought only Alice could reach.

"No, love. _We_ own it . . . and the mountains surrounding it."

She jumped off her seat so fast that she actually took me by surprise, landing on my lap and knocking me over backwards with her on top of me. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me hard, her exuberance startling me as I hugged her to me and laughed. Masen was now eye level with us and he clapped his hands together and laughed as well at his parents behavior.

My wife sat up, straddling me and rubbed her hands back and forth across my chest as I lightly laid my hands atop hers. We were only talking and playing and her mom and our son were right there with us, but my dick was taking the warmth and friction seriously.

"Edward! I love it! When can we stay there, is it closed up for the winter?" she asked excitedly.

"It was closed, love, but I had the caretaker open it and it's being prepared this week. We're about an hour and a half north of Verona and this is the next house we'll be visiting. I had a crib for Masen sent ahead as well."

"Well, you've thought of everything then. I'm impressed, Edward," Renee added," How long have you had this house?"

I paused, wondering just what exactly I should say to her. I hated to lie, but I could hardly tell her the truth.

"A while, Renee. I fell in love with the area when I first saw it, just as I suspect Bella has," I answered her, my wife winking at me, her back to her mom so that she couldn't see.

"We an get off the train at _Porta Nuova Station_ in Verona, if you want, and go straight to the house."

"What had you planned, love. I've never been to any of these places. I know we discussed it and you asked me what I wanted, but you made the actual plans."

"Well, since your mom is with us and you have never been to Italy," I said, gesturing towards her mother, "I thought we would stay the extra few hours on the train and go to the end of the route in Venice. It's quite a beautiful city, even if the weather is going to be somewhat cloudy and drab for the next few days."

Bella's eyes lit up at that. She hated it when I had to stay indoors to keep from showing off the sparkles in my skin, and Alice had foreseen a few days when we could all go out and about and see the sights.

"Has Alice already made reservations in Venice?" she asked, unknowingly continuing to rub her heated core against the rising bulge in my jeans.

"No. I made reservations. The hotel Cipriani has opened some new suites recently and i thought we would see if we liked them." I told her, trying to maintain clear thoughts as my dick was starting to do the thinking for me.

"Well, I'm going to go pack and get ready! This is so exciting! I'm so glad you let me come with you on this trip!" she said, reaching for Masen and heading towards the door with him as he reached his hand towards us.

She was being nice, giving us alone time by taking the baby, and I told Masen to go along with her, though he had wanted to stay and play with mom and dad since we were right there on the floor with him.

"Hum. Seems we're alone," she said seductively as she ground her hips into mine and leaned down to kiss me.

It took only a moment before I was on top of her, her legs wrapped around me as we kissed passionately there on the floor. I had to get myself in check or I would take her right there on the floor. I stood with her still wrapped around me and moved to sit on the sofa so that she could continue to admire the landscape.

"Why did you get up, baby," she said, her voice husky.

"I didn't want you to miss any of this, love," I said, gesturing out the window.

"What if it's any of this (she said as she managed to slip her fingers under the waist band of my jeans) that I don't want to miss?

"Bella. I hurt you last time, can I not just hold you, love?"

"Of course you can hold me, sweetheart, and I understand, I really do. We had a fight, and it was our first one . . . and your reactions are a bit extreme. You need to know though . . . I like you _claiming _me. I love knowing that I do that to you, that your feelings for me are that intense and important to you . . . that they affect your entire being. I love you, Edward. Don't pull away from me," she said softly as she kissed the corner of my mouth and ran her fingers through my hair.

She knew.

How was it that she _always_ knew. I was trying not to make love with her, to risk hurting her . . . and somewhere in there I think I might have been trying to punish myself for my own behavior . . . but she wasn't having it. She called me out on it instantly, as I looked into her eyes in amazement.

"Bella . . . ," I whispered.

She grabbed me, unzipping my jeans and grabbing me with both hands roughly, her lips insistent on mine.

Our clothes we gone, I ripped them all away before she blinked an eye and settled into my favorite place as we lay there on the sofa. I could feel and hear myself purring loudly as she kissed me and ran her hands through my hair and down my shoulders. I leaned on one elbow stared into her eyes.

"I love you."

It was all I needed to say. We made love softly, completely consumed by each other as we lay on the sofa, reacquainting ourselves with each and every inch of skin the other possessed. Last night and this morning had been among the only times we hadn't made love before going to sleep and when she woke up in the mornings. I sat up and she impaled herself on me again, her legs around me as I sat Indian style, both of us staring out the window and stealing glimpses at each other as we talked and laughed and enjoyed the late afternoon, sometimes pausing to rock our hips and enjoy the delicious friction it caused.

I ignored my cell phone ringing, too absorbed in my wife to care about anything else and no longer worried about anyone trying to harm her. I should have known better.

"Bella I just . . . ," her voice stopped there.

We had never bothered to lock the door to our suite when she had left and now Renee stood, holding a sleeping Masen against her chest in our now open doorway. I saw us through her mind as she stood there. There was nothing showing that was embarrassing, well, not really. She had seen her daughter naked before, obviously, and there was only my side and crossed legs that showed, the rest covered by Bella's body as she sat with her legs still wrapped around me. I was about to speak when Bella beat me to it.

"Either walk on through to Masen's room and put him down in his crib, or walk back out and shut the door, mom. You don't want either of us to stand and take him from you right now, do you?"

I couldn't believe she said that. She was absolutely calm and seemingly not embarrassed by having been caught in such a compromising position. Her mom closed the door behind her and walked the three steps to the other room, presumably laying Masen down before she left by the door that led directly from his room to the hallway.

"Well, I think that image will be burned into her memory for a long time to come," I told her, our foreheads touching.

"She didn't knock," Bella explained.

I must have given her an odd stare because she continued to explain.

"If you don't knock, you take whatever you get. There was nothing for her to see, Edward. My but was hiding the parts of you that no one else is allowed to see, and it isn't as though we were passionately making love or anything. For all she knew, we were just sitting together naked, she couldn't have known and wouldn't have suspected. It's not something a normal human male would be capable of doing for any length of time, so I'm sure it didn't enter her mind.

"Bella . . . where is this coming from, love? I love how bold you're becoming."

"You're mine and I refuse to be embarrassed about being with you . . . especially if we are in our own room and it's the someone else that's intruding," she told me, grinding her hips into mine and causing me to moan loudly, effectively putting an end to the conversation.

We prepared to disembark as the sun started to set and the train crossed the Venetian Lagoon and pulled into _Santa Lucia Station_. It was about 6pm local time and I had transportation waiting at the station to take us to our hotel. I couldn't wait to show my wife Venice.


	110. Chapter 110  Venice

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 110 Venice**

_. . . the train crossed the Venetian Lagoon and pulled into Santa Lucia station. _

_It was about 6pm local time and transportation waited at the station to take us to our hotel. _

_I couldn't wait to show my wife Venice._

**Jasper POV**

"You're sure about the cloud cover holding here for a few days, darlin'? It would be difficult to leave unnoticed from here, seeing as how everything is by boat. There aren't even walkways shaded by trees to keep us out of the sun," I asked hesitantly.

"It'll be fine, baby . . . cloudy most of this week in fact, though I doubt we'll be here that long," my wife told me as I gathered our bags and headed out of our cabin. "With it as cold as it is, we will need to wear jackets and hats, so that helps!"

Emmett was already heading down the steps to the train platform, Rosalie behind him, carrying Masen. Bella and my brother were standing in the middle of their suite with the door open, giving us a good look at the embrace they shared. The lust was about to do me in and I wondered if we would even make it to the hotel before I was overcome. Lately, I suspected Alice was trying to keep things romantic for Edward and Bella as she seemed to enjoy the effects their moods had on me - and I didn't need to sleep or take time out for anything else once I was in the mood . . .

"Bella, darlin', if you could detangle yourself from that vampire till we at least get to the hotel, I know I would appreciate it. You're killin' me here," I tried to tell them with a straight face, but I know the smirk came out.

Alice squeezed me around the waist with both of her small arms and laughed.

"Keep it up, you guys. I haven't had a honeymoon in forever and I love the effect you have on him," she said as she rose up on her tip toes to kiss my jaw.

"We're coming, Jasper, and you're welcome, Alice," Bella said, her head still pressed tightly to my brothers chest.

He had never missed a beat, still running his hand from the top of her head down to her waist and back. Other than the jealously, the new Edward was a delight. Smiles replaced the straight lipped looks or even frowns of before and a genuine joy filled him now, replacing the melancholy that resided there, well, before the despair he was filled with after he left Bella. My brother even joked and laughed freely with us now, something he rarely if ever did in the past.

This trip had been Bella's idea, fueled by her desire to taste foods in other countries before her cravings turned only to blood. She had always been kind of into food, cooking for her father all the time when she first moved to Forks and even taking all of us to restaurants and having us try different meats to see if we recognized which animal it came from. We could discern what type of animal that the blood we tasted came from, so she was curious if it carried over to meats. If they had been raw, we probably would have stood a chance, but cooked it just tasted as vile as every other human food.

What was supposed to be a whirlwind tour of cuisines had become much more, Bella's mother, Renee, having joined us and Alice well . . . being Alice. Alice had turned the trip into shopping and foods and shopping and museums and shopping and spas and of course, more shopping. My wife had spend a not so small fortune in the last month, but the entire family was clothed to the hilt in the latest fashion - well, at least the latest fashions that she could get us to wear. I liked my standard black jeans. I preferred they be denim. As long as I got those, I gave in on the shoes and shirt. Sweaters and jackets, dusters and overcoats were on the menu as well and I really didn't care, as long as I got my black jeans. She had learned long ago that there was no use fighting me on this one issue. That's not to say that I got to wear just plain Levi's, mind you. I had no idea how she had bribed some of those designers to make black denim jeans . . . but she did.

The excitement level increased as Bella and Renee first laid eyes on Venice. It was odd the first time you saw it, no cars and all. Boats were the normal mode of transportation and it was casual to the residents. There was a rather large boat, shaped somewhat like a gondola, waiting near the station and Edward headed towards it.. We had stayed at the _Hotel Cipriani_ before, at the other end of the two mile _Grand Canal. _The canal might no longer be teeming with merchandise-laden cargo boats, but it is was still the main thoroughfare of Venice and only a little imagination would be needed to understand its historical importance. The trip just going to the hotel was one of the main sights to see in Venice and a superb introduction for Bella and her mom.

"By boat, Edward?" Renee looked skeptical.

"The hotel is at the other end of the canal, Renee. Across another waterway, actually. This is Venice and _boat_ is the only way to get there," my brother assured her as he held her hand, letting her step into the boat after Bella.

"Don't they require life vests like at home when you're on a boat . . . especially for the baby?" Renee asked, obviously concerned with the idea of an infant being out on the water.

The look on Renee's face was priceless when Rosalie just stepped surefooted onto the boat holding Masen and not bothering to grab for a hand or a handrail to assist her. She would have only needed it for human pretense and holding onto the baby was far more important. Balance for a vampire was a sure thing, squirmy babies were another matter entirely . . . especially one with the strength that Masen already possessed.

I was enjoying the boat ride, the wind in my face and sitting there with my arm around my wife, my adopted family near. Edward had tucked blankets around himself as well as Bella and her mom. It was, after all, just into February and that was the dead of winter. The clouds threatened snow, but it was still in the 40's, so it wasn't quite cold enough yet. Masen was in Bella's arms under the blanket as well and from the smacking I was hearing, neither the scenery nor the cold was of any interest to him. Alice had come through, as always, and had us all dressed warmly so that we fit in with the humans that actually _needed_ the outerwear for warmth.

I was anxious to see the new rooms the hotel had added, they were supposedly world renowned and had been added this century, since the last time we visited. Edward had been lucky, or had offered a high enough fee, that we had all four of the new suites. I knew that my brother was looking forward to having a piano again. The couple of days he had gone without playing, what with his arguing with Bella and all - had taken its toll. He released tension and emotions through his music, he always had and I felt his need to play.

~oooOooo~

**Renee POV**

I don't suppose I would ever get used to this. It seemed that all of the Cullens, my daughter included, were quite at home with the idea of jetting off to foreign countries, taking rides on trains I had only heard about in dream like tour books and now . . . this. We were riding down the middle of a canal as the sun set, blankets covering our laps and a man singing to us in Italian and explaining all the sights we were seeing on either shore . . . in Venice.

Italy.

It was beyond me to process. I had been with them a month now and I was having an amazing time, enjoying everything . . . the scenery, the museums, the food . . . and the Cullens were fun to be with. I loved my time with my daughter and my new grandson, and I was still genuinely fond of Edward. It was just . . . just . . . weird.

Not caring about how much money you spent was weird.

Not planning well in advance each detail of a trip was weird.

Staying up what seemed to be around the clock, at least for Edward's siblings, was weird.

Most of all, the differences I was noticing . . . well, some things were just weird.

They had always been there, I was certain, but I hadn't ever really paid attention.

I rarely, if ever, saw Edward or his siblings eat or drink.

They never seemed to notice if it was hot or cold in the rooms or outside.

The connection between Edward and Masen was . . . well it was . . .

It was weird.

I had never met anyone that could read minds. Ever. I had heard rumor that it existed, of course, I suppose everyone had. Seeing it in action was different. And Edward . . . at seventeen he apparently really was worth millions. He never batted an eye about spending money. I had seen the cost of the one day trip ticket on the Orient Express, and even if euros were equal to a dollar, the almost two thousand of them for each of us for a one day trip floored me. The necklace he had given Bella - a heart shaped stone with a slight blue hue - I had to wonder. It had arrived by courier with an armed guard, though I doubt my daughter was aware of it . . . so I knew it was no ordinary piece of prettily cut glass . . .

And how, at eighteen years old when everyone had implied that they had not been to this part of Europe in awhile, how was it that Edward owned a house here - a house he said he had owned for _awhile. _Was I really willing to believe that he had bought that house when he was 13 or 14 years old? It just made no sense.

I was touring Europe with kids, the oldest of which professed to be 20 or 21, yet they were relaxed and comfortable in their environment and accustomed to this type of travel - this type of extravagance. They carried themselves better than most seasoned adults that had been traveling the world for years . . .

"Are you enjoying yourself, mom?" my daughter asked as she finished feeding the baby.

"Yes. Yes, of course. It's just beautiful here," I told her, snapping back from my musings and reaching over to feel the baby.

He always felt cool to me, and now was no different.

"Is he warm enough?" I asked, trying not to meddle, but probably not succeeding.

"He's fine mom," she assured me as the little cherub face peered out from under her coat.

Bella had mentioned wanting to trim his hair, and though it was just gorgeous the way it fell around his shoulders in soft ringlets, I could see where she would want him to look less like a little girl.

The boat gently bumped against the dock, apparently having reached our destination. I stood to grab my bag and was immediately assisted by the driver, shaking his head and gesturing to the bellman waiting to take my hand and help me off the boat. Apparently the flock of porters and valets were here to take the bags.

I had no real idea from just looking at the exterior of the building. It was pretty, of course, and it looked quite ancient, but I was not prepared for the opulence and elegance of the lobby we walked into. My son in law walked with the confidence I had become accustomed to seeing in him as he reached the desk and apparently checked us in with only a name and a nod. We were escorted through lit gardens to a building that was apparently separate from the main hotel, I couldn't read the names written in Italian, of course, but it said something about suites. Edward gestured to something called _Dogaressa_, and Rosalie smiled widely, acting almost like a kid at Christmas as she and Emmett scurried off with the bellman.

"Well, that made her day. Nice, Edward. Keeping Rosalie happy makes it a better trip for us all," Jasper laughed as Edward and Alice nodded.

"It works well because in addition to being the most formal and stuffy, it had access across a small garden to mine and Bella's suite. Anything getting Rosalie closer to Masen makes her happy," Edward shared.

"Alice," Edward gestured again, "_Piazza San Marco and the Basillica _are directly across the canal_. _I thought you might enjoy the view."

Jasper nodded and he and Alice left to follow their bellman to the right of where we were apparently headed.

"Renee, Bella and I are just ahead and to the left, you're beside us on the right, I think you'll like the accommodations but please let me now if you need anything at all," my son in law assured me.

_Señor, la conseguiremos algo ella desea o requiere. Por favor, cuidemos de ello y no lo molesta, esto es nuestro trabajo._

The bellman escorting us to the various suites, the one who seemed in charge of the others immediately started rattling something off in Italian. I had no idea of course, but it seemed he didn't like something that had happened.

"Any idea what he's saying, Edward?" I asked, perplexed as to how we would ever figure it out.

"Um, yes, Renee. He said,

_Sir, we will get her anything she wants or requires. Please, Let us take care of it and do not trouble yourself, this is our job."_

I was quite impressed that he had understood, but before I reacted, I was again surprised by what could only be fluent Italian coming from my son in law.

_"Perdóneme. Yo no signifiqué falta de respeto. Mi suegra no ha viajado antes que y yo sólo quiera asegurarse de que es cómoda."_

_"Certo. Ringraziarla, il signore," _the man answered, nodding and gesturing for me to follow him.

I watched, amazed as my daughter and her family disappeared into the arch covered path and I was shown into my suite.

"Do you speak English as well?" I asked as he held the door for me to enter, setting my bags in the bedroom and drawing the curtains back so that the lights of the city came into view.

"Yes, signora. I speak several languages. We have guests from many different lands," he said as he came to stand in front of me.

I had taken off my coat and was attempting to give him a tip, but he refused.

"Signora, Signore Cullen has taken care of everything. Let me know if you require anything at all. i am at your service," he said as he nodded and left.

Unbelievable. _Signore_ Cullen, I thought to myself. The boy was just that - still a teenage boy, yet he got this type of respect from even the bellman? I just had no idea of how this was possible. Then I saw the brochure next to the telephone . . . and nearly passed out. I had only thought the train ride was expensive. Bella came running into my suite just then, almost dragging me by the hand, wanting me to come to her room.

"Mom, you have to see this! The suite Edward got for us is more like an apartment than a hotel room! it has a 180 degree view of the lagoon and a private garden and outdoor hot tub!" she trilled as she pulled me through her rooms and outside to see the tub.

It was beautiful. Edward emerged, apparently having put Masen down for the night, and came to stand with his arms around my daughter.

"This is truly amazing, Edward, but how is all this possible? How is it that you seem so comfortable traveling the world and spending this kind of money. It just seems so surreal somehow. Europe for a month and it seems like your entire family is just so used to things like this!" I said with some urgency.

The expression on my daughters face said it all. Edward looked somewhat unsure of what to say and I immediately realized I had overstepped the imaginary line that had been set - the one where I could spend time with them and my grandson if I asked no questions and accepted things for face value. Whoops. I needed to back track . . . and fast. I was NOT going to say goodbye to my daughter and grandson.

"This is just so, so unreal! Have you ever seen anything like this room?" I said, gesturing to their bedroom as I peeked in the door.

I tried to get back to the exuberant fun that my daughter had been expressing when she drug me into her rooms to show them to me - before I got all serious. I knew Edward could read my mind - he was the panic and he nodded, never letting on to my daughter. We had a quiet understanding. he knew I was sorry I had gone there, and that I would keep my questions to myself. He had listened to my thoughts . . . but I was certain it was going to become a problem, regardless.

"This suite was just opened in 2002, Renee. It was meant to recreate the _fairy tale that is Venice. _At least that was the idea," he explained.

"Isn't it amazing, mom?"

"Yes, yes it is. My suite is amazing as well. Thank you, Edward. I understand that these arrangements were your doing. I just want you both to know how much I have enjoyed spending time with you, and especially with _little man_. See you in the morning," I said as I turned to leave, "Do you have plans for us in the morning?"

"Yes. I have arranged a guided tour starting at eleven. I thought we all might like to sleep in and relax before we go, if that's all right. It will warm up a little as well by then, according to Alice. Riding in the open boats can be a little cold," he added.

"See you both in the morning, then," I said as I left, pulling their door shut and hopeing I could manage to pull my foot all the way out of my mouth. I couldn't bear it if she did what they threatened and just vanished, taking Masen with them . . .

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

I spent the rest of the evening naked, in the outdoor jacuzzi with my husband and the morning lounging around with my son as well. We were all playing ball, rolling it to each other on the floor, much to the delight of my giggling curly headed son. He was adorable. He would actually pick up the ball and chuck it at one of us, falling over afterwards he was giggling so hard, especially if he managed to actually hit one of us with the ball. Of course, making us crawl after it to retrieve it seemed just as funny to him.

"That's funny is it, making daddy crawl around. You think that's funny," Edward chuckled as he hovered over Masen, tickling him unmercifully as our son curled up in a ball and laughed.

"Have you called home to check in on your mom and dad?" I asked.

"Not in a few days. I talked to them when I was out for the day with Masen, but no since then. Want to call them?" he offered.

"I have no idea what time it is there, sweetheart."

"It's 6 hours earlier in the day, that makes it about 3am. They should be home, not even at the hospital yet," he said as he retrieved his phone from the dresser. I hardly saw him move as he had no need for human speed around me and Masen.

I forgot. There was no such thing as calling too early, or in the middle of the night being a problem. In fact, calling any hours other than normal working hours for Carlisle would be our best chance of getting a hold of them both. Carlisle was doing well, the hospital moving in a direction he was happy with and Esme had finished drawing the plans for her next project, though she refused to tell us where or what it was. Jacob was there, well, in highlands. He was house sitting for us while he oversaw construction of the building that would house Black Swan Racing. It worked out perfectly for both of us because he was building a residence at the business as well so that he would be close to his bikes and have only a short walk through the trees to get home in the evenings . . . well, if he was ever even home. It seemed he had been spending weekends and the afternoons that she had no classes down at Clemson with Bree . . . as if _that_ was a surprise to either of us. I was just glad things seemed to me moving in the right direction for him. He was, after all, still my best friend . . . werewolf or not!

Brunch arrived. Edward had ordered everything, of course, and he had a similar cart sent to my mom's room. I think he was just enjoying being with our own little family and didn't really relish the thought of sharing us just yet this morning. I could live with that. I happily drank cappuccino and ate incredibly fancy, light, whipped cream topped waffles with fresh fruit as Edward fed Masen eggs and he mangled a piece of toast in his little hands.

We had been giving Masen different things to hold, Edward teaching him how firm to grip things so that he didn't destroy them. He was already stronger than I was in some ways. He could sort of crush small rocks in his hand - not obliterate them into dust like his dad, but he could definitely damage them and the same rocks were perfectly safe in my hands - unless maybe, you gave me a hammer. It was easy to see that without their mind reading abilities, dealing with Masen would have been extremely difficult. He no longer tore his clothing when he grabbed it and the carpet was safe from having fibers ripped out. All bets were off though if you tickled him, though he never ever grabbed me harshly. Edward had him grab my finger and squeeze till I told him it hurt for him to learn what was and was not acceptable for humans. All in all, he was learning remarkably well.

Physically, though he was only just six weeks old, he resembled a child of nearly a year old and was frequently pulling up on the furniture and in his crib, taking steps on his own. His features were maturing as well, elongating and not so infant like. I kind of missed the really chubby little fingers and cheeks that he was born with and I was hoping . . . really hoping that I got pregnant again on this trip so that Edward and I would have another baby before he changed me.

I fed him and put him down for a nap before we left for the day. Neither of us was sure he needed sleep, but he always went to bed willingly, whether he was sleepy or just an agreeable child, I had no idea. Edward had ideas of going to bed himself once Masen was down . . . and I never objected to time with my husband. Making love with Edward was always an adventure, and I couldn't help the scream that left my lips as he held me against him, rolling us over so that he was on top and thrusting wildly just before his purring turned into a growl and he came . . . again.

We all met out at the dock, the guide having arrived and Edward helping me to climb on board and be seated with him and the baby. We were heading across the lagoon to the _Piazza San Marco, _

the grandest square in Venice and the only which is actually called a _piazza_. The guide explained that it was dominated by the _Basilica of San Marco_ and the _Doge's Palace_. The clock tower had built between 1496 and 1506, and was viewed even by _Napoleon_. To the rear of the _Doge's Palace_ was the famous _Bridge of Sighs_, which connected the palace with public prisons and was the route prisoners were taken to and from the judgement hall. We walked around looking at everything and marveling over being in a place that had existed much the same for several centuries.

I had to remember to ask Edward how many times he had actually been here over the last hundred years, and if he had seen any changes occur. The idea of seeing something, then coming back in a hundred years to see the same thing intrigued me. I had mentioned it when we were at _Yellowstone National Park_ looking at the _Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone_, and I wondered now about this _piazza. _Immortality was definitely going to have its perks!

We visited _Santa Maria dei Frari, _a Gothic style church containing numerous works of art, including the _Altarpiece of the Assumption by Titian_ and a wooden statue by _Donatello._ We went to the _Venier dei Leoni Palace_, headquarters of the _Peggy Guggenheim_ art collection and saw works by _Picasso_ and _Kandinskij_. The city was just teeming with history and everyone seemed interested in what the guide was telling us. He was not only informative, but funny and kept interchanging English with Italian as he spoke, causing Edward to laugh.

There was a special exhibit of some works of art that had not been seen this century, normally kept under wraps by private collectors, and we were all anxious to walk through the exhibit halls to see what was there before we headed back to the hotel.

It had been an amazing day, not unlike every day with Edward had been, but the sights we had taken in to day were beyond my wildest dreams. It was obvious that my mom was speechless - something that rarely happened. As we turned a corner and headed to another hall, I noticed my family visibly stiffen, Alice's eyes glassing over slightly. I heard my husband sigh as his arm tightened around me, his other holding our son. We continued around the corner, and I watched Rosalie greet someone I had heard about, but never seen . . .

"Irina, Tanya . . . what a coincidence running into you here!"

~oooOooo~

**Author's Note:** I know I know - I promised that Renee was leaving, but I just couldn't resist Tanya's entrance! Sue me, lol! Renee will leave before the day over in the next chapter . . . one way or another!


	111. Chapter 111  Unexpected

**Author's Note: ** There is a first time for everything. I have NEVER referenced a song before, but one of the lovely readers, TwiSagaLover, sent me a PM with the song and she was right - it EXACTLY fit the misunderstanding that Edward and Bella had in Paris - and I could see him singing it to her. Please check out the song _Crazy Girl done by the Eli Young Band_,youtube(dot)com/watch?v=hPUToXkFObc. You won't get the full effect without it! Also, this story is at _the writers coffee shop library_ as well, and there is a photo of Edward there, in the chapter (since they allow photos!) to die for!

**I hope everyone is ready to put up with a little Tanya - the outcome in a chapter or so will surprise you!  
**

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox. Lyrics to _Crazy Girl by Elizabeth Rose and Lee Brice_ were used, but altered slightly.

**Chapter 111 Unexpected **

_I heard my husband sigh as his arm tightened around me, his other holding our son._

_We continued around the corner and I watched Rosalie greet someone I had heard about, _

_but never seen . . ._

_"Irina, Tanya . . . what a coincidence running into you here!"_

**EPOV**

"Oh holy hell," I heard myself say without thinking.

"Who is it, sweetheart?"

"The Denali's. You remember hearing us talk about the family in Alaska that shares our . . . diet," I explained, glad that for the moment, Renee had gone to the gift shop to get a surprise for Bella, under the guise of using the ladies room.

Alice had warned me yesterday that we might run into them here, but I had hoped we would be spared.

"Edward! So nice to see you out and about," Irina said as she finished hugging Alice, Jasper Rosalie and Emmett.

"Yes, Eddie. Nice to see you," Tanya said seductively, sidling up to me and putting her hand on my shoulder, her fingers rubbing my neck.

The woman was just impossible and her thoughts told me she would be no different this time. I was the one that got away, the conquest she never made and she was determined to change that. We had been friends for years, at least I thought we were friends, but her attempts at seduction had to stop. Why the hell she was acting like this in public when she clearly saw that I was holding a woman's hand . . . I had no idea.

"Tanya, Irina, I don't believe you have met my_ wife_ . . . Bella. Bella, these are the Denali sisters that you hear us speak of," I explained, never releasing my wife's hand.

"So nice to finally meet you," Bella said offering her hand.

Irina shook hands with her, as did Kate as she walked up to us, but Tanya, being farther away from Bella, still standing beside me, only sneered and continued to stroke the back of my neck. Apparently she had been so focused on the leud thoughts running through her mind, she had not really noticed Masen - well, she had not taken him for other than a human child. She was, however, staring at him now as he lifted her hand and dropped it off my shoulder, glaring at her.

My family about lost it when they saw the baby's actions. There was no mistaking the frown Masen was giving Tanya and I released Bella's hand momentarily so that I could stroke his back and calm him.

_"The sisters consider themselves part of our family, son, and no - you can not just make her go away," _I told him mentally.

"And this is my son, Masen," I said, their minds reeling.

Kate and Irina both eyed the child and me warily. I let them stew for a moment, their thoughts all over the place. The only thing they could grasp was that it had to have been Bella's son and I had to have married her knowing she had a child. Though they had never heard of a vampire raising a human child, it could be done . . . they supposed, though why anyone would want to was beyond them. The idea that the child was something else . . . something more . . . well, it was just too far fetched for them. Their mother was put to death for creating an immortal child, and they were quite sensitive about the subject.

I clarified, answering some of their mental thoughts for them before they asked . . .

"Yes, my biological son. Not an immortal child, or a human," I told them so softly that no other humans could have heard.

Irina and Tanya both stepped back as though it had been choreographed, leaving Kate the closest to me and my son.

"I told you there was a surprise," Alice chimed in, "when we talked last fall and I told you Edward had gotten married."

"A surprise, yes, but this . . . Alice, this is more than just a surprise," Kate declared, looking less than composed.

"Yes, you can imagine how surprised we were when we found out Bella was pregnant and I was going to be a father. It was something I had never even dared to hope for but she has given me more than I ever dreamed was possible."

"Yes. Yes, I can imagine that was quite a shock, pressured into marrying and all - it makes sense now . . . somewhat," Tanya scowled at Bella.

"_Calm down Masen. No, Tanya doesn't like your mom. Yes, I know you could put the thought in her head and make her but you mustn't change people like that unless someone is in danger, son. No, Tanya won't actually hurt your mom. Son, Tanya wanted to be with me and she's jealous of your mom, that's all," _I tried to explain mentally to my son, but his emotions were reeling. He was very protective of his mom and he was immediately aware of the thoughts of the vampires in front of us.

"Actually . . . Tanya - is it?" Bella questioned, getting a nod of affirmation from Tanya. "Well, Tanya, Edward and I were married three months before I became pregnant with our son. Guess it took a little trying," Bella retorted in a bold, confident manner.

"Lots of trying in fact," I said as I leaned down and kissed my wife's cheek, "though we had no idea we could manage to get pregnant from our efforts."

My son squealed in delight and clapped his hands. Apparently he liked the feeling that his mom had caused in Tanya . . . and I tightened my grip on him. Rosalie loved that one and high fived me mentally as Tanya's mind reeled. Alice stood by with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. She had seen Bella's confident attitude and was bubbling over with pride at her behavior . . . as was I.

"We were just about to leave these newlyweds to themselves and go clubbing, want to join us?" Rosalie asked the sisters.

"Absolutely. We've already seen this exhibit and we were just about to leave anyway," Irina said.

The sisters said good by and Tanya made some comment about my leaving the baby with it's mom and coming with them - but that was never happening. Emmett's eyes rolled at the thought and he had visions of dismembering her on the spot. Jasper had been attempting to send a calm over all of us, and I was thankful for that. Lord knows what would have happened without it, or how the sisters would have reacted to Masen!

"Well that was fun," Bella laughed.

I was so glad to hear that sound I was beside myself. Not being able to read her mind and know her thoughts drove me crazy, and never more than right now.

"I'm so sorry about that, love. I knew you would meet them eventually, and it was always going to be tense. Tanya is a succubus, seducing mortals and immortals alike constantly and apparently I am the only one in almost 900 years that has said no," I explained.

"Huh. Well, you can explain that one later, though I have another name for her . . . ," my wife sighed.

We found Renee still in the gift shop, oblivious to all that had just occurred. We suggested we go and get some refreshments and explained that my siblings had run into some friends and would be out with them for the evening.

We ducked into a small cafe to taste _gelato, _sometimes called Italian ice. It was smooth like ice cream but different somehow, at least according to Bella. She and Renee loved theirs and shared with Masen, who promptly wrinkled his face and stuck his tongue out repeatedly, trying to rid his mouth of the flavor. We all laughed so hard there were tears in my wife's eyes..

"It's all right, son. I don't like the stuff either," I said, taking him from Renee to comfort him as he turned his small face and frowned at his mom.

"No, you didn't hurt mommy's feelings, son. She just wants you to try things to see if you like them. If you don't, it doesn't hurt our feelings," I explained, rubbing his back as he clung to my shoulders, still warily eyeing the cups of gelato on the table.

We had an early dinner at _Ca D'Oro, _supposedly offering the best meatballs in Venice along with a fantastic selection of Venetian antipasti. Renee and Bella laughed and ate and ate and then ate more before ordering dessert. The purpose of the trip for Bella had originally been food - and she was taking it all in.

"I hope we get pregnant on this trip, sweetheart, I need something to disguise and explain how fat I'm getting from all this food!" my wife moaned, wiping her lips again with my napkin before picking up a fork to taste the last little bit of cheesecake.

"Don't be silly, love. You're only now getting some of your weight back from before the accident. You got pregnant before you ever gained it all back and you never did gain enough weight while you were carrying Masen," I told her, my arm on the back of her chair.

Renee nodded in agreement.

"Well, I just thought you might want some warning before your wife was so fat you had to carry her everywhere because she could no longer walk," she laughed.

"I would happily carry you anywhere you wanted to go, love. Anywhere," I said as I kissed the very corner of her mouth and squeezed her shoulder.

"Well, let's waddle back to the hotel then, shall we?" Renee suggested, "Is it possible to walk there?"

"Not all the way, Renee, but we can walk for a bit if you want," I told her, signing the tab and folding the receipt for the waiter to pick up.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

We left the building and walked beside the canal. It was so beautiful with all the lights and the boats passing by. We met our guide at a dock a mile or so from the restaurant and headed to the hotel, saying goodnight to my mom and putting a sleepy Masen in his bed for the night.

"Baby, do you know where Masen left his teddy bear?" I asked, looking under and around his crib.

Edward came walking into the bedroom holding it, "It was on the floor in the living room where we were playing ball earlier, love."

"Thanks," I replied, taking the bear and tucking it under the blanket beside our son. His little arm immediately went around it and his face snuggled into the soft fur. He was just impossibly cute with the innocent little face framed by auburn curls.

We both stared at him for several minutes before walking quietly from his room and shutting the door. Edward would hear him, regardless.

"You were amazing with Tanya, love. I'm so glad you didn't let her get to you," my husband said seductively, his hands massaging my neck and shoulders from behind, "Would you care to take a dip in the hot tub with me?"

I kissed his lips in answer and he left a trail of ripped clothing between where we stood and the garden outside as he moved us there at vampire speed. Apparently he had enough of being with the rest of the family and wanted some alone time . . . I did too. He settled me on his lap and I immediately straddled him, kissing his neck and lips as our faces felt the cold and our bodies warmed in the tub. We sank below water up to our necks, which meant that I was sitting comfortably on one of the submerged benches. Our quiet time in the hot tub quickly became heated, my husband exploiting the fact that he didn't have to breath as he nestled his face between my thighs and proceeded to drive me insane. Apparently coming once wasn't good enough for him as he licked and sucked, his fingers curling at just the right angle to hit the spot that made me come unglued. He held me in a vice grip, both arms around my legs and cupping my but to him.

Between what he was doing to me, the jets of water relaxing me and the beautiful Venetian lagoon with the lights of the boats dancing in front of me . . . I wasn't sure that anything could be much better than this.

I would have never in a million years imagined what happened next.

"Edward? Oh, there you are," she called from the glass doors to the suite.

There was a nasty gleam in her eye and I knew that I would not like what she was about to say.

"I called but no one answered," she continued as I tried to have a somewhat normal expression on my face. "I'm glad to find you alone, though. I just wanted to tell you . . ."

She stopped cold . . . probably finally noticing the trail of clothing, his and mine, that led to the tub.

Pulling on Edward's hair and trying to close my legs had only caused him to double his efforts, thinking I was wanting more and becoming over excited as well, so I gave up on trying to warn him that we had company and concentrated on not moaning out loud as he pleasured me. Of course, now was the time Edward had decided to see just how many times he could make me come in a row.

"Can I h.h..help you . . . Tanya?" I tried to say with a normal voice, though I was sure some syllables were louder than others.

Her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to speak just as Edward surfaced, content with the number of climaxes he had given me or just desperate for some of his own - I had no idea which but he kissed me and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me as his hands continued to explore.

"Edward I . . . ," Tanya stopped cold.

Edward turned to look at her, then back to me, surprised. He obviously read her mind and knew that she had been there for awhile. He had been hidden underwater for that length of time and had been so into what he was doing, he hadn't sensed her approach, though being under water would not have normally stopped him from noticing her arrival. Her demeanor changed completely once she realized he was there with me.

"Would you like some company?" she asked, her shoes already off and her fingers making short order of the buttons down the front of her dress.

"No. No. And hell no, "my husband almost yelled, "Why the hell are you in our suite?"

"Now, Eddie . . . is that anyway to talk to an old friend? You and your little wifey are naked already, how about I join you and give her some pointers on how to really take care of a man. You and I both know the touch of a human could never be rough enough for you and I can . . ."

"Set one foot in this water, Tanya, and I will lite your pyre myself," Edward told her, placing himself between me and her, still chest deep in the water.

Thankfully he was standing next to the edge. I had no intention of letting _anyone_ see my husband naked . . . especially her.

"Eddie . . . your breath absolutely _reek_s of human," she smiled, "Is that how bad mine smells when I finish with one of my boy toys?"

"I wouldn't know. Get. Out. Now!" he growled as loud and fiercely as I had ever heard.

Unfortunately, he woke Masen even inside the suite. Our son almost never cried - but he was wailing loudly now. I stepped around my husband's body and out of the tub, nonchalantly grabbing a towel to put around myself, then holding one out in front of Edward so that he could step out of the tub without _my_ private parts of him being seen. Tanya stood, staring at my husband's chest as he wrapped the towel firmly around his waist.

"If you'll excuse me," I said dismissively as I reached the glass doors to our suite. "My husband normally puts out the trash. I need to tend to our son," I told her as I left them beside the tub and headed to Masen.

I had no need to watch. I heard Edward follow me, open the door to our suite and toss her shoes outside suggesting that she would be the next thing tossed if she didn't get the hell out.

God, I loved my husband.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I locked the door, then went to the glass doors to the Jacuzzi and locked them, taking a few minutes to compose myself before walking into Masen's room to face my wife. Though I loved the bold face she had put on by stepping naked from the tub,

I expected her to be furious.

I expected her to be crying.

I expected to find a trembling mass, needing me to console her. . .

I found none of those things. Bella was just finishing diapering Masen, having fed him from one breast, and sat on the edge of the bed to give him the other breast. Masen, however, was asleep before he even had the chance to suck the nipple into his mouth.

She smiled at me as she laid Masen in his crib and covered him and his bear, not bothering to wrap her towel back around her as she stood and walked to me. She took my hand and leading me to our room.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about that, love. I had no idea she would act like that, go that far in front of you," I explained.

"She has been like that with you for years, though, hasn't she? I imagine her thoughts were pretty explicit as well," she suggested.

"Yes," I confirmed, staring straight into her eyes as she headed towards our bedroom.

"Even in the museum today when she first walked up to us," she said as she walked me over to our bed.

"Yes."

I hated her having to know some of the things I had to put up with, but there was no way I would ever lie to her, especially not about another woman.

"But you've never been with her, have you?" she asked as she unfastened the towel around my waist and laid backwards on our bed, pulling me on top of her.

"God, no."

"I didn't think so," she admitted as she stroked my cheek and we scooted to the center of the bed.

Her hands held my face as she kissed me softly, my length slowly becoming hard as I realized that my wife was not shaken by Tanya's appearance. She was kissing me softly, but passionately as my hands explored her hips and the sides of her breasts, coming to rest on her cheeks as well. She kissed me again, releasing me as she scooted up slightly, my mouth positioned over the breast that Masen had not fed from.

"That was so unfair, using your lack of need for oxygen against me like that in the tub, baby. But I can always count on this," she said as she all but put her nipple into my mouth, "to satisfy you in return."

As soon as milk reached my mouth I was hard. I sheathed myself in her warmth, starting to come continually as I drank. Forcing myself not to pin her down, I gently stroked her other breast with my free hand as I rocked into her, causing her the friction she craved and feeling her come around me as I continued to be absolutely blissed out at the hands of my wife.

God I loved this woman beyond all reason, and it seemed she loved me just the same. We woke together, just an hour or so later, each of us feeling completely refreshed.

"Let's go over to the piano bar, love. I think the others were going there to sit and chat after the club and it might be fun," I suggested, knowing I had been practicing my piano for the past two nights and anxious to surprise her.

Bella ran next door to her mom's room. Renee was more than willing to come over and listen for Masen while we went out for a little while. Any chance to spend time with him she quickly accepted, regardless. Things started late in Venice and I knew my sister well enough to know her habits. She would come back here to change and regroup at the bar before they continued clubbing the second half of the night. Undoubtedly, that was why Tanya had been here in the hotel in the first place, though she had traveled enough in her very long life to know that this was the preferred hotel when staying in Venice.

Bella slipped into a blue, backless dress that was drop dead gorgeous on her. I would never have been able to resist but for the fact that I had been inside her only an hour or so ago. I pulled on some slacks and a button down, grabbing a jacket as well as I knew they wouldn't let me in without it. We thanked Renee, telling her we would be just across the gardens and left. I would be able to monitor Masen and Renee's thoughts from the bar, so I wasn't worried about leaving the baby alone with his very human grandmother.

My siblings were all there, apparently waiting for Tanya to dress and return. Alice smirked, being the only one that had any idea what had delayed Tanya's return. I got Bella a glass of wine and we sat on the love seat, my family occupying a circle of sofa's and chairs near the piano. The entire lounge was decorated with multiple seating areas surrounding the raised piano, in addition to tables with chairs and booths against the walls, the bar covering one end of the room. I always enjoyed talking with Kate, and tonight was no different.

The bar was known for showcasing new talent and we listened to comedy acts as well as guitarists with the occasional piano player thrown in. I excused myself for a moment, going to the bar to get Bella more wine and to do a quick errand.

Rosalie explained about Bella's accident and told Kate and Irina about the hospital and the wedding, apologising to them for the lack of announcements sent out but explaining the sudden pregnancy and cross country trip as well as the kidnapping and birth. Jasper elaborated on just how bad I had gotten without Bella, when I had returned to Forks and found her gone, and how happy I had been since we found her.

"Edward. You two have certainly been busy the last year, haven't you," Kate exclaimed as I returned, "I am just so thrilled to see you this happy. In the last 50 years I don't think I've seen you smile as much as I've witnessed here in the last fifteen minutes."

"Yes, he does seem to have that silly grin plastered to his face, doesn't he." Tanya said as she walked in and sat on the arm of the seat where Bella and I were sitting.

"Stop right there, Tanya. My brother is happy for the first time since I met him and Bella is directly responsible for that," Rosalie snapped at her as my arm tightened around my wife, "Not to mention that I have a nephew and more on the way!"

Kate, Irina and Tanya all turned to stare at Bella and me.

"We're trying our best, but we can't be sure yet," I told them with more than a little smirk as I turned and watched Bella turn red and bury her face in my chest.

We clapped politely as the guitarist left the stage and the DJ reappeared.

"Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat. One of our own, a guest here at the _Cipriani _would like to showcase a new song that he wrote. Le signore ed I gentiluomini, per favore dà il benvenuto Sig. Edward Cullen. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Edward Cullen!"

If I were capable of blushing, I knew that I would have been beet red. In all my years, I had never done _anything_ even remotely like this before. I rose, taking my wife's hand, kissing it as I led her to a seat closer to the piano before I took the stage myself, thanking the audience and moving to stand at the piano.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am a newlywed," I announced, the round of applause and cat calls was deafening. "While I have been here at your beautiful hotel, I was inspired to write this song for my wife." I turned my attention to her, looking directly into her eyes, "Bella, I love you more than life itself. I don't always have the correct reactions - but I always love you."

I saw tears forming in her eyes, even before I played the first note. I took a seat, stared directly at my wife, and started to play.

_Baby why you wanna cry?_

_You really oughta know that I_

_Just have to walk away sometimes_

_We're gonna do what lovers do_

_We're gonna have a fight or two_

_But I'm not ever changing my mind_

I smiled at her as I started the chorus. She knew immediately that the song was about the misunderstanding we had in Paris.

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

I started the interlude as tears streamed down her face, Alice had her hand over her heart and not a single breath was taken by Rosalie or my brothers, much less the Denali's, as I continued . . .

_I wouldn't last a single day_

_I'd probably just fade away_

_Without you I'd lose my mind_

_Before you ever came along_

_I was living life all wrong_

_The smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine_

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman, come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_Like crazy, girl_

I got up from the piano and took the mike in hand walking over to where my wife had been sitting. I held her hand till she stood and I put my arm around her before I finished the last few lines . . .

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_Like crazy, girl_

Then I kissed her. I could not have cared less who was watching. As far as I was concerned, there was no one on the planet but my wife and me as I kissed her way more passionately than was appropriate in public. We were, however, in Italy, and Italians prided themselves on being passionate lovers - so there was a standing ovation and cat calls all round as the DJ called for drinks for our entire party on the house.

"L'amo, mia moglie. Lei tutto è a me. Non posso esistere senza lei. Mai sono stato solo il vostro," I whispered to my wife as I laid the mike down and returned to our seats.

"Edward, what did you just say to me?" my wife asked as she held me tight, tears staining her cheeks.

Unbidden, Tanya answered in her most vile, acid tone, translating my words.

"He said, _I love you my wife. You are everything to me. I cannot exist without you_. _I have only ever been yours_," just before she ran from the room.

~oooOooo~


	112. Chapter 112  Frank Discussions

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** I finished this way early, again (yea!) so I thought you might enjoy reading today rather than tomorrow! lots of people have been asking what was going on back home in Highlands, and with Jacob - so . . .

**Chapter 112 Frank Discussions**

_Unbidden, Tanya answered in her most vile, acid tone, translating my words. _

_"He said, I love you my wife. You are everything to me. _

_I cannot exist without you_. _I have only ever been yours_,"

_just before she ran from the room._

**BPOV**

I was married to the sweetest, most loving man God ever created. Yes, I said God because this amazing man had the most beautiful soul.

I had managed to remain strong on the surface when the gorgeous strawberry blond vampire put her hand on my husband's neck and stroked him at the museum. I had even maintained my composure when she suggested that he ditch our son with me and go out clubbing with her. I had even managed to show enough confidence to step out of the jacuzzi in our suite naked and leave my husband, dressed only in a towel, to show her out. Well, kind of . . . stepping naked from the tub was forced because I needed to grab a towel for Edward. There was no way I as giving her the satisfaction of seeing him naked if he stepped out to get it himself.

It had been such a tumultuous day, and I had put on a confident front all day, determined not to let anything to do with another woman bother me as far as my husband was concerned. At least I was determined not to let it show. There would forever be nagging insecurities, it was in my nature and I knew that.

Jasper knew how I was feeling, of course. He had pulled me aside before joining the others when they were leaving the museum earlier and again at the club before Edward had gone up to sing and play. I felt the confidence and calm he was washing over me, and I loved him for it. That and the fact that he never gave me away, never mentioned to anyone else that I was anything but confident and secure - well, other than Alice. I assumed he told her everything.

I was secure. More secure than I had ever been, anyway. I had forced myself to keep it together all day the day Edward had left and took Masen with him. I kept telling myself that he would be at the train station like he said. He said he would meet me there that evening . . . and his had done exactly that, walking over to kiss my cheek when he first saw me there regardless of whether we were mad at each other or not.

I held him as he finished singing the last line of the song he had written, his voice husky and perfect as he sang into the mike that he held with his free hand. His other arm was encircling me, holding me to him as I stood there shaking with emotion, tears streaming down my face.

I had heard the words in his song, the ones telling me that he would never leave me, that he just had to walk away sometimes. I understood . . . I even felt the same way sometimes and just because I walked away never ever meant that I was leaving him. We truly would probably just lose our minds and fade away without each other - it had already happened when he left me before . . . and as close as we had become now, we could never ever exist without each other. We were the halves to a whole, neither being complete without the other. That was why I could be confident in the face of an absolutely stunning immortal trying to seduce my husband. It wasn't that I thought I was prettier or better . . . far from it. I was damaged goods, hideously scarred and forever plain - but none of that mattered.

He was mine . . . and I knew it.

Now he had blatantly displayed the love he had for me and his vow to never leave me in public, not just in front of family and friends . . . and the kiss that followed . . . well, it was as though we were alone in our bedroom.

She had come to sit by him in the lounge when we were with my family and then, unasked, she had acidly translated my husband's words of love to me from Italian to English before making her hasty exit. I had dealt with vampires that had it in for me before, wanting to torture and kill me as retribution, but this was different. It wasn't me that she wanted . . . she wanted Edward.

We returned to our seats in the lounge, our arms still around each other and my face stained with tears. Edward took out his handkerchief and wiped my face, kissing me softly, but Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me towards he ladies room.

"That, my sister, was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen my brother do," she said dramatically, as soon as the door closed behind us.

She had me wash my face in the basin while she unloaded the salon she carried in her purse onto the counter.

"He is the sweetest man alive, Alice," I whispered, holding on to the counter and trying not to shed any more tears.

"I have lived with him the last fifty years or so, Bella, and he has never been willing to play in front of anyone other than family, and at home. For him to have initiated that - playing in public - in front of a spotlight and microphone, that was nothing short of amazing," she trilled, "Did you love the song? I have never heard him do a song other than classical. Even the lullaby he wrote for you would classify as classical!"

"It was beautiful, wasn't it Alice," I agreed as Alice applied some sort of goo to my face.

"Girl, you are so lucky," Rosalie announced as she entered the restroom with us, "Emmett would never show his feelings in public like that. I don't think he even has it in him for that matter."

"Rose, didn't you just love it?" I asked, still floored by the open display from my husband.

"Little sister, anything I ever said about you not joining our world, about you making a mistake . . . I was wrong. You belong with him," she said as she hugged me. "As for that bitch of a cousin of ours, wait till I get my hands on her," she steamed.

"Well, at least we had clothes on for the assault this time," I smirked.

"Clothes on? This time? What the hell?" Rosalie barked as she hopped up on the counter and sat down, both hands gripping the edge. She looked from me to Alice and back to me. "Okay, somebody spill," she demanded.

"Tanya went to their suite earlier this evening," Alice told her.

"And we _happened_ to be outside in the jacuzzi. Naked."

"And Edward _happened_ to be submerged, and only paying attention to the task at hand," Alice winked and smiled and I blushed.

"And Tanya _happened_ to offer to join us and teach me how to please my husband."

"SHE DID NOT!" Rosalie almost yelled, astounded.

"She did," Alice nodded.

"So I stepped out and held a towel in front of Edward, so that he could get out."

"And? Go on . . ."

"And nothing. Edward growled so loud telling her to leave that he woke Masen. I went to take care of our son while my husband _put out the trash_," I snickered.

"Damn. I would have paid money to see that," Rosalie insisted.

"I liked that our little sister stepped out naked to get a towel and hold it for Edward. Could you imagine if Tanya saw the goods and could torment him with mental images of what she could do to the real thing instead of her imagined vision of him? Honestly. She is such a slut," Alice said shaking her hear as she artfully applied my mascara.

"I loved that you had the presence of mind to walk away telling her that you would leave your husband to _put out the trash_. Perfect, just perfect," Alice smirked.

"My sister actually came to your suite?" Kate asked, stepping into the ladies room with us.

"You heard everything?" Alice asked as I stiffened.

"Yes. I have to admit, I was straining to pick it all up from out there, the lounge is kind of loud. It just kind of peeked my interest when Rose came in. I am just so sorry about my sister's behavior, Bella. I hope you won't judge all of us based on her actions. She has always been kind of obsessive when it came to Edward," Kate offered sincerely, her hand touching my shoulder.

"He was the one she couldn't have," Irina added coming through the door as well, "and she doesn't consider a human to be anything other than a toy, certainly not a mate, regardless of the child you two have together. To her, Edward is still a free man since he isn't mated to an immortal. Tanya has been around almost a millennium, so she sees humans as passing fancies, nothing more."

She moved to stand behind Alice and look over her handiwork.

"I guarantee you, Edward is just as mated as he would be if she were already one of us. I'm not sure they could be any closer!" Alice insisted, somewhat incensed.

"Please, as my sister said, please don't judge us all harshly because of Tanya. Kate and I are both so very happy that Edward has finally found someone. I have never seen him like this, and I'm sure you're the reason," Irina said emphatically.

Alice and Rosalie nodded in response and I thanked them for their well wishes, assuring them that I only blamed Tanya for her actions and not the rest of the family. They looked relieved, genuinely relieved.

"Forgive us, Bella, but we just have to ask," Kate said, glancing at Irina, " It's possible for us to have sex with human men, but they could never hurt us. In fact, it took some time and trials to learn how to not kill them during sex. So I ask you, Edward manages to make love with you and not hurt you? "

"Yes," I answered, wondering if I really wanted to have this conversation, "Well, other than an occasional bruise."

"Makes love? Holy hell . . . they fuck like rabbits almost continually," Rose laughed.

"We do not," I said defensively. I paused, shaking my head before I looked up at her, "Well, not _continually_!"

Alice and Rosalie were laughing so hard I was afraid the entire lounge would hear them. Irina and Kate stared at each other, their eyebrows raised.

"Yea, we didn't know big brother had it in him," Rose laughed.

"He doesn't. He has it in her, usually at least half the day," Alice joked, gaining the laughter of all five of us at her joke.

"Edward really did get you pregnant? You gave birth to a half vampire child and lived?" Kate asked, her eyes sparkling with what appeared to be genuine amazement.

"That has only happened in rumors, and the tale is that the child rips its way out, so the mother never lives," Irina added.

"Edward reads minds. So does his son. They were able to communicate even before Masen was born and Edward talked him through the birth so that he let nature take its course and didn't bite his mom. Edward delivered their son at home alone, just the two of them, and it all went off splendidly," Alice shared.

"Well, that is just amazing. Is the child . . . ," Irina started to ask a question, but Alice cut her off.

"We don't know everything about how Masen will grow up. He has a heartbeat, that you can plainly hear, but it runs slower than a humans, and he is colder. Half of what runs through his system isn't blood, it's venom," Alice continued to explain, "and though he appears to be almost a toddler, he is only six weeks old."

"Six weeks old? He looks to be a year old at least, and he's so aware!" Irina commented.

"And his diet?" Kate asked.

"Right now he is being breastfed," I explained, staring at their shocked faces, "but he also enjoys bottles of blood and bits of human food."

"The child doesn't have vampire teeth then, I mean sharp like ours," Kate concluded, seemingly relieved.

"No, he does. Edward just tells him to be sure and not bite mommy, and Masen listens. He's really very careful with me, even with his grip. He's already much much stronger than I am," I told them, shaking my head.

Rosalie smiled . . . that look, the one where you just knew she was going to start something.

"Well, it's a good thing the child likes blood and human food so that he gets enough to eat. Edward steals the baby's food on a daily basis!" Rose laughed.

They stood still, not breathing for the longest time before everyone broke out in laughter.

"He does not!" Kate finally got the words out, shocked and laughing at the same time, "A male vampire, sucking milk from a human and not biting them?" Kate acknowledged that it was just amazing and congratulated us on how happy and thrilled we must be to have been able to have a child of our own.

"And you're trying to have another?" they asked, almost together.

"Yes. If it happens on this trip, then we'll have another baby. Otherwise, when we return home Edward is going to change me. We want our forever together," I admitted.

"This trip is only because Bella here wanted to taste human food from all over the world before she only wanted blood. She is kind of a food nut. She actually got all of us to taste different types of meat in a restaurant to see if we could tell what animal it had come from," Alice nodded, a disgusted look crossing her face.

Rose howled with laughter before telling them that I had managed to get Edward to eat balls . . . starting yet another round of laughter.

"Bella, you are going to make a fun addition to this family, I just know it." Kate laughed as Alice packed the salon back into her purse and we headed out to join the guys.

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

"We really do enjoy it here, Carmen. Hard to believe we're so far South and still have cloudy weather much of the time, but it's true," Esme explained as they stood, watching the sunset from the back deck of the cabin.

The kids had been gone for several weeks now, and my wife and I had enjoyed the alone time quite a bit - well, sort of alone. Jacob had returned to Highlands a couple of weeks after the council meeting. Apparently he was still determined to live and work here in Highlands, despite the reservations of the tribal council. He had gone ahead and broken ground for his new racing facility, and was even having the home next door to the business renovated.

The home he had purchased was far too large for just him . . . so we wondered what exactly he had planned as he spent his days working and supervising construction and his weekends at Clemson with Bree, or with Bree here . . . at Edward and Bella's.

Bella had asked Jacob to house sit while they were away, and Edward had agreed that it was a good idea to have someone there. None of us had expected, however, that Esme would adopt Jacob the way she had, insisting on preparing his dinner in the evenings and taking it there or having him stop by to eat here on his way home in the evenings. I had even found myself sitting in the living room on the sofa with my wife, enjoying a movie with Jacob as our guest. Who would have ever thought it possible.

I sat at the opposite end of the porch, brought back from my musings by Eleazar asking me yet another question about Edward.

"Carlisle, is Bella not Edward's_ la tua cantante?_"

"She is. Her blood sings for him . . . but he says he got over it, "I told him. watching his eyebrows lift as a surprised expression settled on his features.

I understood that look . . . it must have been similar to the one on my face when Edward first tried to explain it to me.

"Got over it? How is that even possible?" Eleazar asked, stunned almost to the point of being unable to speak.

"Edward ways that being away from her for the better part of a year, and the pain that caused him to not have her in his life, makes him shy away from _anything_ that would cause him to loose her - including drinking her blood," I explained. "Eleazar, he cared for her in the hospital with her blood draining into a bag and wiped her weeping wounds. He even gave her mouth to mouth at the site of her motorcycle crash with her blood covering his lips while putting tourniquets on her to stop the obvious bleeding. I have no idea how he did it . . . but he did."

"Well, that's just unheard of. The boy has control the likes of which I have never seen before, even as old as I am!" he laughed, "Of course, he had to have immense control not to harm her having sex with her, especially enough times to get her pregnant!"

"I think they were going for quantity," I laughed. "They had no idea they could get pregnant . . . I had told Edward that he could not father a child and, since they were both virgins, there was no change of her getting any kind of infection from him or anything else."

He sat, apparently pondering the situation for some had gone over and over the details of the birth, of course, and all I knew of Masen's physiology - what few facts we were sure of and those we suspected. He was as amazed as I was that Edward had actually managed to deliver the child naturally without Bella being harmed.

"The connection between Masen and Edward must be very strong, Carlisle, for any of that to have been possible," Eleazar insisted, "The child's mental power must rival that of Edward's even now, as young as he is. I suspect the vampire qualities that he inherited are at full strength from day one, not growing with him as a human grows into their abilities."

"Well, from what Edward has told me over the phone, Masen continues to learn at an amazing rate," I added. "Of course, Edward works with him for hours and hours each day. He hesitates to keep the child up at night, but insists that Masen seems delighted with any knowledge he shares with him and is full of questions all the time. He and I think that Masen just sleeps to appease us, that he may not actually require sleep . . . or very little of it."

"Have you done any tests on his skin, Carlisle?" he asked.

"No. Neither Edward nor Bella would allow that, even if I wanted to. Edward did have to tear the amniotic sac with his teeth as well as having to bite through the umbilical cord. I have noted that there have been no bruises or scrapes of any kind, like you would expect to see on a small child that crawls the floor. Edward was telling me that Masen quite effortlessly tore the harness that held him in a stroller they bought for him, you know, the shoulder harness things that humans have to keep small ones in place . . . like seat belts for infants? Well, anyway, apparently Masen silently ripped his restraints, got out of his stroller and climbed up a statue at the _Louvre_!" I laughed.

"Carlisle!" he exclaimed concerned, "Did anyone see him?"

"No, no. Thankfully," I assured him, "Edward and Bella were only noticing each other as they stood in an embrace beside the stroller. Edward grabbed him quickly, before he was noticed. No one had thought to tell him that the straps were there for a reason and that he wasn't allowed to break them or get up without permission."

I smiled at the thought, I could just see the scene in my head as he had described it.

"That was when Edward took explaining each and everything to Masen much more seriously. He describes in intricate detail the habits he expects Masen to portray and the activities that are human and those that are . . . not," I explained.

"What do you mean?" my friend asked.

"Well, drinking blood from a bottle is not a human thing to do, and now Masen knows that and is quite sly about it if his grandmother comes in. His strength, of course, is an issue but Edward addressed that with him the first time he grasped his mother too tight and left a bruise. They are both quite protective of Bella," I revealed.

"And . . ." my friend hesitated, "does Aro know of this?"

"Not directly . . . no. He knows about Edward's burned arm, I called him for council, and that indirectly led us to discuss the fact that Edward had taken a mate. He presumed she would be changed, or was already, and I told him no different. They had planned to change her the beginning of this year anyway, and they were just waiting to wean Masen off of breast milk."

"Yes. Amazing, you told me of the healing that ingesting breast milk caused in Edward . . . and the effect the milk has on him."

I hesitated, not really wanting to know the answer to the next question, but having to ask , "Does Aro still . . . collect gifts?"

"If you mean does he still send people like myself out searching for vampires or humans with gifts, then the answer is no, I don't think he does," Eleazar smiled, "I think that ended when I resigned the position of _chief procurer_."

We both laughed and puffed on our cigars, pausing for a moment to enjoy the night air. It was an uneasy quiet, though, and my friend finally said what we were both thinking, "That doesn't mean he doesn't still want them, though. And the fact that the child is a hybrid, a _Dhampyre . . ._ well, that might just be too much for him to resist."

"Carlisle, _Dhampyres _supposedly have all of our abilities, and none of our weaknesses . . . making them something sought after by those who want power. They are supposed to be extremely adept at detecting and killing vampires, and unusually intolerant of them. That being said, did I hear you tell me that the child was protective of his mother?"

"Yes, very," I confirmed.

"And Edward?"

"Masen has just this week, in the last few days shown himself to be very protective of Edward," I laughed," it seems that the rest of your family ran into them in Venice yesterday.

"Oh my!" Carmen said, she and Esme coming over to sit with us, "I hope Tanya behaved herself. you know what a crush she has always had on Edward."

"Yes, well . . . she didn't behave well, apparently . . . but that's beside the point. With regard to Masen's attitude toward his father, it seems that Edward was holding Masen when Tanya put her hand on his shoulder and started massaging his neck . . . in a museum when he was standing with Bella and the others."

"Oh, no! She did it inappropriately, didn't she?" Carmen deduced.

"Yes, but what I was getting at is that apparently Masen, who was in Edward's arms at the time, picked up Tanya's hand and dropped it from his father's neck," I related the story as Edward had related it to me.

Esme smiled, as did I.

"How cute is that that he is so protective of his father!" Carmen giggled.

Eleazar was not so easily deterred, "It could simply have been that he sensed that Tanya's hand there was upsetting his mother . . . or he read something in Tanya's mind that he didn't like. You did say he read minds, correct?"

"Yes. Well, he senses his mothers emotions well, but we are unsure if he can read her mind fully. Bella's mine is closed to Edward completely," I explained.

"Well, let's hope for all of our sakes that the child does care for his father, though he is a vampire. The legends are just that, legends, but you know there is usually some truth to the ones that vampires pass down, one way or another. Since vampires have been caring for him since birth, perhaps the disdain his species is supposed to have for them has been abated. It's not like there are any other known living _Dhampyres _to compare him to."

"Who has disdain for other species?" Jacob asked as he walked up and entered through the back screened door greeting everyone warmly and even hugging my wife, referring to her as _ma. _

We had introduced him when our cousins had first arrived and they had met a time or two since, but Eleazar and Carmen were still somewhat wary of him and they found it difficult not to react negatively to his . . . _odor_.

"We were just discussing Masen," I told him.

"So now he gets to be a separate species, huh. I'm not the only one?" Jacob laughed.

"No Jacob," I retorted, trying to hold back my laughter, "You are not the only one out there with 24 chromosomal pairs!"

"Well, regardless of whether I'm becoming one of a crowd or not, I'm hungry," he fussed.

Esme stood and started toward the kitchen door as he continued, "I thought if you guys were hungry, I could have leftovers. I'm feeling like a run tonight!"

"I think that might be arranged," I said, moving to put my cigar in the ash tray and stand. "Carmen, Eleazar, would you care to hunt?"

~oooOooo~


	113. Chapter 113  Leaving

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note:**_ Alright, some news. A very respected and valued reader who has faithfully reviewed each and every chapter has threatened to find me and "kick my butt" if Renee is not sent home in this chapter! ha! luckily, it was already planned . . ._**  
**

**Chapter 113 Leaving**

_"Ladies and gentlemen, I am a newlywed,"_

_I announced, the round of applause and cat calls was deafening._

_"While I have been here at your beautiful hotel, I was inspired to write this song for my wife."_

_I turned my attention to her, looking directly into her eyes,_

_"Bella, I love you more than life itself. _

_I don't always have the correct reactions - but I always love you."_

**BPOV**

God, could he be more perfect?

I couldn't help but stare at my husband. He sat animated, on the edge of his chair using his hands to gesture as he added to the conversation. He and his brothers were recalling the tale of how they had gotten so involved in chasing and devouring an entire heard of mountain sheep that they had to move mountains, literally, to reach the train as it passed by on the other side of the mountain - the shortcut they had taken to run the night we had been on the Orient Express.

"You should have see it, Kate," Jasper laughed, "Emmett was hysterical. He decided it was entirely too much trouble to go up and over the peak with all the snow and avalanches we would cause, so he just started throwing boulders and cleared a path through an old tunnel that had collapsed years ago. He looked like a large ball of rubble and dirt himself by the time he broke through on the other side!"

"Is that why you were so disgusting when I came back from dinner you big lug," Rose exclaimed as she smacked him on the shoulder.

"What? It was the most direct route," Emmett yelped, indignantly, "We had to get Eddie here back to the train or he would have ripped both our arms off!"

"We could have gone over the pass just as quickly," Edward laughed.

"Yea . . . maybe, but I got there with style!" Emmett laughed emphatically.

Alice just sat with her arms crossed, smiling and shaking her head. She had undoubtedly seen their antics in her head already.

"Honestly boys, is that really fun to you? What if you had missed the train?  
Irina asked.

"We would never have missed the train," Edward said seriously, reaching to give my knee a squeeze, "Worst case, I'm faster than the train and there is no way it was going anywhere without me on it with my family."

"I think that was the first time I have ever called Edward's name, expecting him to miraculously hear me regardless of the distance . . . "

"That's the first time he has been out of hearing range, darlin'," Jasper interrupted, snickering, and causing a round of laughter.

"Well, anyway, I guess I've gotten spoiled with him being able to always hear me."

"I would have thought you would have _hated_ our ability to hear . . . _everything,"_ Kate said suggestively, winking an eye at Rose.

"No, no. I'm used to there being no secrets or privacy, and everyone is good about respecting couple time," I caught a stare and couldn't help returning it, "That is . . . except for Emmett."

"Woah, why single me out little sister?" He asked with a mock hurt puppy dog expression on his face.

"Because you, brother," Edward answered for me, "are the only one that uses what you hear to embarrass her."

He leaned back in his seat to put his arm around me, effective stopping me from running my hand up and down his back and lightly scratching it as he had sat forward talking with everyone.

"Speaking of alone time," my husband said with a smile, "I think it's time Bella and I went back to our room and checked on Masen. You're all going to go out on the town for the rest of the night, right?"

"Absolutely. Emmett promised that if I wasn't getting to watch the baby, he would take me dancing whenever I wanted!"

"You're just using the baby to get her alone . . . again," Alice laughed, "Honestly Edward, you should let her up for air once in a while!"

"Who says I want up for air?" I laughed, standing and possessively putting one arm around Edward and the other flat palmed on his stomach . . . just above his pants.

The gesture did not go unnoticed.

"Well, we found some great new clubs here the last few days," Irina smiled," and there are a couple more I have been waiting to try out!"

We said our good nights, Irina and Kate each giving me a hug, though they were sure they would see me in the morning. Edward and I strolled hand in hand through the gardens that connected the buildings of the _Hotel Cipriani_, enjoying both the alone time and the view. The Venetian lagoon was beautiful, the lights and boats becoming fewer as the evening wore on. I was just pleased to be getting more quiet time with my husband.

Mom was awake, watching a late night talk show of some type on the television with Masen appearing fast asleep in his crib. Edward kissed me and excused himself, faining having to use the restroom and I was sure he was just giving me some time alone with my mom.

"Did he behave, mom?" I asked as I sat beside her and tried to take in what she was watching.

"He never so much as stirred, sweetie. Honestly, there has been nothing for me to do but see what as on the television. Did you two have a nice time?"

"We did. Edward wrote a song for me and he played it at the club," I told her excitedly as she stared at me, shocked.

"He what?"

"Edward wrote a song for me. Well, he has written one before, a lullaby, and one for Masen as well, but this one was different. There were words and he sang it in front of everyone," I trilled, sounding frighteningly like Alice when she was excited.

Mom looked at me like she didn't understand, so I tried to explain.

"The club here at the hotel was hosting kind of an amateur night, letting locals and anyone who wanted up in front of the mike to sing or do comedy or whatever. Edward played the piano and sang a song to me. I can't want for you to hear it, mom, it was just so perfect," I bragged on my husband.

"He is really thoughtful, baby. You two seem to be very much in love," she said softly.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, scooting closer so that I could touch her shoulder.

"Just a feeling I have, sweetie. I can't explain it," she said shaking her head.

"Renee," Edward called as he walked into the room.

I knew the minute I saw him that something was wrong.

"Carlisle called. Apparently there was an accident at the training camp today. Phil was hit with a pitch and it knocked him out. He had Dr. Cullen down as a contact so after you didn't answer your phone, they called Carlisle. The hospital isn't allowing calls at this hour, but he says that Phil is too groggy to talk anyway. the thing is, when he went down he broke his ankle, kind of a nasty break and he will be on crutches for awhile," Edward explained.

"Oh! I left my phone in my room tonight! I need to go to him!" Mom exclaimed, frantically standing.

"I thought you might feel that way. Marco Polo Airport in Venice is only half an hour away. There is a flight connecting to Jacksonville through Atlanta that leaves in three hours. I ordered transportation, so a boat will be waiting to take you to the airport in an hour, if you think you can be ready," Edward offered.

"Yes, of course we will ride with you to the airport," he told her, reading the panic in her mind at the thought of getting there by herself in a foreign country. "Let me call Rose. I'm sure she would love to watch Masen while we're gone."

"Thank you, sweetheart," I said, hugging his neck and kissing him on the cheek, "I'll go with mom to pack her things while you call Rose."

"Of course," he said, stepping closer to hug my mom. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Renee. Carlisle would have told me if there was anything else," he said, obviously trying to comfort her.

Edward hugged me to him and told me not to worry just before I left to go with mom and get her packed. I couldn't help but think there was something else, something to do with me that she was having an uneasy feeling about. She had promised no questions, but I was going to have to find out what was bothering her.

When we got to her room, she flung her suitcase on the bed and started tossing things toward it, raking the bundles of things from the drawers in as well. At this rate, nothing was going to fit, much less make it home without being wrinkled. I picked up each piece, folding it as best I could given the amount of things that were piling up, and placing each thing into one of the cases available.

"Mom, why don't you just take a carry on bag with the things you need and I'll have the rest sent to your house. You really are in no condition to be worrying with all this through customs and all," I suggested.

"Can you do that?" she asked, somewhat stunned.

"I suppose. It shouldn't be a problem, really. I'm sure we can have it taken care of in the morning and not have it stress you out," I told her, still folding.

She plopped down on the bed, letting her breath out in a sigh, her hands folded in her lap.

"You really are just so together these days, sweetheart. Being married certainly seems to agree with you," she smiled, reaching to hug me.

"Edward seems to agree with me you mean," I laughed, "the married part is just details."

"Well, however you want to explain it, that boy and now your son, well, I've just never seen you so content and happy. Nothing seems to phase you, Bella."

"Maybe I've just been blessed to find the perfect man for me, mom. We can travel or go to college or whatever we want to do, without the hassle that most people have with money or disagreements with family. I think finances add lots of stress to people's lives, and we don't have that . . . even at our age," I explained, "but even if we did, I don't think it would matter. Edward makes everything seem perfect, whatever happens to be going on."

"I just want to make sure you're doing the right thing for you, sweetie, not being overwhelmed by the fantasy of it all. I saw how you were without that boy, I know you love him. It's just that, well," she hesitated, "are you sure all of the rest of it, his family, the finances . . . are you sure you want all of it?"

"Mom. I have Edward and Masen. He would change all the rest of it in a heartbeat if I needed him to. I absolutely know that he would do anything for me, and I feel exactly the same way about him," I said emphatically, "I love him."

She looked at me . . . stared at me, really, for a long minute, my hands in hers as we sat facing each other on the foot of her bed. I knew what she wanted to know . . . and I knew I could never tell her.

"Everything is perfect, mom. Really. You need to take care of Phil and tell him we hope he gets better soon," I said, bumping her shoulder with mine.

"You know what I'm getting at, though," she insisted.

"I know, mom, and you know that I can't tell you any more than you already know. I am happy. That should be enough," I all but pleaded.

"Just promise me you won't disappear without a trace, baby. I have to know that I'll see you and my grandson again. Promise me."

"No one can promise something like that, mom. You know that. As far as I know, Edward and Masen and I will see you when we get back from this trip, or at least call you. Just be patient. Everything will be fine, really," I insisted to her, seeming more like the mother than the daughter.

"Hopefully we'll have some good news about a baby brother or sister for Masen."

"So, you two are tying for another baby so soon?"

"No. We aren't exactly trying . . . we're just not preventing. We talked about it, and if God wants us to have another child, then he will give us one. I think we would both love another baby, but we will just have to wait and see."

"Well, you two have years and years for that. You can have children well into your forties these days without worrying so much about it, sweetie. You never know, you and that boy could have a dozen by the time you're both fifty!" she laughed.

I smiled and laughed with her, knowing full well that a sibling for Masen was now or never . . . we didn't have till I was 40 or 50 . . . I would never ever even reach 21.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I heard their conversation, of course, and the resolve with which my wife comforted her mother. I knew, though she had never before we had Masen realized it, she now really did want another child. I understood. It just wasn't worth the risk to wait longer. Still, the thought of taking her mortal life away caused me grief, though I had agreed to change her whenever she wanted.

I heard her words to her mother, trying to explain us.

_"Mom. I have Edward and Masen. He would change all the rest of it in a heartbeat if I needed him to. I absolutely know that he would do anything for me, and I feel exactly the same way about him, I love him."_

. . . and she was right. I would do _anything_ for her, and I no longer dismissed her human feelings as _not as deep_ as mine or _fleeting_. That girl loved me every bit as much as I loved her.

I walked into Renee's suite without knocking, hearing that they were in the bedroom.

"Are you ladies about ready?" I asked, knowing the answer before the question was asked..

"Sweetheart, I suggested that mom just take a carry on so that she doesn't have to worry about customs and luggage. I told her we would ship the rest of her things to her house, that's possible isn't it?" my wife asked.

"Of course. There's no need to worry about anything right now but just getting you safely home, Renee. When you arrive in Jacksonville there will be a driver there holding up a name card, waiting to take you to the hospital or to your car, whichever you want first. Everything is arranged and I'm sure Alice can make short work of getting these bags there as well, if I know Alice. She knows all the ins and outs of shipping clothing." I laughed, trying to lighten the moment.

Renee tucked a few more things in her bag and glanced at the room again, thanking me profusely for treating her to such accommodations and having her with us these last few weeks and such. I took her bag from her and grabbed my wife's hand, gesturing to her coat that I had laid on a chair in the living room. It was winter and quite cold outside at this hour of the early morning.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

We walked out to the dock where I found our boatman with no trouble. Mind reading came in handy in very practical ways sometimes, and there was only one boatman thinking about going to the airport - and he was in a gondola, but outfitted with a motor for the open lagoon. We were seated, covered in blankets and headed across the lagoon in no time, Bella and Renee sitting together in the seat in front of me, their arms around each other as they went back and forth pointing out things that were beautiful, discussing the crisp air, and expressing how much they were going to miss each other. Though I had felt it time for Renee to go home, having had my mother in law with us for over a month, I hated that it caused Bella pain to part from her.

We walked her into the airport and saw to her tickets before going through yet another round of hugs and kisses. They were crying, of course, and Renee promised to call as son as she arrived home and let us know how Phil was.

I left with my arm around my teary wife, determined to make her feel better. I instructed the gondolier to take us back through the grand canal and all the romantic points of the city. They would not be very populated right now, just a few hours before dawn, and he was happy enough to oblige after I passed him a hand full of bills.

I sat in the back, reclining seat and covered us both with the blankets, getting comfortable for the ride with my arms around my wife and her head resting on my chest.

"She'll be all right, you know," I tried to comfort her.

"I know."

"You were wondering if you would ever see her again, weren't you?"

"Yes," she replied,so softly it was almost lost on the wind..

There were no words between us for the longest time, just her fingers softly stroking up and down my forearm under the blankets and the sound of the boatman singing softly in Italian.

Love songs, of course . . . though Bella had no idea what the words meant, the tone was unmistakable.

"Even if you join me right way . . . you should be able to see her again. She just has to keep her word that the differences she notices can't be questioned," I whispered.

"I know. But her promise was about you and Masen. I don't think she could manage it when it's me that's different, and as much as your family tries, the differences are kind of obvious," she insisted.

"Obvious to you," I corrected.

"No, just _obvious_. Other people notice, they just don't care enough to look further . . . like I did," she explained as her fingers drifted from my forearm to the waist of my pants.

"Bella! No one else is ever close enough to me to notice _that _difference," I said, guiding her hand over the front of my pants and gently rocking my length against it."

"Silly. Not _that_ difference," she said as she slid her fingers under the material and gripped me, eliciting a small moan from me and apparently triggering the purring that she loved so much.

My hand found its way to her breast and gently massaged it, causing the nipple to pebble under my fingers and my wife to snuggle even closer to me, bending her neck to reach for my lips. It was everything I had ever hoped for - the girl I loved, snuggled in my arms in a gondola under blankets in the chill night while the boatman sang soft words of love and the lights of Venice flickered and their reflections shown on the water of the lagoon. It felt as though it was something out of a dream, the perfect representation of young love and fulfilment, lust and contentment all wrapped up into one vision . . . one girl, and she had agreed to forever with me. To say that I was a happy man was a complete understatement, and it was all wrapped up right here in my arms.

We reluctantly uncovered ourselves and thanked the boatman, making it worth his while to have spent the night showing us his city. There was no one else about as we made out way through the gardens towards the entrance to our suite. With my wife wrapped tightly around me and her lips attached to my neck, her hands in my hair, I might not have noticed if the entire Italian guard happened to parade by.

I did, however, notice the thoughts coming from my sister and my son, and I had barely opened the door to our rooms before the contentment I had been feeling had turned to absolute rage. I hurled the object of their thoughts - the vampire that had verbally assaulted my son - through the open glass doors and out into the lagoon . . . the calmer of the two choices in my mind. The other choice would have involved disposing of the pieces, and I had other plans for the rest of the evening . . .

~oooOooo~

**Tanya POV**

"I will rip you apart and burn the pieces, understand me?" Rosalie glowered.

"Rose, I only came in for a closer look. Really. It's not as if any of you intend to keep that thing," I said, referring to the small wailing child in the crib as I stared at her as innocently as possible. "And your brother's little display tonight," I shook my head, "_Mai sono stato solo il vostro._ He has only ever been hers . . . please. What a ridiculous thing to say."

I hadn't even gotten close to the crib it was in, well, I had barely gotten in the window when the annoying little brat started screaming. Honestly, you had to wonder why in the world _anyone_ wanted one of those things. Rosalie had mourned and moped for years about her lost ability to carry and give birth to a child, though I had no understanding of it. We were young and beautiful forever and I had no idea of anything that could be better than that.

"After today, Tanya, I have no idea _what_ you are capable of. I heard about the little stunt with my brother in the hot tub. Really. Do you have to be such a slut?" she said as she took the baby in her arms and it glared at me.

"It's my nature, Rose . . . you know that. Anyway, I just wanted to give her some pointers if he's going to be toying with her. She couldn't possibly know how to please him and I . . ."

"Shut it _now_ if you know what's good for you," she insisted.

"Rose, please," I said dismissively as I sat on the bed, curling my legs under me and getting comfortable.

It was a human response that I had gotten down pat, especially to soothe the guys I took home with me when we got to the bedroom and they suspected that something was amiss. Rosalie spent so very much time around humans, I had hoped it would work with her as well . . . though it didn't seem to. She was in full protective bitch mode, and I admired her for it. She did it well.

"Have you ever wondered why Edward never wanted either of us? Carlisle changed you with the hope of your being a mate to Edward, after all," I explained, as though Rosalie didn't already know the story.

"Don't start, bitch. Yes, I wondered. Yes, I was mad when he chose a human and was so totally crazy over her. It hurt my pride, but some people are not meant to be together and others are made for each other. Bella is his exact equal in every way."

I could not help but let out a huff at the very idea . . .

"Well, I hope he knows that when he comes to his senses and wants me, I am not raising _that _for him," I glared at the small thing in her arms, "he'll have to kill it and be done."

I hadn't really bothered to look at it in the museum, and though I had perfect recall, I had come in to get another look. He was small, but then babies always were. I had no idea how old he was, but he held himself upright and seemed very aware of everything around him. At least I assumed it was a him. The ringlets of dark coppery hair hanging thickly to his shoulders and beyond would have been any little girls dream and the cherub face with such bright eyes and beautiful porcelain skin . . .

The child had grasped my hand with a force I would have expected only from a vampire as he removed my fingers from his father's shoulder at the museum. Though I could hear a heartbeat, his touch had been much cooler than a humans, and his skin hard and smooth.

I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering in detail the appearance of the baby when I had seen him earlier in the museum. His eyes had been bright green with the slightest burgundy around the edges but now they seemed . . . black. Completely black and molten. Whatever. He was an odd little thing, though I saw Edward in all of his features, other than the shape of his eyes. That he had gotten from the little appetizer that Edward referred to as his _wife._

_Wife indeed._ She wasn't even his mate. She was a toy. Something he did to occupy himself, or perhaps to quench his curiosity about sex, nothing more. Like _she_ could ever do anything for him in terms of sex. Oh I had seen her face in the hot tub, and I had no doubt that he could please her, but her pleasure him? . . . please . . .

"I don't think you ever need to worry about Edward coming to you for_ anything_, Tanya . . . especially anything to do with _sex_ . . . or the baby . . . or anything else other than, of course, to rip you apart when I tell him that I found you here in Masen's room," Rosalie quipped.

"You wouldn't dare," I all but spat.

"It doesn't matter whether I would or wouldn't. He'll read my mind and know," she said stoking the baby's back, "or Masen will tell him."

"Just how in the hell would that little half breed, hybrid brat tell him anything? He's probably too young to even have coherent thoughts, if it even has any ability to think," I scoffed.

Perhaps I should just end him now and save everyone the trouble. Edward would thank me later. My scent was already here, and Rose would see me leave without the thing with me . . . I could come back later and take him out in the lagoon and drowned him and no one would ever know. There would be no point in draining him, he wasn't even large enough for a snack, and he smelled too much like vampire now that I thought about it.

I stared at the child like thing and he seemed to stare back, intently . . . as though he was seeing into my mind. I felt somewhat odd, like the room spun slightly, though I knew it wasn't possible. Vampires had impeccable balance and sense of themselves, after all.

I wondered why I was sitting, and why Rosalie looked so mad. I had only come in to help, after all, to make sure the baby was alright since I knew that Edward and Bella had left him with Rose. I stood and brushed the wrinkles from my dress, checking my makeup in the mirror and to see if the wind had ruined my curls. It hadn't of course. I was as stunning as ever, ready to go back out on the town and party with the best of them.

"See you later, little man," I said, cooing to the baby as I reached to stroke his cheek and Rosalie stepped back, preventing me from touching him.

"What the hell, Tanya! What's wrong with you?" my cousin asked, seeming to be somewhat perplexed.

"Nothing. Is there anything I can do to help with this cute little one before I go?" I asked politely.

"Never. Just get out and do _not_ come back," Rose spat at me.

She certainly was in a bad mood this evening, but Rosalie could be quite the moody bitch from time to time. I had only come by to help. I could leave if she was going to be like that, so very rude to me. After all, I only wanted to make sure the little boy was safe, I was only being a friend to Edward and Bella. They were such a cute couple, who could help liking the girl Edward had picked .. . .

We walked to the living room . . . well, I walked and Rose followed holding the baby warily. For heavens sake, did she think I would ever hurt something as precious and cute as a baby? Really!

I was admiring the view out the side of the room that was glassed in and virtually open to the Venetian lagoon. It was very early morning and there was not a soul in sight - not even the lights of a boat could be seen. Of course, It was the best view in the place, the balcony all but hung over the water and gave a 180 degree of the city. Edward would only have gotten the very best accommodations in the city for Bella to stay in. I turned to Rose just as Alice abruptly walked into the suite, followed by the rest of the gang.

"Tanya!" both my sisters seemed to all but scream at the same time.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emmett growled as he and Jasper seemed to position themselves between me and the child in his wife's arms.

"I came to check on the baby, of course, what in the world else would I be doing in Edward and Bella's suite?" I said innocently.

It was kind of surreal, the expressions on the faces of everyone in my family. The child in Rosalie's arms reached forward and put a hand on each of his uncles shoulders as they stood protectively in front of him, pushing them to the side. He then sat back into Rose's arms and began to clap his little hands together and laugh loudly, smiling and giggling. No one said a word as their mouths hung open, staring at him.

It was then that Edward walked in with Bella right behind him. He never hesitated or paused but walked directly over to me with a steel hard expression on his handsome features. I had no time to even grasp what had happened before I felt my body hit the water and realized I had been flung from the windows of the hotel and had landed out, over a hundred yards away in the middle of the lagoon. What had I ever done to him but be a good friend and companion? Well, there would be hell to pay for treating _me_ like that!


	114. Chapter 114  Don't be mad!

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note:**_ Thanks to ALL of you that reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate the reviews now more than ever and I will answer all of them. I need and love your comments and support. This last week was just tremendously busy and the time got away from me. Sorry you all got no updates on time! I will try and get you three in the next week to make up for it! lol_ **  
**

**Chapter 114 Don't be mad!**

_It was kind of surreal, the expressions on the faces of everyone in my family. _

_The child in Rosalie's arms reached forward and put a hand on each of his uncles shoulders _

_as they stood protectively in front of him, pushing them to the side. _

_He then sat back into Rose's arms and began to clap his little hands together _

_and laugh loudly, smiling and giggling. _

_No one said a word as their mouths hung open, staring at him._

~oooOooo~

**Masen POV**

_"He'll have to kill it and be done."_

What?

I woke up when I heard and smelled her. She was climbing in through the opening and though I had seen her in the museum earlier with my mom and dad . . . I didn't like her. I didn't like her at all. Her thoughts about my mom were mean and I was afraid she might try to hurt her. Dad had been calm though, kind of, and I knew that he would protect us no matter what . . . so I didn't do anything with everyone there.

This was different. I was alone in my room and she was bigger and stronger than I was . . . I just hoped that daddy wouldn't be angry with me. I could hear auntie Rose in the other room, so I cried loud to get her attention. It was better if she took care of whatever was needed and wow was she angry when she came in the room and grabbed me.

I wasn't scared in her arms. I really wasn't scared anyway, I just didn't want to make my dad mad at me and I had promised him I wouldn't.

Aunt Rose told her to get out but I needed to change her. She might come back and fixing it now would make sure she didn't come and hurt my mom when I wasn't around. For some reason, she didn't think of my mom like she did my dad or the rest of my family. She kind of thought of her like a pet or even like dinner.

Dad told me he was a vampire. He tried to explain over and over again what that was and that most vampires fed on humans, drank their blood, but that he and the rest of my family didn't. It explained why my throat burned around my grandma Renee and grandpa Charlie . . . but it didn't really explain my mom. My dad loved my mom, at least that was what he called the feeling I got from him, but I knew his throat burned like flames around her, especially when he gave her that feeling that she loved so much.

I never noticed the burn in my throat when my mom was around. She was just mom, like she was a part of me like my dad was. This lady in front of me didn't like her . . . and I was going to fix that and hope may dad would understand.

I couldn't help but laugh and smile at the confusion in aunt Rose's mind. She was so surprised when the mean lady called me a cute little man and asked if there was anything she could do for me before she left. Her mind was full - she must have been around a really long time for it to be so crowded in there, but it didn't matter. I took away the dislike for me and my mom and made her like us.

I was working on how she felt about my dad when we moved to the big room and my other uncles and my aunt came in with the other two strangers. I wanted my mommy and my daddy.

My uncles stood in front of me like they were keeping her away from me, but I pushed them apart so I could see her and I laughed at her surprise at how mad aunt Rose was at her. I took away her mean thoughts plus added nice ones - it was the first time I had taken away thoughts, not just added other ones. I was just about to fix the rest of her feelings when my dad walked in with my mom. I had heard him coming. I could hear my dad's mind from really far way now, he had spent so many hours and days with me that his mind was as familiar as my own. I would know him anywhere.

_I'm fine, daddy!_

He had only tuned in to aunt Rose after he asked me if I was okay, and he was mad. Really mad. He was always so worried about me and my mom.

_That was funny, daddy!_

My dad threw the mean lady far far away, and I heard her splash like the noises I make in the bathtub when my Auntie Rose baths me. Maybe I could get him to toss me like that so that I could make a really big splash, only maybe he had to be mad to do that. He was really mad right now, and I think he must have read Auntie Rose's mind, cause she was really mad, too. It must have something to do with the mean lady . . . but I fixed her.

Oh No! Maybe daddy is mad at me for fixing her? When he found out that I stopped the mean lady from hurting my mom, back before I was born, he didn't get mad at me. He told me not to change what people thought unless someone was going to get hurt, their bodies hurt not just their feelings.

Dad had explained feelings, and I had lots of them. I had feelings that made me warm and comfortable, mostly coming from my mom and dad and my Auntie Rose. I had feelings that made me want to do things and laugh and talk out loud better than I did now so that I could tell my uncles what I was thinking, and Grandpa and Grandma Cullen. I even had feelings that made me want to bite things, to stop the burning in my throat like nursing from my mom and the bottles they fed me did.

The feelings that I had for my mom were always there, kind of like they were part of me and not just thoughts. Dad tried to explain thoughts, and I understood it about other people, just not about me. It didn't seem like a _thought,_ things seemed just like they were _me_, not _thoughts_. Thoughts in other people I could change, add new ones, take away bad ones . . . but not my own . . . and not dad's.

Dad always seemed to know when I put a thought in his head. I would think it was working, like I wanted mom NOW, or I wanted the other stuff that mom didn't give me - she always fed me yummy stuff from her body, not the thick gooey stuff that my Auntie Rose gave me. Sometimes other people gave me stuff kind of like from my mom, but it was never as tasty as when I sucked it myself from my warm mommy. She was really really warm when I was next to her skin!

Anyway, daddy always knew. Even when I tried really hard to make the thought always stay there, to change what he thought. He noticed the thought like it was different, somehow . . . separate from his other thoughts. Other people never noticed. But . . . other people couldn't read minds like my dad could.

_What daddy? Yes, I'm fine. No, she never touched me._

I could tell from his thoughts that we were going to have a lot to talk about when everyone left us alone.

"Mama!" I said quietly, reaching for her as she stood on the other side of my dad.

Everyone seemed to be busy talking about the mean lady. Two ladies I didn't know were saying how sorry they were that she acted badly and my uncles were talking about lighting her if she ever came near me again. Maybe auntie Rose shouldn't have told them she wanted to hurt me . . . I guess she had no way of knowing that I fixed it already.

"Mama!" I said louder, everyone turning to stare at me as I opened and closed my hand, reaching in her direction.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I couldn't help but smile, even with all that I was taking in from the minds of my family . . . especially Rosalie.

"Bella, I think he's demanding attention from his mom," I smiled in spite of myself as I hugged her to me, gesturing toward our son.

"You want your mommy little man? Did the _wicked witch of the west_ scare you, baby?" she said as she quietly crossed the space between them and took Masen from Rosalie, his arms trying to encircle her neck as he nuzzled close to her and patted her skin before burrowing closer and closer to his food.

The ladies in the room stood with their jaws dropped, stunned into complete silence as they took in my wife's demeanor . . . as well as her assessment of Tanya. Jasper was beaming at her, as proud as any brother could ever be at the confidence she showed and the level of calm she maintained.

I knew different.

I knew _her_.

She was calm on the outside, for all to see, as she had become poised and confident in front of my family. Inside though, my wife was crumbling at the very thought of that woman being in the room with our son - and she didn't yet know even the sketchy details I had gotten from Rosalie's thoughts. Tanya had come here to harm Masen. Had I known that, I would have dismembered her before I threw her in the lagoon.

"I'm so sorry about my sister's behavior, Edward," Kate said after Bella excused herself to our room to feed Masen, "We came here just to make sure she wasn't up to anything the minute we realized she had left the club alone."

"She came here to get a better look at Masen, Kate," Rosalie spat.

"I'm sure it was only her curiosity," Irina added, trying to defend or at least explain her sister.

"No. It was a lot more than that," Rosalie quoted, "I hope he knows that when he comes to his senses and wants me, I am not raising that for him. He'll have to kill it and be done."

The minds of everyone in the room were stunned . . . no thoughts at all for the longest moment before they were all filled with disbelief and rage. Even her sisters wanted to punish her. Emmett was planning where he could dismember her and lite her pyre where he wouldn't be seen, as was Jasper, and Alice was giving me a play by play of what Tanya was doing right now.

"It's late. I know Bella would like to get some sleep, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to join her. We can talk about this in the morning - late morning. Kate, Irina . . . I assume you will make sure to stay with Tanya to insure she doesn't come anywhere near me or my family. I will end her on sight, I want you to know that," I explained, determined that they should understand where my loyalties were.

"Of course," Kate said as she and Irina made for the door.

"She's in your rooms changing right now. she'll still be there when you get there," Alice told them as they left.

'If we know where she is, why don't we just go and rip her apart?" Rosalie asked.

"I'm in," Emmett bellowed.

"Count me in," Jasper added, trying to control the anger in the room but having trouble doing so because he was just so angry himself.

"No, no, no. Everything is fine now," Alice insisted, "Masen took care of it." "Rose, I have some dresses I need you to choose from on line and I think the new _Battlefield III_ just downloaded for the guys," she said handing the controller from the coffee table to Emmett.

"Seriously?" Emmett said, astounded, "You want us to just play a game while you and Rosie look at dresses? What the hell? Tanya needs to not exist!"

"No. She's right, Emmett. Let me talk to Masen. From what Rose and Alice have shown me, she may be right," I told them.

"Dude! Masen? He's not even two months old, Edward. What the hell?" Emmett continued.

"Masen can change people's thoughts, remember. He did it to Victoria when she had Bella. He saved her life then, and I think he may have used his power again, on Tanya," I explained, "I need to at least find out the whole story before we dismember her. She is family, brother."

"Come on, Rose. Let the boys play here and keep their ears open in case she comes back and we'll add to our wardrobe. Give big brother some time to get all the facts . . . you know yourself that something happened with her attitude, and it could have been Masen. Just keep Masen's power to yourselves, everyone. No one else needs to know what he is capable of."

We all agreed, finally, and I headed to my bedroom to join my wife and son. Bella had changed into a nightgown that would pull down, exposing a breast for Masen as she lay on the bed next to him as he fed, I quickly loss the clothes, except for the boxer briefs, and crawled into bed behind Masen with my arm over both of them. It was a position we all loved, close to each other and content.

"Everything okay, love?" I asked her as I kissed her soft lips with the moonlight coming in through the windows.

"It is now that you're here," she quietly answered, stroking my cheek.

She fell asleep moments later, exhaustion taking her. She had been up since early morning, toured Venice and endured meeting Tanya. While she seemed to be controlling most of her emotions to the outsider, I knew what meeting Tanya had done to her. She knew that was the one female that had been after me for years and she was beautiful, even among vampires. She didn't hold a candle to my wife, but Bella was still extremely insecure deep down and the scars from the wreck and small stretch marks from carrying our son only compounded it. It was also very emotionally draining for both of us when I sang to her, publicly declaring my feelings for my wife. Add to that the upset of Phil getting hurt and Renee leaving suddenly, along with Tanya's unbidden appearance in our rooms and it was no wonder she was exhausted. It had taken its toll on me, and I never tired. My very human wife was on overload.

My son, however, was busily faking being asleep, obviously knowing that I would want to know exactly what happened . . . and exactly what he had done.

He was quite good at faking, his mouth partially open as though he had nodded off while drinking from his mom, his lips still millimeters from Bella's nipple and drops of milk on his lips. I had to wonder if that was something similar to how I appeared when I had actually fallen asleep while indulging. It was times like these that I wished for just a glimpse into my wife's mind to see how she viewed some of the things that only she was privy to.

I couldn't help but smile at the little faker. He had become such a part of me in such a short time and I loved him beyond all reason.

"_Alright you_," I thought.

_"Masen."_

_"I know you're awake, son."_

He turned his head to stare at me, his mind trying desperately to remain blank.

_"So, what exactly happened, son,_" I asked him silently as he rolled over towards me.

_"Hi dad!"_

_"Masen!"_

_"Dad! She woke me up, I heard her at the window then I smelled her. The same lady that was at the museum earlier."_

_"And . . ."_

_"She doesn't like me or mommy very much."_

_"I know, son. It's not you, she's just obsessed that she wants me with her, not your mom."_

_"She thinks mom is a pet, dad. She is so different, the way she thinks."_

_"I know, Masen. Did she hurt you at all son, did she touch you?  
_

_"No. I cried really loud and auntie Rose came and got me. The mean lady just kept saying things about you and my mom and me . . . things I didn't like," he told me as he remembered the entire encounter for me to see._

_"That's why you used your powers, son?" _I asked.

_"You said it was alright if someone was going to hurt someone, right dad?"_

_"Yes. I said that. I'm glad you wanted till she mentioned harming you, son. You were right to change her mind for her."_

_"You're not mad at me?"_

_"No, son. I'm not mad. I understand why you did it, and you were right."_

_"I took away the mean thoughts, too. I put in different ones, but I took the others away. She will never ever think differently, dad."_

_"Masen . . . I had no idea you could remove thoughts, I thought you just added ones or changed their minds."_

_"Well . . . this time I took her thoughts. She was just so mean and she thought my mom was a pet or even food and she wanted me gone so she could have you. I had to take them._"

_"I'm not mad. I'm just glad you're okay, son. I'm sorry I wasn't here to keep her away from you."_

_"Aunt Rose was here. She was really mad," _my son laughed as he remembered how tense she was as she held him. _"She was trying to decide how to rip her apart while keeping me away from her," _he told me.

_"It's all right, son. Just so you and your mom are safe. I love you, Masen."_

_"I love you, daddy, and I love mommy."_

_I thought he was nodding off to sleep, but he was staring intently as he mentally asked, "Um, dad . . . do you have any of the gooey stuff for me to drink?"_

_"No. Masen, I don't. I'll hunt for you as soon as I can, though. Meanwhile, if you're still thirsty, I think mom still has some milk for you, son," _I said as I exposed her other breast and turned him toward it.

~oooOooo~

Morning came and my wife stirred as I brought fresh coffee, fruit and pancakes to her on a tray. I had put Masen in his bed an hour or so ago, after he had fed again. I placed the tray on the night side table and crawled on the bed to hover over her, kissing the side of her mouth, her jaw, her neck . . .

She reached into my sleep pants and I moaned, dropping my head against her shoulder. My breathing stopped as she giggled and pulled me down on top of her.

I had never felt more seventeen in my life. It was all over from only her touch.

"I love you, sweetheart," she whispered in my ear as she kissed the side of my head and held me to her.

I should have been embarrassed . . . but somehow I wasn't. I loved her completely, beyond all reason and I knew that she loved me the same. Her giggling at me just made me smile.

"What?" I asked, sheepishly, "I can't help it if you do that to me, love. Your touch just makes me come unglued sometimes."

"I love that I have that much of an effect on you, sweetheart. It's part of how I can be confident about your love for me around other way more beautiful women . . . like Tanya."

"Bella . . . there is just no comparison between you. You're everything to me and if it takes me coming at just your touch to let you know how much you effect me, then it doesn't embarrass me at all."

"Well, luckily you need no recovery time," she said as she pushed my sleep pants down, her ankles crossing behind me.

I kissed her, my tongue tracing her lips as she opened her mouth to me and I breathed her in. She never stopped grinding into me, her breathing quickened and she moaned into my mouth as our tongues caressed each.

Rather than slowing, our passion continued to increase with my wife meeting each and every thrust with all the strength she had. I lost myself in my wife, just feeling her around me. Her hips left the bed as my arms encircled her and held her to me. Her body was damp now with exertion, and I couldn't help but lick the moisture from her neck and chest as we continued to enjoy each other with more and more energy and enthusiasm. I had to continually remember not to hold her too tight, but my wife was clueless as to the danger she could be in. She pushed me to my very limit limits as she encouraged . . . no, demanded that I push harder, deeper, faster . . .

We finally both fell over the edge together, rolling wildly around on our bed and down onto the floor, screaming into each others lips. I kissed her tenderly on her neck as she stroked her fingers through my hair and told me how much she loved me and how glad she was I had come back to her and how she wanted forever with me.

I wanted it, too. I wasn't sure I was willing to wait for us to have another child. I wanted her . . . immortal, safe . . . and mine forever. I wanted to be able to make love with her without worrying about hurting her, breaking her. She really had no idea just what I was holding back . . .

Her food was cold, of course, though I was pretty sure she didn't care.

"Let's go for a swim," I suggested after we showered and dressed.

Masen was up now and playing on the floor in the living room while we admired the view from the window.

"Edward, it's freezing out there!" Bella said with a shocked look on her face.

"It's a heated pool, love. Heated seawater, and the only pool in town. I think it would be fun to take a swim in warm salt water . . . relax those overworked muscles of yours from this morning's workout," I told her, wincing as I said it.

"Edward . . . what is it?" she said, concerned as she lifted my chin so that she could look me in the eye.

I walked her to the mirror in the foyer and pointed out the finger shaped bruises on her shoulder, kissing them and telling her how sorry I was that I had hurt her.

"Baby, I hadn't even noticed," she insisted, "This morning was hot, Edward. I wanted it that way . . . you're so unwilling to be even the least bit rough with me and I like that sometimes . . ."

"But . . . ," I stammered.

"If going for a swim will make you feel better cause you think it will make me feel better, then let's go. What about Masen?"

"Masen can come, too. I think he'll probably already be able to swim," I explained.

"Wonderful idea!" Alice said, entering our room with her swimsuit already on. "Hurry and change while I put a swimsuit on Masen," she said, waving the suit for him in her hand.

"Alice," we both laughed together.

"Did you have a good time out last night, little sister?" I asked her, reading the answer from her head long before she spoke.

"We all did. All three Denali sisters went with us and Tanya wasn't a shit for once!" she exclaimed.

I bristled at the mention of her name, but I told Bella and Alice what Masen had done and it all seemed to make sense to my sister.

"Well, that explains it," she said, looking relieved.

Bella sat, open mouthed and staring at our son as he walked from one piece of furniture to another holding on to them, though I suspected he didn't need to.

"Edward, our son did that? You're telling me that she _likes_ me now? Tanya. We are talking about the strawberry blond vampire, right?" Bella asked, incredulous.

"She certainly does, and it flabbergasted us all when we were out last night. She just kept going on about what a cute couple you two were and how wonderful the baby was and how happy she was that Edward had finally found someone. Honestly, her sisters thought she needed a psychiatrist or something or that maybe she had hit her head when Edward flung her out into the lagoon!" she turned to look at me, "Tanya is very hurt that you flung her out the window, she had no idea what could possible have caused you to do that, brother. No memory at all."

"I know, Alice. Masen told me. We just have to forget the way she used to feel as it seems our son has completely changed her attitude and thoughts about Bella and me. It's weird, I know," I marveled.

"Well, at least she isn't running off to the Volturi to tell Aro we made an immortal child or some such thing like that! Keeping her quiet and on our side could be important, so we need to all just be casual with her today. Act as though everything is fine, understand?" Alice asked.

Bella and I both shook our heads, though it was going to be a really strange day . . .

~oooOooo~


	115. Chapter 115  Verona

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note: **_Just a little something to make up for not posting on time last wweek. Sunday afternoon always needs a little something . . ._

**Chapter 115 Verona **

_I had to continually remember not to hold her too tight, not to thrust too hard, _

_but my wife was clueless as to the danger she could be in. _

_She pushed me to my very limits as she encouraged . . . no, _

_demanded that I push harder, deeper, faster . . ._

_I wanted to be able to make love with her without worrying about hurting her, breaking her. _

_She really had no idea just what I was holding back . . ._

_~oooOooo~_

**BPOV**

I hadn't noticed the bruises till Edward pointed them out, but now I grabbed the swim cover and put it on over my suit. There was no need to make him feel worse by having him look at the little purple marks while we swam.

I knew I had pushed him too far this morning . . . I knew. He was just so damned gorgeous and sometimes it was hard to believe that he was really mine. I was falling apart inside from seeing the beautiful vampire that wanted to claim him, but I had contained it. I contained it all the way up until I woke up this morning . . . and I needed him. I needed to feel him fall apart with me . . . because of me.

When I wrapped my hands around him, my husband coming unglued from just my touch . . . well, I lost it. He really did love me and I really did turn him on even more than I had ever imagined. I had to have him, and I wanted all of him. I wanted him to make love to me . . . I wanted him to be completely lost in me and the sensations he was feeling. I was often so overwhelmed by my love for him, as well as by the reactions he caused in my body, that I was completely unaware of my surroundings . . . there was only him and my driving need to get closer to him, to touch more of his skin at one time, to taste more of him, to have him embedded deeper inside me. I wanted him to feel all those things. In reality I wanted him to just let go.

. . . and he did.

I wasn't about to let him be upset about the tiny bruises he had left on my body. My husband had given me exactly what I had wanted, and it was obvious . . . clearly obvious, that he wanted me every bit as much as I wanted him.

It was a beautiful clear day as I shivered, stepping into the warm, Olympic pool quickly as Edward handed Masen to me.

"He loves this," Edward commented as he watched his son in my arms, a conversation clearly taking place between them.

He was quiet for a moment, and Masen laughed and giggled as he splashed his little hands on the surface of the water, repeatedly looking down at the water dripping from his little hands and then up into the face of his father.

"Let him go, love," he told me.

"What?"

"Let him go. Trust me, he can do this," he insisted.

I would never have let go of a baby in water, but his father insisted . . . and I trusted Edward completely. As I released my grip, Masen sank below the surface, and was gone. I screamed and started after him, intending to search the bottom till I found my baby and scared to death that he would drown.

Edward grabbed my shoulders.

"Bella!"

I continued to rant and cry and became more and more frantic as time passed, everyone staring at me and the scene in front of them. Edward grabbed both my hands, wrapping my arms across the front of my body to calm me as he stood behind me, hugging me to him.

"Bella, look," he said with no effect on me, his lips against my ear.

"Bella!" he said sternly and tightened his grip on me as I continued to become more and more hysterical.

Alice and Rosalie were standing at the other end of the pool, laughing and clapping with Jasper and Emmett, who dove into the pool and grabbed the baby, holding him up in the air as they both laughed and played.

"See, sweetheart. Masen swims as well or better than I do already!"

I calmed and tried to take in what my eyes were telling me. My son had taken off, swimming underwater the length of the pool to emerge with his uncle laughing and playing at the other end of the pool. It was the last thing I remembered.

I awoke lying across Edward's lap in the shallow end of the pool on the stairs. Everyone had gathered around me and my son splashed happily beside me, patting me with his chubby little hand as everyone waited on me to wake up.

"Bella, you scared years off my existence," Edward claimed as he kissed me on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, love. I had seen from Alice that Masen could swim well and she saw this going a couple of ways - I had hoped for the other where you were just surprised and elated, but apparently I did something wrong.

"No, it's fine. If Masen is alright then everything is just perfect, sweetheart," I told him, struggling to grasp what had happened.

I was sure I had the most sheepish look on my face and I was embarrassed that I had taken so long to realize that everything was fine. I should have known that Edward wouldn't do anything that would be taking a chance with our son. I guess I had just been so wired up after the events of the last 24 hours, I had reacted badly.

I sat up and we all began a game of who could splash the most with the vampires putting their speed to use and winning the game. I never stood a chance . . . but that didn't stop me from trying. The water was so warm and the air so cold, it made getting splashed really fun because it warmed me up. We laughed and played and I even adjusted to watching Edward toss my baby up in the air a foot or two and let him splash down in the water, causing him to laugh and giggle wildly when he popped back to the surface.

The arrival of the Denali's poolside stopped our games, at least for the moment. Edward had explained that Masen had changed Tanya's thoughts completely, that she was harmless now. That didn't stop me from tensing when she and her sisters walked out to join us in the pool. Alice had spoken to Kate this morning, that much I knew. She and Irina were completely baffled at Tanya's change of attitude. They just assumed that a dunk in the lagoon had set her straight and I was glad that Masen's power was still a secret that only the immediate family knew.

Edward and I stayed in the corner, hugging onto each other and kissing occasionally as we watched our son. With his aunts and uncles in the water with him as well as Kate and Irina, I settled down and understood that Tanya didn't stand a chance of hurting him with them there, but she stayed away from him none the less. She stayed away from us as well, and for that I was thankful. Apparently she was quite incensed that Edward had tossed her out the window into the lagoon.

In the interest of keeping things civil, and Masen's power under cover, Edward and I made a point of going over to where she sat on the edge of the pool so that Edward could apologize. He told her that he misunderstood some thoughts that he had heard only a part of and asked her to forgive him for being so rash.

"It's fine, Edward. I accept your apology, I was only making sure little Masen was alright, after all," she insisted, obviously still pouting.

She held her arms out to Edward, and I saw the expression that crossed his face. I would have to ask him about it later, but his response spoke volumes.

"No, Tanya. I think just a verbal apology will have to suffice," he told her in a somewhat chastising manner, turning away from her and pulling me along towards the other end of the pool.

I could only guess that some things hadn't changed. She was, after all, a succubus by nature.

"Kate and Irina are starting to like the idea of having a baby in the family, love," Edward whispered as we half floated the length of the pool, "They're able to think of Masen completely separate from the immortal child their mother created so long ago."

"Their mother?" I asked.

"Yes, the story Carlisle told explaining why our kind is so touchy about immortal children . . . that was their mother," he explained, "The girls don't speak of her but I'll explain it in detail some time when they're not near, if you like."

No one other than family was anywhere near and the vampires flaunted their ability to stay underwater . . . and so did Masen. My son was turning out to be much more like his father than we had thought at first. I had heard of children six months old being taught to swim the length of a pool, but I had never seen it. He was just so tiny, yet his body was strong and he had excellent control in the water, much more like a child a year or two old would have been expected to have. Edward's smile was blinding as he swam the length of the pool, underwater with his son swimming beside him as though he had always known how to swim.

"Aren't they cute together?" Alice exclaimed as she sat beside me on the steps.

"They're adorable, Alice. He is such a good father. I just hope I get pregnant soon. I really want to give him another child," I told her, my hands encircling my knees as I sat. "Do you see it Alice? Do you see us having another baby?" I asked quietly.

"Bel . . la," Alice retorted, "I've seen it all along. "Sometimes there are no other children, but now that Renee has left and Masen has sorted Tanya, the twins are the only future I see for you," she smiled.

"Twins? Alice, how long have you seen this?"

"Since we were in Orlando. Showing Edward visions of Masen running happily in the yard and the twins playing on a blanket beside him kept him going when he was so scared he would loose you," she explained.

I felt the tears coming, in spite of all my attempts to stop them. I hugged Alice to me, thanking her for telling me. Edward was beside me in a minute, having smelled my tears and thinking something as wrong.

"Bella! What is it, what's wrong, love?" he asked as he pulled me into his lap, handing Masen to Alice.

"Nothing is wrong," I told him, trying to stop the tears from poring down my face, "Why didn't you tell me about the twins?"

Edward stared at Alice for a long minute, a frown crossing his handsome face before he answered.

"Alice's visions are subjective, love. They're constantly changing and I didn't want to get your hopes up. I wanted you to know that I was completely happy with just you, not because I wanted children. I love you, Bella, and just having you is all I'll ever need," he said as he kissed my forehead.

We sat, hugging each other for a long minute before he spoke again.

"What do you think of leaving Venice and heading towards our house in Bolzano?" he asked.

"Really? Is everyone ready to leave?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could go, just the three of us," he said, smiling.

Alice smiled widely, "Bella, we will all be fine shopping and clubbing for a day or three. You two, or three, could use some time alone. Besides, Edward is dying for you to see his car!"

I looked at my husband and I knew that if he could blush, he would have been bright red.

"Car?" I asked, my head cocked sideways.

"Bella, you could hardly call it just a car!" he exclaimed.

I had to laugh.

"Well, husband. Let's go get packed and see this car that has you so excited!"

We said our goodbyes, even to Tanya, and quickly packed what we needed in a single bag, the rest being shipped directly to the house. I kept eying Edward as he made a few phone calls and kept hinting about the car. I wondered how three of us were fitting into what was probably a two seated sports car, like his Vanquish, but he must have a plan. Apparently there would be little room for luggage, and Edward carried both Masen and our bag as we got off the gondola and walked toward Marco Polo Station. I had assumed that we were riding the train, but as we crossed the parking lot, one of the only places where cars were allowed in the city, one car seemed to stand out.

Edwards.

"What do you think?" he asked as he stood by the car, the chauffeur putting our bag in the car and handing him the keys.

"It's beautiful, sweetheart! What is it?"

The mortified look on his face told me that I was going to have to start speaking Car and Driver.

"Bella, it's a 1987 Ferrari F40," he said with almost a reverence in his voice. "There were only one thousand three hundred and thirteen produced . . . ever. I bought this one new back in 1987. It stays at the house here in Italy. I had a car seat adapted and put into the car for Masen. Do you like it?" he asked as he opened the door and showed me the interior, and the car seat for our son.

My 111 year old husband was just such a teenager when it came to toys!

I decided that I needed to tease him about the car.

"Another marital asset, huh, and just how much did you spend on this toy?" I said with a straight face, knowing that he would be unable to read my mind and know if I was serious or kidding.

He continued strapping Masen into the car seat without answering as he gestured for me to slide in and he closed my door.

"Well?" I asked as he sat down behind the steering wheel and turned the car on.

It really was a beautiful car, soft leather seats and beautiful woodwork on the dashboard.

"Bella, it's a collectors dream. It only increases in value, think of it as an investment," he said, seemingly trying to rationalize and justify the extravagance.

"It's a toy, Edward. How much?" I asked as gruffly as possible, having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Sweetheart . . ."

"Edward!"

"Fine. The list price was just over $400,000 but I had some additions made, running the cost up to just over 6," he said, both hands on the wheel as he stared straight ahead and braced for what he thought was going to be an angry wife sitting beside him.

"$600,000 dollars?" I gulped, my voice squeaking slightly.

He visible stiffened, and I couldn't torture him any longer.

"Then I think I might need one as well."

My husband stopped dead, stone statue still as we blocked the entry way into the parking lot. His eyes were wide open and fixed on me, his mouth hanging open. I could stand it no longer.

I burst out laughing, "I'm so just kidding, sweetheart. I don't want one and you can have as many toys as you like. I just like teasing you."

His face softened and he smiled from ear to ear, telling me I was so going to pay for making him think I was upset with him about the car. Alice had made an offhand comment earlier, something about it not being as though he spent as much on cars as he was spending on jewelry . . . and I had to ask.

"Edward."

"Yes, love," he said, smiling and taking my hand in his as he shifted gears.

"The heart shaped crystal you gave me, it isn't a semi precious stone, is it? I would hate to think you spent that much money on me," I asked.

"No, love. It isn't a _semi_ precious stone," he answered.

Something about the smirk on his face . . . he was hiding something.

"Edward . . ."

"What? I answered you. It isn't a semi precious stone, love. Now, I was thinking we might stay in Verona tonight and we could see the sights of the city, Juliette's house, things like that. You know Verona is where Romeo first met Juliette. I thought since you and I loved that movie so much, you might enjoy spending Valentines day in Verona."

"Um, it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, isn't it! So that's why you wanted us to leave alone."

"That, and I wanted my wife and my son all to myself at our house for a few days, love. Is that alright?" my husband asked so sweetly.

I knew he was distracting me from asking about the stone, but I didn't care. I was alone with my husband and son, in Italy, teasing him mercilessly, and I could not have been happier.

Edward had obviously put a lot of planning into this and as we drove through vineyards and pulled up to what looked like a very old farmhouse, he explained that it was indeed an ancient stone farmhouse that was now called _La Caminella_. We were greeted by an elderly couple, Edward responding to them in what sounded like fluent Italian .

. . . and I had thought him speaking French was sexy.

Oh My God.

Though there were four guest rooms, the _entire_ bed and breakfast had been reserved just for our use for the next day or two. There was a crib waiting for Masen in a room just next to the one Edward put our bag down in, and there was the most delicious smell coming up the stairs.

The city of Verona could be seen across the valley as could Lake Garda, yet it felt like we were out in the countryside all alone. It was perfect.

"I think your dinner is ready, love. Are you hungry?" he asked, putting his hands on my hips and pulling me to him as he nuzzled my neck.

"I am, sweetheart . . . and not just for dinner . . .

Mason ate dinner at the table with us, devouring bits of chicken and playing with the melted cheese, stretching it from one hand to the other. We laughed so hard when he slurped up a length of spaghetti so fast that the end of it snapped up and hit his nose and forehead, leaving sauce dripping down his eyebrow and into his eye. He looked so surprised and Edward managed to whip out his phone and get a photo before the moment was lost.

We took a walk in the vineyards after dinner, Masen sitting on Edward's shoulders. His chubby little fists looked like they were going to pull the hair on his daddy's head out he was holding on so tightly. Masen's hair was so long now that it covered his shoulders and Edward's ears. It was thick and curly and just a slightly darker copper color than Edwards, making my husband look like he had long curly hair.

"We really need to cut his hair," I told them as Edward brushed it our of his eyes and I took the ponytail holder out of my own hair, reaching up to gather Masen's hair behind him and tying it into a low polytail. The curls still hung halfway down his back.

Edward left for a short time to feed while I nursed the baby and put him to bed. Edward must have sensed game very near by or he would never have left us. He hadn't hunted since the little excursion off of the Orient Express, and I knew he needed to. The baby bottle that he had taken with him told me that Masen must have made a request as well.

We awoke early and headed into the city - well, after our morning routine . . . and breakfast for me. Edward stayed upstairs and fed Masen the bottle he brought back for him while I ate breakfast and chatted with the owners. They were such a sweet couple. I found out that they had been married for fifty years, still living in his family home and running the vineyard, in addition to opening their home as a bed and breakfast since their children had grown up and married. The idea of being with Edward for fifty years, and then a thousand more excited me to no end, and I had to wonder what would happen with our children - how long would their lives be and would they ever find mates. It wasn't like there were tremendous numbers of half vampires in the world for Masen to choose from, and we had no idea what his future held in store for him.

I refused to worry about it. We could do nothing to change what he was, or would become, and I was alone with just my husband and son for the next few days . . . I intended to enjoy it!

Edward came downstairs carrying Masen and a jacket for me, asking if I was ready to go.

We spent the day walking and laughing and looking at all the sites in the ancient city, especially _Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet's House._

Who doesn't know about the love story between Juliet and Romeo, immortalised by Shakespeare in the first line of his play,

"_Two households, both alike in dignity _

_In fair Verona, where we lay our scene_

_ From ancient grudge break to new mutiny_

_ Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."_

Edward and I had watched the movie countless times . . . before he left . . .

Verona holds the claim to having the houses of perhaps the greatest lovers in history. Of course, there is much debate as to whether the lovers existed or not, but since I was surrounded by mythical creatures that weren't supposed to exist in reality, I had no trouble thinking the story was true.

The house itself was built in the 13th century and the dell Capello's coat-of-arms could still be seen on the keystone of the inner archway in the courtyard. A bronze statue of Juliet stood in the courtyard and there were sticky notes littering the inner walls where people had left letters to her. Apparently forlorn and distressed lovers could leave a note and tradition said that they would receive an answer to whatever heartache they were experiencing.

Edward turned to me while we stood in the courtyard, gesturing to a podium where people could write notes, "Do you want to leave her a message or ask a question, love?"

I thought about it before responding, hugging my husband to me, "Aren't notes supposed to be asking for your heart's desire or problems with a lost love?"

"Yes, I think that's the idea," he said, bending down to softly kiss the very corner of my lips.

I kissed him back, smiling, "Then I don't need to leave a note. I have everything I ever dreamed of, Edward, and more . . . I love you."

Though Masen sat in the crook of his arm, his other arm was around me and he kissed me like we were alone in our bedroom.

"I love you more than anything else in the world, Bella. I have from the first minute I saw you. I'm so sorry I ever left you and caused you pain. I realize now that you do love me just as much as I love you, though I never thought it possible. I promise I will never ever leave you again," he said emphasizing each word. "I want you to know that," he declared adamantly.

He ducked his head, a shy expression crossing his face as just the corner of his mouth turned up and our son smiled ear to ear. He took my hand and led me to a bench in the cortyard, away from most of the tourists. Straddling the bench, he sat Masen in front of him and reached into the pocket of his jeans.

"I have something for you," he said warmly, handing me a small red velvet pouch with a drawstring, "I don't want you to think I spent a lot of money, I didn't. This was my mothers, and I want you to have it."

"Edward. My gift for you is . . ."

"Bella. I really want to give this to you here, in this place."

I opened the drawstring, fiddling with it for longer than would be expected. I felt the tears starting, and I hadn't even seen what he had gotten me, but I felt the weight of the emotion behind the gift.

I held the open bag upside down, and a gold necklace fell into my palm. Attached to the end of it was the most beautiful locket, no larger than a penny, really. It had an intricate design woven into the front with silver mixing with the gold and encircling an emerald that was set in the front. Tiny hinges and a clasp told me that there was something inside, and I opened it to find a photo of Edward on one side, and the smiling face of my son on the other. The photo of Masen was just of him sitting in the grass, cross legged, and it looked as though it was taken a week or so ago, his hair wa shorter than it was now. It was the photo of Edward that took my breath away. I had taken the picture, of course, no one else would have had the opportunity . . . but I didn't know that he had seen it and I was kind of embarrassed that I had been caught. It was my all time favorite picture of him, just his face and bare shoulders as he lay sleeping peacefully in our bed.

He must have noticed my embarrassment, or Masen did as Edward looked first to him and then to me, explaining, "Alice said it was your favorite photo of me and she told me where to find it. I wasn't snooping, love, I just wanted to surprise you."

"Oh, sweetheart. I love it. You had fallen asleep that morning and you were just so adorable, I had to take the picture. I hope you don't mind," I whispered as I kissed him.

"I don't mind anything you do around me, Bella. Take any photos you want, anytime. I love you. Happy Valentine's Day, love. Do you like the locket?"

"Edward, it's beautiful. It was your mother's?"

"Yes. I have few human memories, but I remember her wearing this, and that the jewel matched the color of her eyes . . . Masen's eyes are the same color sometimes."

He fastened it around my neck and centered it in front, kissing me as he did. Masen leaned in to look at the locket and clapped his little hands, a gesture he used often these days when he was happy about something.

"I have something for you as well, but we have to go back to the room for me to give it to you . . ."

Edward smirked, obviously taking my comment as something to do with sex as he immediately stood, anxiously saying that we should hurry home!


	116. Chapter 116  Back Home

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note:** _Slightly shorter chapter - if I unpack 5 boxes a day, I can be all done by Thanksgiving - as of today, I am 21 boxes behind due to spending the weekend seeing my daughter and her family! Woops! More from back home on Thursday . . . we still need to hear from Carlisle and Esme, not to mention Jake!  
_

**Chapter 116 Back Home**

_Edward smirked, obviously taking my comment as something to do with sex _

_as he immediately stood, anxiously saying that we should hurry home!_

_~oooOooo~_

**BPOV**

"Edward, the locket is just beautiful, " I told him as I sat back in the soft leather seats of the car that my husband so blatantly adored.

"I'm glad you like it, love."

"Your mother had green eyes, and Masen's eyes are green most of the time," I mused, "didn't Carlisle say that your eyes were green when you were human?"

"Yes."

"Such a pretty green. I hope Masen's eyes stay that color."

"I love the chocolate brown eyes I look into every day, but I'm getting used to Masen's green ones as well," Edward laughed, shifting gears and speeding up as Masen laughed and played with his teddy bear behind us.

I took the time to just look around me, admiring not only the scenery as we sped through the ancient streets and out into the countryside, but the car as well. Edward really loved his cars, and I could see the craftsmanship and detail that had gone into this one. It was easy to see why he was so nuts over it, even though I still shuttered at the price. I guess I was just wanting to press my luck, or maybe I was just in a mischievous mood when I asked . . .

"So, when will I get a turn driving this?"

It was all I could do to hold back laughter and keep a straight face as my husbands eyes opened wide and his chin dropped. I couldn't be sure, but I would have sworn that a shudder ran through his body, if only for a moment.

"You want to drive the car, love?" he said, an incredulous tone in his voice, "I thought you didn't know how to drive a stick?"

"I don't," I paused for a long moment, letting him stew, "but you could teach me."

"I would love to teach you, but it would be better to learn on a different car . . . one that has an easier clutch. This one is quite sensitive and much harder to learn on, " he all but stammered.

How funny was he, trying not to offend me but grasping at every possible reason for me not to drive his baby, at least, not to learn on it.

"I'm sure you can teach me on this one, sweetheart. I have faith in you," I told him, still managing a straight face.

Masen must have picked up on my mood because he started clapping his hands and laughing and Edward cocked his head at me and furrowed his eyebrow, understanding creeping in.

"Bella!"

I lost it, cracking up and laughing as he shook his head and the tension in his body relaxed.

"You are just so funny about your cars! What gave me away? Was it Masen?" I said, turning in my seat to poke the little monster in the ribs and make him laugh even harder.

"He sensed your mood and thought it was funny, well, he thought my thoughts were funny and then he gathered that you were doing it on purpose," he laughed, "You really had me going. I thought you were serious!"

I deadpanned, staring straight at him, "I am serious."

He froze. I couldn't help it, I couldn't torture him any longer and I reached over and squeezed his thigh, laughing.

"You're so easy, Edward!" I laughed.

Lucky for him we pulled up to the bed and breakfast and I unbuckled Masen as Edward came around to open my door.

"That was funny wasn't it, baby. Daddy is funny about his cars. Wait till you are old enough to drive and you want to borrow this car. We'll see what he has to say then," I chattered on to the baby, my words causing Edward to turn to stone momentarily as he stood holding our door.

"Well, you know he'll want to drive this . . . he'll probably inherit your love for fast cars and want to drive yours," I said as a final jab before I took his hand and pulled the half stunned vampire into the inn with me.

Dinner was waiting and we were warmly greeted as the door opened and delicious smells escaped. Edward said something about putting away the things we had bought in town and he hurried upstairs as Masen and I went to sit at the table. The food was delicious, but all I could think about was the gift that I had waiting for Edward.

I had researched it, of course. I had wanted to get him some original music, the actual manuscript sheets that the composer had used to first write down his new creation. I wanted classical, and the composer had to be someone that would have been alive and composing when Edward was human - and old enough to have heard of him.

_Sergei Rachmaninoff _was from Russia and had been in his 40's and 50's when Edward was a teenager. He was known as a famous piano player before a composer. His hands were ridiculously large, which allowed him to make huge stretches across the keyboard and his playing style was extremely clean and precise. _Rachmaninoff's_ music was sultry and passionate, most of it being mysterious and gloomy - even old _Rach_ himself said that he had trouble writing happy-sounding pieces! I started to pass on his because they were not cheerful, but the fact that his hands could reach about one and a half times what normal hands could reach and he had an appetite for speed made his pieces require somewhat superhuman skill to perform. Not many were apparently able to perform his pieces . . . but I was fairly certain Edward would love them.

I had spent a fortune on them, having to transfer money into my account to cover the cost, but I wanted him to have something special from me for our first Valentine's Day together. I had ,et with the seller in Paris when Alice and I had been out shopping. Edward's composing a song for me the other day just made the gift of music even more special. Alice and I had carefully packed the sheets of music, already wrapped and encased in protective covering, and they were in the side pouch of the small bag we had brought with us from Venice.

Edward came down and joined us at the table, feeding Masen and talking about the sights we had seen and telling me how far it was to the house we owned and how beautiful the drive was going to be in the morning. Masen's appetite was growing just as rapidly as he was and we had picked up a few new clothes for him in the shops today. It seemed he was wearing toddler sizes now and the 18 month sized clothes were getting tight. I was sure Alice had seen this, but happy that she hadn't packed for it and Edward and I had gotten to enjoy shopping for Masen's needs.

We thanked our host for dinner and headed upstairs to put Masen down. Edward changed him and I sat and breastfed him in the rocker in his room till his eyes closed and his lips fell away from my nipple. He was just so cute like that, totally out of it and completely dependent on us. Edward laid him in his crib and covered him with his blanket and we headed to our room.

The door had barely closed before Edward had me pressed against it and lifted my legs to wrap around his waist. He seemed beside himself, unable to control his need to be closer, to touch more of me.

"Sweetheart, I need a human minute," I told him quietly between kisses.

"Don't take too long, Mrs. Cullen," he said as he put me down and I headed towards our closet.

I grabbed a nightgown, the blue one that he loved so much, and Edward grabbed some silk sleep pants, starting to undress as I watched him.

"Enjoying the show, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked as he laid his shirt across the chair and took his belt off, unbuttoning his jeans.

"Always, Mr. Cullen," I smiled as I turned and headed into the bathroom.

Edward had a book in his hand when I returned from the bathroom, but he was instantly beside me, covering my neck and jaw with kisses as his hands traced the laces that held the back of my nightgown together. I put the palms of my hands against his chest and pushed. He noticed immediately, of course. Though my pushing him had no effect in reality, the surprise on his face was evident as he allowed some space between us. It was unusual for me to push him away. Okay, I had never pushed him away like that before, and he was startled by it.

"Bella . . ."

"I just want to give you my present!" I explained, "Go sit on the bed and close your eyes."

He did as requested immediately, though he made no effort to hide the pouty expression that covered his face.

"I hope you like this as much as I like the locket you gave me," I told him, handing him the wrapped folder.

He carefully opened it and stared at the contents, his eyes wide and his mouth open as if if he were going to stay something, but had stopped.

"Bella! Are these . . . these are the originals? Original manuscript sheets from Rachmaninoff himself?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe it. He was famous when I was still human, though nobody but him was supposed to be able to play some of his compositions . . . they were too difficult and requited too much speed and reach. It challenges me to play his work. Oh My God! Bella, I love it, I just can't believe you found these!" he said looking at the papers like he just got the best Christmas gift ever.

"Thank you, love. This is amazing!" he said quietly. "There is a piano at our house and I can't wait to play these for you!"

"We could leave tonight and go there if you want," I told him, starting to stand and head toward my clothes.

"I can wait till morning," he said, grabbing hold of my wrist and carefully laying the folder on the night side table. "Our son is asleep, and I need to make love to my wife. It's Valentine's Day," he whispered against my skin, kissing my throat and down my neck towards my collarbone as he stood holding me beside the bed.

I lost count of how many times he made love to me that night. He said something about our having been married for eight months, so I think he was going for eight - but it was difficult to be sure when you were so consumed.

_I was exceptionally unaware when I was otherwise occupied._

Or so Edward liked to tell me.

We were up midmorning, Edward having already packed the car and dressed Masen while I slept, obviously anxious to head to the house in Bolzano . . . and the piano that waited there!

~oooOooo~

_Sam Uley. As I have witnessed firsthand your treason and betrayal and you have admitted openly to breaking the treaty, your place in this pack is forfeit. You may only join us when called upon, phasing to wolf only when you are requested to do so._

_I will be asking you to phase periodically so that I can know what you are thinking, and if you are still abiding by the orders I am going to give you. This is your punishment._

_As far as Emily is concerned, your relationship is between the two of you. You will be allowed to work and live on the reservation still, if you choose to and if it is acceptable to her._

_As a type of community service, you will be required to maintain the grounds at the Cullen estate for as long as they continue to own it and you continue to be a member of this tribe._

_This will include the home where Charles Swan resides as well, for as long as he or his descendants own the property._

_~oooOooo~_

**Charlie POV**

"So, everything is going well with the baby?" I asked .

Emily had brought over some of the most delicious cinnamon rolls I had tasted in awhile, and I was having my third one as we sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and watching Sam out the window as he worked in my yard.

"Everything is fine, heading into the second trimester and NOW I'm starting to get sick in the mornings. I thought I bypassed that all together, but it seems to have caught up with me!" she laughed. "Have you heard from Bella and Edward?" she asked, pausing to sip her coffee.

"Not since they left Paris a week or so ago. They were taking some train to Italy, to that city, whichever one where they use boats instead of cars to get around . . . "

"Venice?"

"Yea, that's it, Emily. Venice. She seemed real excited about it," I told her, sipping my coffee and grabbing another cinnamon roll.

"How exciting is that!" Emily exclaimed, "And Renee is still traveling with them?"

"Yea, yea. She was. She called me last night to tell me she was back home, seems Phil caught a stray ball in the head and broke his ankle in the process."

"No!" Emily almost whispered, "Is he alright?"

"She said he would be fine, but Edward and Bella took her to the airport in Venice and shipped her home to Jacksonville. She really wasn't sure where they were going after that, something about Romeo and Juliet if that makes any sense."

"Verona."

"What?"

"Verona, Italy. That's where Romeo first met Juliet and I think it's near Venice. I bet they're going there. Edward would take her to some romantic place like that, especially for Valentine's Day," Emily guessed.

"Well that figures then, Emily. That Edward has it bad for her and he would do something romantic like that, wouldn't he?" I laughed.

"I suppose so. They really are in love, Charlie. It's nice to see after all they went through," she told me, her eyes wandering off out the window to stare at Sam as he worked.

"Have you heard from Jake?" I asked.

I really missed Bella and my grandson, and I wasn't sure that talking about them wouldn't make it worse.

"No, I haven't, Charlie. Not since he left last month to head back to Highlands. He seemed to be doing well, though," she smiled, "well, _after _he managed to convince the Council that he could be effective and be Chief and still spend a considerable amount of his time in Highlands running _Black Swan Racing."_

"So, how are things with you and Sam?" I asked, knowing it was a somewhat loaded question.

It was a question I had avoided, not being one for getting involved in emotional topics, but Emily was a really sweet girl and I didn't really think she had anyone to talk to . . . especially not a dad. I was thinking maybe I could help and just be there for her.

"Oh, I don't know, Charlie. He's trying, I know he's trying," Emily sighed. "He doesn't say anything about any of it. He goes to work, he doesn't socialize at all, he comes home and takes care of my yard and cleans and does whatever he sees that needs doing . . . and sleeps on the couch. He never comes upstairs to our room unless he's putting away laundry or getting something for me."

"So, is that bad?" I asked.

"It's not that it's bad, it's just that he's acting like he's scared to rock the boat, Charlie. Like if he talks to me or assumes anything, I might ask him to leave," she paused, "I just don't know what to do. I just don't seem to have it in me to forgive him for what he did, how he acted. I just need to somehow know that he wouldn't make the same decisions again if he was in that situation."

I started to see watery eyes, and I hoped it wouldn't come to that . . .

"I want him around, Charlie. I love him but . . . I just can't," she confided, checking her tears and regaining her composure.

Thank god.

"What did Edward have to say about him, Emily? That mind reading could come in handy for you here. It would be hard to fool him, wouldn't it?" I asked, refilling my coffee cup.

"I think so," she said, almost to herself.

She nibbled on a cinnamon roll while I helped myself to a forth one off the plate she had brought over, and she seemed to be considering something as she stared out the window.

"Edward said his thoughts were sincere and he was sorry, but I just have to be sure he really has changed. maybe when they get back from Europe, maybe Edward would be willing to look in and see if he still had the same thoughts,"

"Well, I have no idea when they are coming back, but Jacob will be back next month for that council meeting. Couldn't he phase into wolf and do that mind thing to see what Sam's thoughts were?" I asked.

"Mind thing?" she laughed, holding her stomach and almost spitting coffee all over.

"I don't know what you call it, but you know what I mean. Don't the wolves know what each other is thinking when they are wolves?"

"Yes, Charlie, that's what they tell me. Jake would do that for me, wouldn't he?" she questioned, seeming to brighten up.

"Sure, Edward or Jake either one would, you know that. One way or the other, they would get you answers if you asked them, Emily," I told her, sipping the last of my coffee and vowing not to try and stuff any more into my stomach this morning.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, and apparently neither is Sam. I guess I can just wait and see what happens," she said, getting up to put my cup and hers in the sink, "The longer he stays consistent, the better the chances are that the change was permanent."

"If it's any indication, Emily, I've been past the Cullen house just to check on it and the yard and grounds are always picture perfect. Sam keeps my yard like _Better Homes and Gardens," _I confided, "and he has never complained . . . not even once."

"Thank you, Charlie," she said, hugging me as I stood to put the left over rolls in the fridge," thank you for telling me that. I guess time will tell,"

"You just take care of you and that little one. Babies can change lots of things, Emily, and we need some little ones around here. I miss my grandson more than I can even tell you," i explained.

"Tell your daughter that she needs to make a trip out here, Charlie. We would all like to see Masen," Emily said brightly, like she really did want to see him.

"I don't know how good an idea that would be. He's growing faster than any human, you know. Last time Bella sent me a photo he was walking around holding on to things. He's less than two months old, Emily. No human baby could do that and folks here would notice right away. No, I think I'll need to go see him, not have him come here," I told her, "Maybe I should get a passport. If they aren't back in a month or so, they just might have to deal with me coming there to see them!"

I was laughing and kidding as we walked outside to join Sam. We had seen him putting the equipment away and knew that he was finishing up. I loved all my friends here in Forks, but I really was serious about keeping in touch with my grandson. I would be applying for a passport later today, now that I had thought about it. I had never been out of the country, but thee was a first time for everything. If they were going to run around the globe, I guess I would just have to go and find them.

I looked at my watch, realizing I was about to be late. If I was going to go globe hopping, I guess I needed to get some overtime in to afford it . . .

I was just walking out the door as the phone rang. Guess I just wasn't used to having to carry around a damned cellular phone in addition to the radio in my patrol car, but when I looked at the caller and it was Sue, any irritation vanished just like if it had been Bella. I was getting kind of used to having Sue around, if the truth be told.

"Morning, Sue! Happy Valentine's Day!" I said before she beat me to it.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, " she answered, always so cheerful, "I just called to make sure you still wanted to go out tonight. I really could just make us dinner at home, you know. there will be so many people going out to dinner tonight, it might be a long wait at the restaurant."

"No, no. I want to take you out tonight. No cooking for you on Valentine's day, not for my girl. I'll pick you up at 7, alright?" I asked just to check.

"Okay, Charlie. If you insist, I'll be waiting. Bye now."

"See you at 7. Bye, Sue," I told her, pushing the button for off and putting the phone back in my jacket pocket.

"Ha! Like I would cancel," I muttered out loud as I walked toward the car.

I had these reservations since I got back from Highlands. Dinner at the Lodge, and the best table, quiet and in the back with a view. I fingered the little box that was still in my pocket where I put the phone, taking it out to check just one more time. She was going to like the ring, at least I hoped so. I pulled out into the street, remembering to stop by the cleaners and pick up my suit. It was going to be quite an eventful evening and I wanted it to go perfectly.

I thought about talking to Bella first, giving her a head's up, but I had decided not to. As well as I had gotten to know her Edward, the boy had already picked it out of my head before I left his house, and she would know soon enough. As much as I wanted to talk to her about it and make sure she was okay with it, this was between me and Sue, and I wanted her to be the first one to hear it from me.

I hadn't done this in a lot of years and I was nervous as hell. Besides, she might say no . . .

~oooOooo~


	117. Chapter 117  Surprises

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note:**_** Kind of a short chapter, but we needed to check in with the folks back home. Bella, Edward and the baby needed some time alone in Bolzano. They needed a chapter all to themselves!**_**  
**

**Chapter 117 Surprises**

_Well, let's hope for all of our sakes that the child does care for his father, _

_though he is a vampire. The legends are just that, legends, _

_but you know there is usually some truth to the ones that vampires pass down, _

_one way or another._

**Carlisle POV**

"It's just so hard to accept, Carlisle," Carmen remarked, her voice a whisper.

"I know. Believe me, everyone in the family thought the same thing at first," I agreed.

"Well it only makes sense, conservation wise. We would only just bury them to keep them from being found, this way they look eaten . . . because they were," Esme added.

"Caius would have a heart attack, regardless," Eleazar insisted, chuckling to himself, "Who would have ever thought that not only are you friendly with a werewolf, but you take them to dinner!"

"Technically he's a shape shifter, Eleazar, not a werewolf," I corrected.

"I don't think Caius's cold dead heart would care that there is a difference," Eleazar remarked, unable to hide his laughter as he slowly shook his head in disbelief.

We had all come out with Jacob after he wanted to know if we were up for a hunt. For some reason he had wanted to eat in wolf form tonight and I had no reason to object. Esme was right, it only made sense to use the meat rather than just bury the carcass and let it rot after we drained it.

Eleazar and Carmen sat with Esme and I on an outcropping of rock overlooking the meadow where Jacob was still feeding. If I had been told me a few years ago that I would be friends with a wolf - that my son would in fact consider him his best friend and that I would have a human daughter in law who my son would father a child with . . . well, you would have been a resident in one of the wings of the hospital I ran, and it wouldn't have been the surgical wing.

"Seriously, Carlisle," my friend confided, "how long do you expect all this to stay a secret from Aro?"

"I have no idea. Aro was always a good friend to me, even allowing me to leave and follow a more vegetarian diet, Eleazar," I mused.

My friend looked at me as though he wanted to say something,, but wasn't sure if he should. thankfully, he decided to share his thoughts with me, though his face was drawn and worried.

"He expected you to fail, Carlisle, and he loves nothing more than to be proven right and have you beg to come back into the fold," he theorized, "Believe me. He never, ever thought you would succeed, much less create so large a . . . _family_."

I would have to give that some thought. I knew that Aro could be quite cruel at times, seeming to enjoy actually ending vampires that had broken the law. Certainly he was very full of himself and way more intent on meeting his own need for power than he was for protecting the vampire community as a whole, but that was over two hundred years ago. Though vampires did not usually change in any way, it seemed reasonable to hope that he had discovered that his cruelty did not gain him what he wanted . . . he was no more powerful now than he had been then. In fact, the Volturi had never been more feared or respected than when they had dealt with the Southern wars and the immortal children. There had been no opportunities, no great problems that needed taking care of or needed them to handle in the last hundred years or so, after the armies that Jasper had taken part in were destroyed.

Masen's gift, if it was indeed as powerful as I suspected, would be too much for Aro to resist. To have someone at his side that could change the very thoughts in the mind of his adversaries, well, the possibilities were limitless . . . as was the potential gain in power.

"Well, young man, are you quite through?" I heard Esme asking Jacob.

He had phased and was approaching us rubbing his belly with a smile on his face.

"The tank is full," he laughed, plopping down on one of the many rock outcroppings just as comfortably as if it has been the living room sofa.

"Was that one or two deer you finished off?" Carmen asked, inquisitively, "Because I can't for the life of me understand where you put all that meat once you phase. Your stomach just isn't that large!"

"How does Emmett drink three grizzlies in one day?" Jacob asked, "Isn't that what he does?"

"Yes. Yes, he does, Jacob. I've seen Alice drink a full grown Moose before. I just have no idea where we put all the liquid we consume, and it seems to be the same for you.. It's not like we can dissect one of us to see!" I laughed, "though as quickly as you heal, I could probably only just get in there and have a peak before you started healing the wound."

Everyone, including Jacob was laughing as I shook my head. In the over three hundred years I had been around vampires and in this life, mythical creatures had never ceased to amaze me.

"Just glad you haven't tried, doc," Jacob managed to say between laughs.

Jacob headed back to Bella and Edward's house and the rest of us headed back to our house at an almost human pace. We were in no particular hurry.

"I do hope Tanya hasn't caused a great deal of trouble between Edward and his bride, Carlisle. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to be around her, what with being able to read her thoughts and all," Carmen sighed.

"Yes, dear, our Tanya's thoughts must indeed be difficult to tolerate. I'm sure it isn't a matter of him having to read her mind, she's probably shouting at him mentally whenever he's around her," Eleazar added.

"Well, apparently she has a vivid imagination, complete with images," I explained.

"I wouldn't worry about her causing trouble between Edward and Bella, though, Carmen. There is a lot more to that little human girl than any of us ever imagined. Once Edward found her again and convinced her that he did love her, they've formed a bond that I rarely even see in our kind. She's fierce about him and . . . well, you can imagine how overprotective and attached Edward is to her," my wife explained.

"I just can't get over the fact that he can make love to her at all and not hurt her. In all the years I was with Aro looking for vampires with gifts we never, ever, came across anyone with a gift that would even come close to letting them be close to a human that was their singer. Rescuing her from a bloody wreck . . . delivering their child . . . it's just unheard of," Eleazar repeated, shaking his head and marveling over the entire idea of such a thing.

"Well, don't let his restraint fool you. If Tanya's actions even remotely start to upset Bella, the others will be hard pressed to stop Edward from dismembering her," Esme warned. "I'm not trying to worry you, but you need to let her know just how devoted he is to her. Bella isn't a toy to Edward like the human's that Tanya plays with are to her. He will defend her, regardless of who it's against."

"Fascinating. "You're serious," Eleazar queried.

"She is. From what they told me this morning, everyone was attempting to dissuade Tanya from being anywhere around the newlyweds or the baby. Her safety more than anything else," I explained.

"Well, Edward is family, Carlisle, and our Tanya should know better. For heaven's sake, he is married to her and they have a child! I don't think that Tanya is in love with your Edward, I just think she can't stand the fact that there is a male on the planet that she can't seduce," Carmen mused.

We all laughed, Esme and I nodding and agreeing that she was probably right.

Carmen and Eleazar were leaving, taking advantage of Tanya, Kate and Irina's absence to visit some old friends and have a bit of a vacation. They loved the girls, but, like Esme and myself, they loved their time alone as well. We stood at the door and waved as they pulled away, darkness adding to their cover as they drove to the airport. They always took care to fly at night. Airplanes had a nasty way of getting up above the cloud cover and sunshine streamed in the windows during the daylight. Since they didn't have the advantage of Alice's predicting situations for them, they just made safety a habit that they stuck to all the time.

I wrapped my arms around my wife.s waist, bending to kiss her neck and along her shoulder as we stood in the night air. It was quite cold in February here in the mountains of North Carolina, though it didn't effect us, I did like the smell of the dense air and its cool temperature.

"I'm happy for them getting to travel a little, Carlisle. They stay home with the girls and their antics far to much. It isn't as though Eleazar has a job with the humans or anything to tie them down," Esme remarked as she turned in my arms to face me, pressing her lips to mine.

We kissed for several minutes, standing there in the doorway. There was nothing and no one to distract us . . . or hear us, for a change.

"Let's go upstairs," I suggested and took her hand to lead her up the stairs. "I have a surprise for you," I whispered, immediately realizing that she had taken that sexually.

"Um, I love your surprises," she moaned against my lips.

It wasn't that I minded . . . I quite enjoyed that my wife's thoughts fell to the gutter so quickly, but on this particular occasion, I had something else to tell her. I, of course, responded by kissing her soundly first. Repeatedly. Though our lovemaking never suffered when our family was home, it certainly increased when they weren't. It was not out of the ordinary for us to be locked in an embrace for more than one day at a time.

"I was able to get a couple of weeks off from the hospital," I finally managed to release her lips long enough to say.

"So, we don't have to hurry . . ."

God, I loved this woman.

"Well, I suppose I could return the airline tickets, if you want. The caretaker probably hasn't sent in the cleaning crew quite yet to air the place out. The castle can get a bit stuffy after decades closed up," I replied, taking my phone from my pocket and appearing to look for the number to call to cancel my plans.

"Carlisle!"

"Perhaps I should let him open up, regardless, since our children will be there visiting," I said quietly, as though to myself.

"They're all meeting us there? London? Oh, Carlisle, I love London,"{ my wife all but squealed.

"Yes, but the idea of two weeks alone . . . here . . . with no need to stop . . ."

"Carlisle! We can get a head start on that right now, and I can still have you ready to come up for air by the time we leave for London," she said with a devilish twinkle in her eyes.

god I loved that woman.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

Daddy C was always good for a laugh. I had come to really enjoy and look forward to the time I spent with him as well as Esme. They treated me like just another of their kids and since my parents were gone, they filled a void that I had not realized I had.

I loved staying at Bella's house. I had gotten somewhat used to the sickeningly sweet stench that the vampires now had to my nose. It was like living upstairs from a bakery or pastry shop where they were always using that butter cream sweet smelling frosting, and I just kind of looked at it that way. Like a sickeningly sweet cake or candy smell. Bella didn't smell like that yet, of course. Though Masen had a heartbeat, he smelled more like his father than his mom, but the human smell tempered the vampire odor, and I could deal with it for the few hours that I was ever allowed near him at a time, anyway. Bella kept that baby on quite a tight leash. Who could blame her after all she went through to have him . . .

I walked into the house and grabbed my phone. I needed to call my girl before it got too late in the day. She had an early class this semester and she was always asleep before midnight. I just wanted to confirm plans for Valentine's Day. I had reservations for us at her favorite restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina, and flowers ordered at a local florist there, to be delivered before I arrived to take her out. I was going all out. She had dropped the boyfriend from the band, whatever his name had been, and it was just me she was seeing now . . . and I wanted to keep it that way.

She had no idea about the imprinting, but she seemed into me regardless. I would do whatever it took to convince her that I was exactly right for her. We had planned for her to spend the weekend up here in Highlands with me, but the renovations on the house I bought were going kind of slow without Emmett and Edward here to rush folks along, and I wasn't sure how I felt about bringing her to Bella's house for the weekend, though I was pretty sure that neither Edward or Bella would have minded.

I spent as much time as I could down at Clemson with her, in her dorm. Her room mate had left school, and it was just her in the room, so it wasn't like we were inconveniencing anyone else. It was, however, kind of awkward for her to be alone with me all night - even if I slept on the other bed. She was coming around though, learning to trust me. We had fallen asleep together a few times and she had survived unscathed, and I was in no hurry. I just wanted her to trust me and be comfortable around me, and I couldn't push too hard. It was one of those things that needed to happen naturally for her, with time and familiarity. She would soon figure out that I was in love with her.

Old Quilaterra, now that was someone that needed to learn not to push too hard. Sue had been great about me living away from the reservation a large part of the time. I tried to explain about _Black Swan Racing_, and how I had to run the circuit to go to all the races all over the country, but he was less than understanding. I listened to him as well as the concerns of the other council members and the pack. I vowed to stay in touch with my _wolf_ side, and my heritage. Quilaterra thought that the Chief should be on the reservation. Period. Like I should be a statue or something, always there. He pointed out that I had Billy's old house, so there was somewhere for me to be, and I could still be a mechanic on the rez.

Sue knew better. Sue knew about Bree.

As the alpha, I could still keep certain thoughts from the rest of the pack, if I wanted to. It was an alpha thing.

I had been back to Pa Push once since leaving after the first council meeting, and I kept in touch constantly. I wasn't sure what the fuck else they expected from me, but they were damned sure not getting my full undivided attention. I had the potential to have a winning season this year . . . and I had Bree to convince to marry me.

Having dinner with the Cullen's in wolf form was my way of staying in touch with that side of my life. After all, our ancestors had shifted into wolf form for one reason and one reason only, and that was to protect the tribe from its enemies . . . the only enemy still surviving being vampires. Not so sure the tribe would count that as keeping in touch with my wolf . . . but I did, I thought as I chuckled to myself.

I did keep in touch with Emily on almost a daily basis whether I was here or there. I needed to know that she was okay as well as what Sam was up to. I knew that he had kept his word so far, phasing only when I was there and asked him to, and tending to the grounds at the Cullen house as well as at Charlies. He seemed to be trying, and I guess that's all we could expect, after all. Emily had allowed him in the house. He wanted to take care of her, and she wanted him to prove himself . . . and he still slept downstairs on the sofa. She had not invited him back to her bed . . . and who could blame her. If I had to bet, my money was on her taking him back, eventually. They loved each other, Sam for damned sure loved her . . . hell, he had imprinted. It wasn't like he had a choice or like he could ever get over her. She just had to know that he had changed, and since he was willing to be anything she needed him to be . . . it was just a matter of time.

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

"I mean it, bitch. One more word about my brother and your sisters will be looking for parts of you in more than one country," I said with the best angry snarl I could muster.

I was damned tired of her whining about how mean Edward had been to her, throwing her out into the lagoon . . . misunderstanding her intent and all. Right.

I had the facts on that one. Just because my cooler than could be believed nephew had changed her thoughts didn't mean shit to me. I hoped that the thoughts he took away and replaced with nicer ones were there to stay, but I was still angry as hell about her going there to hurt my nephew. Rosalie had told me what happened when Tanya first arrived - how she had suggested that Edward needed to end Masen, or she would, rather than taking care of the baby when he came to his senses and left Bella.

Like Edward would ever even _dream_ of leaving Bella. You couldn't always get him to let her go to the bathroom alone! Ha! They were funny as hell together if you asked me, she stood up to him inch for inch and I watched him back down time and time again. In the over 70 years that I had known Edward, I had never seen him like this . . . I had never seen him really happy and I, along with the rest of the family, would do anything to make sure it stayed this way. Anything.

"Emmett!" Rose chided.

"No, Rose. Emmett is obviously delusional when it comes to my intentions, just like Edward. I have no idea where any of you got the idea that i would be a danger to the baby. Of all the ridiculous things," she said as she straightened her dress.

My Rosie was still fixing her makeup, even though she didn't need any of it, and we were all waiting on her.

"Enough, Tanya!" Kate all but demanded.

"I thought we were just going to chalk it off to Edward's over possessive nature and forget about it," Alice reminded us, "That _is_ what we agreed on, right?"

"Yes, yes. We agreed, Alice," Tanya all but whined.

Jasper kept sending out yet another calming wave into the room, hoping we could somehow convince Tanya to just forget about being thrown in the water. Call it a mistake, whatever. She had no idea that her thoughts had been changed, and we weren't about to tell her. Kate and Irina had looked somewhat skeptical at the story we had given to explain Edward . . . too possessive, just listened to a portion of Tanya's thoughts, whatever. We just needed to move past this, and quickly.

"Excellent. Since we are all in agreement, let's get going. This new club will fill up so fast that even I wou'd be able to get us seats." Alice said, a serious expression on her face.

"Let's go then. I promised my Rosie dancing if she didn't have baby duty, so dancing it is!" I happily answered, heading for the door.

The Denali sisters grabbed their unnecessary wraps and we headed out to the gondola. We had lingered in Venice for a few more days before heading to Verona. Even then, we weren't going to Edward and Bella's house in Bolzano for awhile. They had wanted some time alone, and it seemed danger free enough to let that happen!

~oooOooo~


	118. Chapter 118  Bolzano, Italy

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

******Author's Note:**_ Thanks to ALL of you that reviewed! I really do appreciate the reviews now more than ever and I will answer all of them. I need and love your comments and support. Hope you enjoy this one day in the life of Bella, Edward and Masen.  
_

**Chapter 118 Bolzano, Italy**

_I lost count of how many times he made love to me that night. _

_He said something about our having been married for eight months, _

_so I think he was going for eight - but it was difficult to be sure when you were so consumed._

_I was exceptionally unaware when I was otherwise occupied. Or so Edward liked to tell me._

_We were up mid-morning, Edward having already packed the car and dressed Masen while I slept, obviously anxious to head to the house in Bolzano . . . and the piano that waited there!_

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I was absolutely insane with need for her. I had no idea how I would manage the hour and a half drive to the house in Bolzano. I had forced myself to untangle my limbs from hers earlier when Masen awoke. He wasn't particularly hungry, so I had gotten him dressed and he and I had packed the car, leaving Bella to sleep as long as possible. Though she was a willing participant, I knew that her human body had to rest. We had stayed awake, making love far into the night and I had woken her this morning in my need to be as close as was humanly possible.

If I changed her as soon as we returned home, it would be weeks if not months before her blood lust subsided and she had any thoughts of being intimate. Newborns only cared about blood, there was no way she would want me the same way I wanted her - had to have her . . . at least for awhile. If my wife was pregnant, as we had both been hoping, I would have to be careful with her, well, even more than I already was. Containing my need for her . . . and my strength . . . was becoming increasingly difficult. She wanted another child and if I were completely honest, I wanted another one as well if there were any possibility that she could deliver it safely.

Damn it.

All I could think of was going upstairs and ravaging my wife . . . waking her up from her sleep with me already moving inside her, too impatient to wait for her even to wake.

Control yourself.

Masen sat in the front seat, standing to hold onto the steering wheel and turning the car wheels from side to side. He was laughing and gurgling happily as he pushed all the buttons, silently asking me what they were for. I turned the ignition, allowing the car to come to life without cranking the engine as I explained.

"These buttons are used to control how warm or cool it is in the car, and . . . ," Masen's thoughts interrupted me.

_"What's that one for daddy?"_

"Those dials are to tell you how fast the car is going and how the engine is doing, son, whether you need to stop and fill up with gas and even if the engine is getting too hot," I explained as I pointed to each dial and he listened intently, taking everything in.

_"Pushing them isn't making the car go!"_ he fussed, looking concerned .

I had to laugh at him, he was so intent and interested. I suspected that he had the perfect recall that all vampires had, and I would not ever have the opportunity to explain these things to him again. I took my time and enjoyed each and every question, each smile, each time he seemed excited to have a new piece of information.

"You have to get bigger and your legs longer, son, before you can drive the car. The pedals down there," I pointed to the floor board, "those are what make the car go fast as well as stop."

If I were capable of tears, they would have been flowing I was laughing so hard. Masen let go of one hand and bent his legs, peering underneath the steering wheel to look at the pedals I had told him were there. His footing gave way and he found himself hanging from the one hand that still gripped the steering wheel, dangling somewhat over the car mat. The look on his face had me riddled with laughter. Had I been human, I would have been hard pressed to breath.

I righted him after I hugged him to me and kissed his cheek, telling him to be more careful and asking if he hurt himself. After an eye roll from my son, his questions . . . and my answers continued.

"These turn the radio on so that you can hear about things that are happening around you or you can listen to music," I explained "Yes, I love music very much, son. I think you will as well."

My thoughts found their way back to Bella as I crouched there beside the drivers opened door and he stood in the seat holding to the steering wheel with both hands. How was I ever going to get through the next few months of this existence. I had immense control, that had shown itself time and time again. I had no blood lust where she was concerned, but lust . . . well, I seemed to have an overabundance of lust where sex with my wife was concerned. I knew that mating for vampires, was intense . . . I had just never experienced it. Carlisle had told to explain Emmett and Rosalie's behavior to me time and time again when they were first together, breaking beds, destroying entire rooms . . . I had just not accepted it, I supposed. I guess I thought that was just them, not that it would ever happen to me . . . surely I would never feel that out of control.

I was wrong.

I smiled, my hands clasped together, elbows resting on my knees as I squatted on the ground watching my son.

_"Do you want me to help?" _Masen's thoughts jarred me back to the present.

"What son?" I asked out loud, not wanting to fall into the habit of always having silent conversations with him that Bella wasn't privy to.

_"Do you want me to help?" _he repeated . . . rather like I was the child and he wasn't.

"Help with what, son?" I asked him quietly as he stared intently at me.

_"You don't like me changing thoughts that people have without asking you, and you always know when I add thoughts to you . . . so I wanted to know if you wanted me to help?"_

"Help with what, Masen?"

I asked, though I was afraid I already knew the answer. He could read my every thought . . . he knew how I was feeling about his mom, the problem I was having controlling my desires. Somehow having my two month old son know my innermost feelings for his mother was way more than I was willing to endure. I didn't want him to think I was angry, but somehow I had to deal with this.

_"It's okay, dad. I helped before I got to see you when I was still inside mom. I didn't understand any of it, but I knew you needed me to help. I really don't understand now, I just know that you need to be careful with my mommy like you always tell me to be . . . and I can help_."

I had thought he had helped when she was pregnant, when we were in Orlando and my need for her was becoming unbearable, my control slipping. To have it confirmed so clearly though, consciously. He had intervened before, insisting to me that his mom _needed_ that feeling that I gave her when I was reluctant to make love with her late in her pregnancy while she still carried him.

"I would love you to help, son. I only want to make mommy happy and keep her safe. You and she are everything to me," I said, taking him in my arms and sitting where he had been standing in the drivers seat, "I just can't stand to be away from her . . . even just in the next room or a different chair. I need to be touching her all the time,"

He stared at me, smiling. I sensed it, recognized the new thoughts . . . stronger resolve, more absolute control over myself. Being a mind reader and vampire, I could discern the thoughts and feelings that were just mine and the ones that my son had . . . enhanced, for lack of a better word.

Masen stood on my lap, his chubby hands patting each of my cheeks as he laughed and placed slurpy kisses on my face, telling me that he loved me and his mom and comforting me . . . insisting that everything was going to be alright and he would help with the brother and sister that Auntie Alice saw him having.

"Love Daddy," he managed to say out loud.

I thought my face would crack from smiling so big. I had no idea . . . I just never knew what that would feel like.

"I love you, Masen. I love you more than I ever thought possible, son," I told him as I hugged him to me, rocking slightly with the weight of the feelings we were exchanging.

It seemed so impossible that I was sitting here communicating with a child that was my own flesh, just two months old yet he was well on his way to discussing things and concepts with me as though he were an adult. I had more now that I cared about than I ever dreamed possible . . . probably way more than I ever dreamed of when I was human.

"Your mom is right, you do kind of need a haircut, son," I said as I ran my fingers through his curls, grabbing a hair tie of Bella's that was on the dash and pulling his hair into a pony tail.

His hair hung in dark auburn ringlets more than halfway down his back, even with it pulled back. It was quite pretty, but I wasn't sure that was what I wanted my son's hair to look like.

Masen rolled his eyes and grudgingly turned his head so that I could gather his hair together and contain it somewhat behind his shoulders. I had dressed him and brought him outside with me to put his and my bag in the car, but neglecting to put a coat on top of his shirt and sweater. It was quite cold outside, and I hadn't paid attention that the engine wasn't on and there was no heat in the car.

"Are you cold, son?" I asked, kissing his cheek and holding him away from me slightly so that I could look at his face.

His lips weren't blue and his cheeks were not red. I had to wonder.

"Do you understand what I mean when I ask you if you're cold, son?" I questioned.

He tilted his head to one side, but his thoughts were jumbled. He had no idea.

"When you touch mommy's skin, it's always warm. Yes, that feeling is what warm is, son."

Now, I placed his palm against my cheek. I was sure I must feel quite cold from being out in the weather, but apparently not. Masen could notice no real difference, he said I just felt normal to him. I stood, shutting the car door and heading into the bed and breakfast toward the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen. Can I help you this morning? Are you and the boy hungry for your breakfast?" the middle aged woman running the kitchen asked.

"Actually, I would love a cup of coffee and a glass of juice with ice to take up to my wife, if i could. We'll be back down in a few minutes for breakfast, after she has a chance to feed the baby," I explained.

Within minutes I was upstairs in Masen's room, letting him stick his fingers in the cold drink to grab an ice cube and play with it, discussing _cold_ with him.

"Edward!" Bella screeched as she rounded the corner and came into the room with us just in time to see our baby sticking his hand into the steaming cup of coffee that was sitting in front of us.

She grabbed the baby from me, much to his dismay, and ran toward the bathroom, immediately covering his hand with cold water from the tap all the while asking me what in the world I was thinking and what happened to my vampire reflexes if I couldn't even stop a small child from burning himself!

Masen stared first at his mom, then at me as we both cracked up laughing.

"Bella, he's fine, love. look at his hand," I said as I turned off the faucet and Masen showed his hand to his mom.

"We were discussing the difference between hot and cold, sweetheart. It seems that temperatures don't affect him much more than they do his dad. We were outside for a half hour or so this morning and he never got the slightest bit cold."

Masen patted her cheeks and nuzzled her face as he giggled. Cutest thing ever.

"Mama. Love Mama," our son told her as she froze, not believing what she was hearing.

"Mommy loves you, baby. You scared me, I thought you had hurt your hand putting it in that hot coffee," she told him quietly, sitting him on the edge of the bathroom sink.

I walked over and put my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder as we both stared at our son.

"Did you two have a nice morning together while mommy slept?" she asked him, cooing and tickling him as he laughed and bent over double, gently pushing her hands away.

He started nuzzling against her chest, making what he wanted obvious as she laughed and went to sit in the rocker and offer him his breakfast. I simply sat and stared, mesmerized by both of the amazing creatures that were the very center of my world.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Edward carried Masen to the car to put him in his car seat as I finished brushing my teeth and putting my toiletries in my bag He seemed so calm, so unlike he had been this morning. He has woken me very early, before daybreak . . . he looked so very guilty but insisted that he just needed me. He hadn't intended to wake me I don't think, but having him touch me and stroke me, his hardened length entering me . . . well, that was just not to be slept through! I adored making love with my husband, and though he thought it was always just his need he was filling, it was mine as well. I simply could not get enough of him. Ever.

After a hearty breakfast, being famished after the mornings exercise, we were headed to see the mountain home Edward had bought over 50 years ago, a home I had only glimpsed from the train window as we passed through the Italian Dolomites. I could hardly wait I was so excited.

I had never seen anything as beautiful as the mountains that stood off in the distance to our right. It was an extremely sunny day and it made me appreciate the dark tint that Edward and all the Cullens had applied to the windows of all their cars. Edward's skin sparkled brightly anytime he reached forward for something on the dash. Luckily, it was only a short drive and he had wisely filled the car with gas the day before. Alice's weather predictions came in extremely handy at times such as these, as was the fact that Edward's phone was programed with the local weather forecast in any city we planned to visit.

"Are you feeling alright this morning, love? You're very quiet," Edward asked softly.

"Just enjoying the view," I told him as I continued to stare towards the right.

"The mountains are incredible, aren't they?" he asked . . . but that hadn't been the view I was talking about.

"The mountains are amazing, and I love them sweetheart, but it's you that I can't take my eyes off of. Have I told you how much I love you today?" I asked as he ducked his head shyly.

After all the things we did together, his body virtually taking up residence inside mine, it was just so cute that he still got embarrassed sometimes when I complimented him. He was just so gorgeous and so incredibly sweet and loving and thoughtful. He had acted like he felt so guilty for waking me this morning, but in truth I couldn't wait to have him moving inside me again. I needed him. Though I hadn't mentioned it to him for fear of worrying him, or having him go into protective mode . . . well, even more than normal . . .

I felt like something had changed. My body felt like it did back in Highlands when I had gone and gotten an over the counter pregnancy test. I had reason to suspect it then, my period was late. I hadn't had a period in quite awhile at this point, not since then in fact. Nursing Masen had effectively kept me from having them, so I only had my gut feeling to go on, but something felt . . . different. I hoped so. My need for my husband had grown, as had his need for me, and I wanted to be as indestructible as he was in order to experience making love with him unrestrained, without his fear of hurting me.

As much as we both wanted the twins that Alice continued to see in our future, it was starting to somewhat conflict with my need for Edward . . . not to mention the growing, all consuming frenzy he seemed to be having difficulty controlling.

The house was incredible. Three stories with lofts and wide staircases and warm, rough hewn logs showing through in the walls. It was amazing and I could easily see why Edward had fallen in love with it. For a human, the distance to any kind of services or facilities in the event of an accident might have been somewhat concerning, but for a vampire - the isolation was no doubt a relief. For Edward, being far enough away from any other people, human or vampire, that he could not hear their minds was . . . well, refreshing I guess was the best word. He needed the quiet from time to time. Here he had only Masen's mind to pay attention to.

He certainly had that here - apparently he, or we, owned the land pretty much as far as you could see in each direction. Mountains, lots and lots of snow and mountains . . .

The house was much larger than just Edward would have needed, or even us together with Masen. There were seven bedrooms, three of which were obviously for other members of the family and they had some personal items there, photos and such, so that you could tell whose room was whose. Edward's room - our room now, was on the very top floor and had vaulted ceilings and a gorgeous balcony with an almost breathtaking view of the peaks in the distance.

True to his word, Edward had a identical copy of the bed we had at home standing there waiting for us in his room. This one was covered in beautiful shades of blue, from the sky blue that hung from the canopy to the rich royal blue of the dust skirt, and everything in between. It was spectacular, especially viewing it and looking past it to the floor to ceiling windows with an amazing view of the snow capped mountains in the distance.

Next door, the room that had been turned into a nursery was equally amazing, with a crib just like Masen had at home. A crib that was definitely stronger than the average toddler needed to contain him, though I was sure that at this point, Masen was fully capable of climbing out of the bed whenever he chose. I think he humored us by staying in it when we put him there, much like he humored us by staying in the stroller when we strapped him in, though we all knew he could easily rip apart the restraints if he chose to.

There was a garage attached, and though we had parked under the overhang and not entered the garage, I was pretty sure Edward had other motorized toys there. He rarely indulged or spent money on anything, other than things for me, with the one exception of fast cars.

"Do you like it, love?" he asked, his arms around me from behind as I stared out the wall of windows.

"It's just unbelievable, Edward. Totally unbelievable. Things like this just don't exist," I whispered, mesmerized.

"They do in my world," he said, nuzzling my neck. "I do have a surprise for you and Masen, though. Let me show you."

I followed Edward back down a flight of stairs, our son's teddy bear dangling against my husband's back, held by our son's chubby little clenched fist as it was thrown around Edward's neck. They were just so good together . . . so very much alike that it made me almost want to cry.

On the second floor of the house, just up from the great room and the kitchen, we entered a room that was scattered in children's toys . . . and blueprints.

"I thought I might build him a fort to play in, and some swings," Edward said proudly, showing me the sketches.

They were done in his handwriting, though I had no idea when he had time or how he hid these from me for so long - obviously having had them sent ahead and probably already having the materials to build it with stored outside.

"It's amazing, sweetheart! He's growing so fast it won't be long before he can play in a fort and ride some of these toys," I cheered.

Edward put Masen down, standing him next to my leg and allowing Masen to hold on to me. He took his bear and, backing up a few steps, he squatted down and held the bear out towards our son.

"Come on, son. Time to show mommy what you can do! Come get the bear from daddy," he told him, trying to animate the bear to look like it was moving its arms and waving.

My son looked up at me and smiled, a toothy ear to ear grin actually as he let go of my leg and slowly walked to his dad.

He walked. He was two months old, he could say several words and now he was walking. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I quickly grabbed him up and hugged him, ending up cross legged on the floor with Edward sitting beside me.

"You knew he could do that!" I exclaimed.

"I suspected, love. Masen was pretty sure of himself," he chuckled.

"Oh yes you were, little one," he insisted as Masen turned his head and I suspect rolled his eyes at his dad.

My little man was growing at an astounding rate, the vampire part of him obviously having an even greater effect than Carlisle had predicted. We sat there and watched him explore the room, looking at and handling most of the new toys he found there and playing his favorite game of roll the ball back and forth with his dad and me. this time, instead of just rolling the ball, Edward picked it up and tossed it gently while Masen was standing, his arms outstretched to catch it. caught it he did . . . and ended up with a plop, sitting on the floor with the ball in his lap and laughter covering his face. He was just such a happy little kid, and that was the thing that was the most important to me. No matter how fast his childhood sped by, he seemed to enjoy each and every moment, just as Edward and I enjoyed every moment we spent with him.

We cooked dinner together while Masen played, the caretaker having stocked the fridge at Edward's request. Much to my dismay, when the food was ready, instead of going up the few steps to get our son, Edward simply called him out loud and Masen rounded the corner of the playroom and backed himself down the steps, walking to the table to stand beside me, clapping his hands and smiling.

Edward lifted him to the waiting high chair while I stood, stunned.

"Edward . . ."

"Yes, love?"

"Is this okay? Is this supposed to be happening this way?" I asked, slumping down into the nearest chair.

"He seems fine, Bella. He's happy and healthy. Anything else, we will just have to deal with as it comes," Edward said, trying to comfort me.

"And you want more? You're sure it's alright with you if we have more, you want to take the chance not knowing what will happen?" I asked, looking at him as though he was insane to go through the hurt we could be headed toward.

What if our son only lived a few years? What if he was a full grown man by the time he was ten, and considered elderly before he even reached the age of his parents . . .

There were so many questions, so much we had no idea of when it came to our son. He was just the sweetest, easiest baby I had ever encountered, and so loving with his daddy as well as with me. Though he was way stronger than I was, he had not hurt me since that first harsh grasp that Edward had corrected him for. He never offered to bite, and he never used his strength to get his way.

"Of course I want more, love. You and Masen have your dinner and I'll be happy to show you just how much I want more . . ." Edward put his arms around me, hugging me to him, "I would have as many babies as possible with you, love. They're you and me, born because we love each other. What could possible be wrong with that?


	119. Chapter 119  Marital Assets

******************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**********Author's Note:** _It's hard to realize that I have been posting this story for over a year now. Last Thanksgiving I was writing about Thanksgiving at Renee's house, and a different set of circumstances entirely. Edward and Bella have been through a lot since then, as have their families._

_I am still unpacking boxes. It's kind of like avoiding all the foods you love or pulling teeth - that's how much I love unpacking! Anyway, I apologize for my lack of updates, unexpected house guests that haven't visited in years, family, I could go on and on but it doesn't really matter, the reasons. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting. I hope this makes up for it, just a little!_

_Since you're all probably out taking advantage of Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States, I thought a little stress relief was in order. Sit, grab a Coke or a cup of coffee, and find a quiet place . . . you might want to be alone to read this . . ._

_If you do not like the *lemons* in the story, you might want to skip to about halfway through . . .  
_

**_I hope you enjoy it!_**

**~oooOooo~**

**Chapter 119 Marital Assets **

_He stared at me, smiling._

_I sensed it, recognized the new thoughts . . . stronger resolve,_

_more absolute control over myself. _

_Being a mind reader and vampire, _

_I could discern the thoughts and feelings that were just mine _

_and the ones that my son had . . . enhanced, for lack of a better word. _

_"Of course I want more, love. _

_You and Masen have your dinner and I'll be happy to show you just how much I want more . . ." _

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Edward was as good as his word. No sooner had I nursed Masen and put him to bed, but my gorgeous husband met me outside Masen's door and startled me by effortlessly lifting me up and carrying me bridal style to our room, kicking the door shut on his way to laying me down in the very center of our bed. Candles had been lit and covered most of the surfaces of the furniture in our room. The sunset over the alps in the distance was absolutely amazing, casting warm colors everywhere. Our room, it seemed, had floor to ceiling windows looking West as well as East, toward the Dolomites. I had never sen a mountain range with such beauty, dramatic cliffs and rugged peaks and points jutting up as though spikes and shards had been driven out of the very core of the earth.

"Absolutely beautiful!"

I inadvertently said it out loud, and Edward responded, "The view is alright, but it's hard to describe anything other than you as beautiful with _you_ laying in the middle of my bed."

I was surprised he took the time to speak. Hs need for me the last few days had seemed to increase to a point that there were seldom words between us, our lips against the other's skin and his body moving in mine most of the time. I had become as insatiable as he was, and I craved him now. I was pulling the sweater over his head and starting to fumble with the button on his jeans as he smirked at me, lying beside me propped up on his elbow.

He bent over me and kissed a line from my jaw to his favorite spot just under my ear, moving slowly and softly stroking my shoulder as I caressed his chest and abs. My other hand found its way to the soft hair I loved at the nape of his neck. His skin was hard and cold to the touch, having brought in firewood from the outside and stacked it on the hearth in our room just moments before. I wondered what it would be like once I was like him and my touch could indent his skin, I could pull him to me and my lips would join with his rather than molding to them.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear as his hand untied the sweater from around my waist, opening the front of it and reaching up to push the cardigan off my shoulder.

Once our sweaters were gone and tee shirts removed, my husband seemed content just to lie holding me, our upper bodies skin to skin and his arms around me, pulling me over on top of him so that he could run his hands up and down my shoulders and back. His kisses were gentle with no real intent, just conveying the love we held for each other and softly connecting and melting into each other. He rolled us over and settled into his favorite spot over me with my legs around him and his waist on my hips, propped up, his elbows on either side of me so that he could trace each of the red lines and scars on my belly with soft caresses and kisses, paying special attention to my breasts. He traced kisses across my nipples, sucking them lightly into his mouth, without the force required to nurse from me, just lazily showing me that he loved me while I ran my fingers through his silky hair, attempting to tame it.

I had long since been forced to stop trying to hide the scars that formed a puzzle across my abdomen. After being pregnant, the stretch marks that were added to the mix only caused Edward to spend even more time showing me just how much they didn't bother him. Still - I looked forward to the day they all disappeared . . . when Edward changed me. He had smiled like the car that ate the canary when he had informed me that the scars I hated so much would all disappear when I became a vampire.

He cuddled me in his arms, his head against my chest, his hair tickling me. I had to wonder where he gained the ability to be so calm . . . so relaxed with me half naked beneath him. For my part, he was driving me absolutely wild with need for him, and the rocking from my hips had to be giving my desire away. He seemed completely content just to hold me and kiss me with soft caresses against my skin.

With both arms around him, gently scratching his back and sides, I brought my hands to the button of his jeans, between us. He raised up slightly to allow me the access I wanted, seeming surprised as I fumbled with the button and zipper . . . not to be disappointed. His length had not been pressed against me but had avoided contact where his hips were placed on the bed between my legs. I scooted down his body slightly and as my fingers slid behind the waistband of his pants to grasp the material so that I could unbutton them, the tips of my fingers encountered his straining erection. Apparently he was not nearly as unaffected as I had first thought. I reached in, my efforts to remove his pants abandoned. I gripped tightly for a human, knowing that my tightest human grip would only bring him pleasure and had no chance of hurting him, eliciting a deep growl and an intake of unnecessary breath from my the 17 year old body above me.

He kissed and tugged at my earlobe as his hands palmed my breasts, his weight pressing me into the fluffy mattress beneath me in the most delicious way. He arched his back and purred audibly as a moan escaped his lips, his eyes closed and head thrown back, gripping my chest for only a moment before realizing his weight needed to be supported by the bed. I loved that moment - my husband's hands covering my breasts, arms straight, back arched and the expression on his face . . . I wrapped my legs around his hips and dug my heels into his arse, trying to bring him closer to me. I had no idea he was that close until my chest was covered in his venom and he was making the most amazing deep growling noise as he cried out in his release.

It wasn't an ending, but only a beginning.

When his eyes focused on mine, they were black, his jaw angular as he ducked down to kiss me, our jeans gone before I realized he had even moved. The purr coming from his chest was loud enough to be felt as a vibration, driving me wild as he licked and kissed his way down my stomach toward my thighs. He looked up and smiled at me, our eyes locking on each other as he moved to cover my body with his.

He snaked his arms under mine as I hugged his neck, his hands reaching over my shoulders from behind to hold me to him. He rarely held on to me with his hands when we made love for fear of bruising me, but this was apparently an exception as he rocked his hips into mine. He loved it when I got so sweaty that he could lick the salt and perspiration from my skin and he set about doing just that to my neck as he held me, smiling at me and grinning as he sucked hard enough to cause milk to let down.

Oh My God.

There was no other way to explain it. I had only thought we had made love before . . . but this, this was different. This was just one constant, continual stream of climaxes, never seeming to end but continuing on and on as the muscles of his shoulders tensed above me and his hips simultaneously drove into me. It could not possibly ever get any better than this. Ever. I could only hope that he was feeling a part of how wonderful this was, though I knew it was different for him, being a vampire. I wondered if when I was changed I would be capable of making him feel this . . . this intensity . . . this all consuming melding together . . . if I would be able to hold him as strongly and make him feel as wanted and loved as he made me feel . . .

We spent hours making love . . . literally. I was surprised to see the first light of day, still laughing and kissing my husband as we enjoyed the beginning of a new day together.

"Our son wants you," he told me with a grin, neither of us having slept for even a moment.

"Oh, he does does he?"

"Yes, indeed. He's literally shouting at me to come and get him or he's getting out of his crib himself," he laughed.

"Well you tell our son that if he gets out of that crib by himself his mommy will spank him," I said, cocking my head to one side as though I was daring him to stop me.

I had no sooner said the words than Masen started to cry loud enough for me to hear him, and I signed and rolled my eyes at Edward as I threw my legs off the bed to go and see about Masen. Edward rolled onto his stomach to try and stifle the fit of laughter that had overtaken him. Either I was funny or something he had heard from Masen was . . . or the fact that Masen had won after all, since I was going to get him!

I swatted his rear as I got off the bed, a loud "ouch" coming from me as his rock hard ass stung my hand from the smack.

I turned to stare at Edward, "You just wait till I'm a newborn and stronger than you!"

"I can hardly wait," he managed to say between laughs.

I grabbed my robe and opened our door, Edward was beside me and already in his lounge pants and a tee shirt as we walked into the hallway towards our son's room.

I rounded the corner through his door just in time to see my son take his leg back down off the top rail of his crib and stand there, holding onto the rail and continuing to cry.

"Masen, you are so not going to start this. Is something wrong, son?" I asked, nodding to Edward to give me a response.

He smirked, ducking his head as he answered to tell me what my son was thinking, "He heard us laughing and talking and wanted to play with us, love, that's all."

"Nothing is hurting you? You don't need a diaper?" I asked, my son ducking his head in response, a habit he either inherited or learned from his father. He was apparently embarrassed.

I grabbed him around his waist and held him up in the air above my head, playing with him before I held him to me and looked into his face.

"Daddy and I love to play with you, son, but threatening to get out of your bed and crying is _not _the way to get our attention. Next time you just want to play, or want to get our attention, just call us," I told him, deciding that I needed to elaborate, just as Edward started to speak.

"Yes. I know you were calling your dad mentally, but I mean that you should loudly call mommy or daddy by name, so that I can hear you out loud, Masen. I may still not do what you want, but you have a much better chance of getting you way if you just call us and ask nicely."

Masen turned his stare towards his dad, a confused look crossing his cherub face.

"Yes, son, I know I told you to cry if you needed mommy to hear you, but that was before you were old enough to talk. Now you're a big boy and you can call mommy yourself," Edward explained, stroking his hand down Masen's back as though he was trying to calm the curls as well as our son as he stood with his other arm around me.

"Crying is still a way to call me, son . . . if you're hurt or something is scary or wrong. It's always alright to cry if you're hurt, just call my name if you can though, okay?" I asked him as he nodded his response, mimicking Edward.

"I'll go fix you both some breakfast, love, while you nurse him," Edward offered, disappearing before I even reached the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

"I think you and daddy are going to have some fun together this morning while mommy sleeps in a little bit," I whispered to him as he sucked hungrily and patted me softly, tears still showing on his cheeks.

He was getting so big and growing so fast! His grandfather wasn't even going to recognize him by the time we got back. I would need to remember to send him some photos. Knowing Edward, there was a computer with Internet access in the house somewhere and I had a camera on my phone. The least I could do would be to keep my dad in on all the changes in his grandson . . . especially since he knew. Masen's rapid growth, while startling, would not be a surprise to him.

The smell of coffee and bacon soon moved me to finish nursing the baby, change him into some clothes with a fresh diaper and head downstairs to the source of the smells.

Edward was standing, barefoot with his hair tousled, in his sleep pants and tee shirt, rocking side to side in time with some music he had playing on his ipod. He was just so cute and he looked every bit the seventeen year old that his body was. It would always be like this with Edward. Vampires never change. He would always have the same taunt abs, the same gorgeous muscular lined chest and arms . . . and butt . . . and . . .

Though his personality could alter, it was a momentous feat when it did, and it occurred rarely according to Carlisle. I had already been told that I had altered him so completely, that they expected that he would be this way from now to eternity. Perfect.

I sat at the table, placing Masen in the high chair that had been puled along side, and Edward placed scrambled eggs and bits of chicken on Masen's plate, eggs and bacon with toast for me, along with steaming hot coffee.

"Thank you, sweetheart. This looks wonderful," I all but purred, "And to think, you don't even eat!"

"_Food Network,_ love," he said sheepishly, "I started watching it when I was trying to figure out the care and feeding of a human."

We both laughed, but I spat coffee over that one. He caught me at just the right moment as I was swallowing and he seemed so sincere about it!

"Care and feeding of a human?" I inquired playfully.

"Yep. _Care and feeding of a human,_" he said playfully as he sat down beside me at the table, "I may write a book."

"Now I know you're kidding," I laughed.,

"What? People wouldn't realize that I wasn't one . . . it would be funny! It could be kind of a how to book, keeping healthy and all," he explained.

His phone rang at that exact moment. Alice.

"I was only kidding, Alice. Yes, I could do it. No, I wasn't planning on getting it published. Yes, I have notes about it in my journals. If you think it's that funny, we can talk about it when you get here. How's Venice?" he asked her over the phone.

Apparently they were having so much fun they were staying on a few extra days.

Alice.

Probably just wanting to give us time alone, safe and quiet tucked away here in the mountains.

"They'll be here in a few days, love. Our cousins are still with them and apparently they're dancing round the clock at the nightclubs and having a great time together. Tanya still has no clue what Masen did and Alice says she seems to have genuinely accepted you as my mate . . . happily even!" Edward told me, his face showing that even he was astounded by the fact that Tanya was happy about me.

Masen laughed and clapped his hands.

"Yes, so, you did a good thing protecting yourself from her. It's always okay to protect your family or yourself," Edward told him, "Now eat your breakfast so you and I can get started on your fort. I think mommy needs to sleep for a few hours, right mommy?" Edward asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement with the knowledge of why I would be so in need of sleep.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I think I'll sleep for a little while, but maybe just down here on the sofa if that's alright with you,": I told him as I put my dish in the sink.

"It's your house, baby. Sleep anywhere you want," he laughed, "_Marital assets_, remember?"

"Ummmm . . . I remember a marital asset," I said as I leaned over his chair and reached towards his lap, my hand covering his crotch as I kissed his cheek.

"Not going to get _anything _done in the playroom if mommy starts playing," he said, turning his head to kiss my lips and his hand covering mine, pressing my hand against him as I felt his length hardening under my touch.

"I'll be in the den. Don't break my house," I told them as I headed towards the sofa and the throw blankets.

~oooOooo~

I woke up to the most amazing sounds. Edward was playing the piano off in the other end of the house, and the notes drifting into the den were just amazing. I had heard a recording of the songs that I had purchased for Edward for Valentine's day, the Rachmaninoff songs, but somehow they sounded better, fuller - more precisely executed in the music my husband was making that they had on the cd's. I pulled the soft covers up around my shoulders as I continued to listen, drifting in and out of sleep to the amazing melodies, comfortable, warm and feeling more at peace and content than I had ever felt in my life. I was at home with my family, and my world seemed complete.

I ignored the small nudge I felt within, refusing to get Edward's hopes up till I was sure. Completely sure.


	120. Chapter 120  Content

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Note:** Finally finished this chapter!

Sorry to keep you waiting, I just HAD to get a chapter of _I Do_ out! lol Grandchildren and birthdays and decorating for Christmas going's on. Guess December is going to be kind of a blur, five kids and their families coming to stay with me! Yea! I do love having everyone around, though when I'm alone, I get lost in Edward and Bella . . .

Hope you enjoy! Remember, peaceful happy times are sometimes all too fleeting . . .

~oooOooo~

**Chapter 120 Content  
**

_I pulled the soft covers up around my shoulders as I continued to listen, _

_drifting in and out of sleep to the amazing melodies . . . _

_comfortable, warm and feeling more at peace and content than I had ever felt in my life._

_I was at home with my family . . . and my world seemed complete._

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

Raising my son was going to keep both Bella and I on our toes for years to come. He was extremely intelligent, opinionated, and into everything. Though only two months old, he was now toddling around on two legs rather than crawling and vocalizing more and more words each day. The room that had started out as a playroom for him had become something more along the lines of a miniature den area, something you would expect to see in the interior of a tree house or a designer's plan for a child's room.

I took the special knotty old style wood planks that I had ordered and fashioned them into as close as I could come to the picture in his mind. As if on que this morning, boxes were delivered containing books and paintings and rugs along with two mossy green upholstered chairs, courtesy of Alice. They were perfect, of course, a third the size of adult chairs and soft and comfortable. They were just what Masen had been imagining, though I shuttered to think what design magazines Alice had been showing him while she babysat for him to have ideas along these lines. I expected more child like tastes, play toys, etc., and while he did want toys, he was also single minded interested in reading and learning. I did my best to come up with a room he would enjoy, and one that I had the materials on hand to build. Bella's mom had often kidded her about being a 35 year old since birth, and with the tastes and temperament our son was showing, it seemed that he would favor his mother in that respect . . . apparently the _vampire_ adding the quick growth and enhanced abilities.

Bella slept for hours and after I fed Masen his lunch, I insisted he take a nap while we waited for the paint to dry. While I loved my time with him, building the room for him and answering his endless questions, I was selfishly anxious to get to my piano and attempt the Rachmaninoff songs that Bella had purchased for me. I still could not believe she had found the original compositions for sale and I was anxious to play them myself. She had managed to obtain the rewritten copy of his First Concerto and Rachmaninoff himself had boasted that the revision contained much more youthful freshness and that it played itself much more easily than the way he had first written it. As I played, I realized even more that his revision had transformed the piece into a more concise, spirited work. I loved it. This . . . this challenged me to play it correctly and it would take a great deal of practice to master playing it with feeling.

I practiced for several hours, engrossed in my music and the feel of the keys so much so that Bella was nearly in the room with me before I noticed that her breathing had changed and she was awake.

"How was your nap, love?" I asked as I continued to play softly.

"Wonderful," she answered, sliding in next to me on the piano bench and slowly scratching up and down my back with her fingers.

As the song finished, I bent to kiss her face, "Thank you for the song, love. It's a challenging piece and I love learning to play it. Did I wake you?"

"No. I woke up several times and heard you but I pulled up the covers and snuggled down into the soft cushions and fell back asleep several times. I am more than rested and I just wondered if you had something planned for dinner or if I could just go in and start cooking something."

"By all means. Cook away. Masen is having a nap. He tired me out working on the playroom."

"Did you finish what you wanted to get done today?"

"No. Actually, Masen had some ideas of his own, and the project changed a couple of times. The wood work is finished and the paint is drying. I should have it finished by morning . . . that is if I can drag myself away from you," I told her, a grin crossing my face as I pulled her to me for a kiss.

"Well, the playroom can definitely wait till morning then, can't it! I'm sure Masen will want to oversee it anyway," she laughed.

The very thought of a two month old having any say at all was just so far off the scale of _normal _it was hard to think about. Bella and I kept our routine, putting Masen down for naps perhaps more often than he needed so that we could spend time alone . . . and naked. A lot. I cooked breakfast and Bella took care of lunch and dinner, Masen and I spent our mornings in secret finishing the _playroom _while she read or napped and our afternoons were spent with all of us playing together.

Though hide and seek was our son's current favorite game, he and I had an unfair advantage. Masen was so small he could fit almost anywhere . . . and he climbed exceedingly well, his fingers strong enough to grip onto almost anything. Tops of closets seemed to be his favorite but it was a dead giveaway because after he climbed the door frame and got onto the top shelf, he would forget to close the door. Laughter from our son when he would jump off the shelf at his mom when she opened the door all the way and peeped into the closet was just the cutest thing, though I always made sure I was there to catch him, admonishing him for scaring her and reminding him not to knock her down. I had what Bella called an unfair advantage playing the game - I could hear her heartbeat anywhere in the house and follow her scent to find her. Always.

After a couple of mornings, the playroom was ready to reveal and we made her close her eyes, Masen sitting on her shoulders with his hands trying to reach her eyes and me leading her so she didn't stumble. I had paid a great deal of attention to detail, transforming the room into something out of a fairytale, in this case something out of our son's head. was just astounding. It was more of a living room, really, rather than a children's play room.

"I had no idea you were so skilled at building things, sweetheart. This room is just amazing. Did you already have the chairs and rug and books ordered?" she asked, wondering how I was able to put this all together if Masen had changed his plans in the middle.

"Alice. Remember the delivery yesterday morning?" I answered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for my sister to have seen and taken care of the need automatically.

The expression on her face gave away how surprised she was with how the room had turned out.

"He wanted it this way, love. Comfortable and on a smaller scale, closer to his size. There are toys in the bins on each side - they are toy boxes, not beds - they-re just padded for sitting or lying on. He was more interested in having shelves and books. He wants to learn to read, sweetheart."

"Well, we'll just have to teach him to read, won't we! Let's have a couple of hours each afternoon where we practice letters and words with him. Since he doesn't have a very big vocabulary yet, you'll have to translate for me, Okay?"

"I would love to," I told her, laughing. "Masen loves that idea as well," I said, hugging them both. "Right now, how about we go out and see some of the scenery around here. It's a pretty day and I'm dying to take you up the tall peaks to the east so you can see just how breathtaking the view is!"

"Isn't it freezing outside?" she asked cocking her head to one side, "and sunny?"

"It is, but up on the mountain the sun warms you and there is no one around for miles to see me sparkle in the sunlight, love. Masen is far more tolerant of the cold than we first thought. You hold him and I'll carry you. We won't be gone long. I want you to see how amazing it is from the top. There is one special peak that I used to go up all the time, quite easily really."

"Let us get our coats and hats and mittens - you too, just in case!" she laughed.

We spent close to two weeks at the house, Bella loved it there as did Masen. My wife continued to sleep through her mornings (no doubt since I kept her up practically all night) and Masen and I used his room to practice his letters and for me to read to him. I wasn't really sure if he had actually started reading, or if his perfect recall just allowed him to parrot the words I had read. I soon learned not to read a story to him before using the same book to practice his reading!

I spent hours at the piano. Hours. Bella seemed to absolutely love to curl up with a book or with the baby in front of the fire while I played . . . and I loved it, too.

"Alice," I answered, the phone not getting a full ring out before it was answered. "No, he hasn't called yet. Great! I'll talk to Bella. Yes, I know you've already seen it, but there is such a thing as free will and choice, Alice. No, I know. How is it going with the Denali's? Good. Really? even there. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No, I'll make the reservations AFTER I TALK TO BELLA! Yes. Love you, too. Bye, Alice."

The little pixie could be infuriating. She had seen us in London with Carlisle and Esme, the entire family together at the estate, and she was already making travel reservations. I needed to at lest ask Bella if she wanted to go to London tomorrow . . . she did have a choice in the matter. I knew my sister was only trying to help, and I appreciated her visions, having helped Bella and I both many many times. I just wanted my wife to at lest have some input. What we did was her choice, this trip was for her and i was just the tour guide this time around. After she was turned we would make many more trips to places around the world, and she would become familiar with foreign lands. For now, she seemed content to let me lead, I chuckled to myself . . . content as long as she got to sample the different foods Europe had to offer!

I found her curled up asleep on the sofa in front of the fireplace and Masen was still napping upstairs in his crib. Not wanting to wake her, i sat on the floor in front of the sofa and leaned back against it so that I could stare at her. She was just so beautiful. Why she questioned my judgement on that I would never know. I leaned my head against her, closing my eyes and content just to focus on her heartbeat.

Her heartbeat.

With my head against her belly and all else quiet in the house, I realized it was not just her heartbeat I was hearing. There was the unmistakable fluttering of another . . . two other heartbeats.

God yes.

She was pregnant. That explained her sleeping all the time, well, that and her not sleeping at night. Why the hell hadn't I realized this before now? She wasn't throwing up or acting at all sick like the last time . . . but the last time she had known before I had. She must know now, she has to. Why the hell hadn't she told me? Her face was glowing, she seemed to crave sex even more than I did lately and she was so responsive. A simple caress to her breast would cause her back to arch and elicit a moan from her . . . and she had been incredible soft . . . inside. I should have guessed! I was just so damned consumed by my need for her, I hadn't put two and two together.

"You can hear them, can't you?" she asked.

I hadn't noticed that her eyes had opened and she was awake now, staring at me.

"Yes. Yes, love. I can hear them, their heartbeats anyway," I said as I stood and grabbed her by the waist all in one move, swinging her around the room and hugging her to me.

"You knew! How long have you known?"

"I've suspected for about a week, sweetheart. I just wanted to be sure before i got your hopes up," she smiled. "Let's celebrate. It's overcast outside, how about taking me to dinner in town for some authentic Italian?"

"I will gladly take you to dinner, love, but how about some _authentic vampire_ first," I said as she quickly found herself naked with me in our bedroom.

"Ah, my all time favorite cuisine . . ."

~oooOooo~

**Alice POV**

"Well really!" I scoffed.

"Alice?"

"Oh nothing, Jasper. My brother is just a stubborn ass sometimes. I wonder why I bother at all."

"How's Masen?"

"Amazing. He loved the chairs, they were just what he had wanted. That child is destined to have far better taste than his father, that's for sure," I said, shaking my head.

"Then what is it, darlin'?"

"Edward. He wouldn't commit to the travel arrangements I made. he insisted on asking Bella if she even wanted to go to London now, honestly, you'd think he didn't believe the things I see happening."

"He knows you better than that, darlin'. Maybe he just wants to make a point of checking with his wife. We gentlemen do that you know . . . check with our wives that is," he said with a smile as his arms clasped around me from behind.

"True. I guess I just took it wrong. I'm just worried, that's all."

"Worried about what? I thought you said you saw everything going well when they meet Aro."

"I do, baby. I do. I just hate keeping things from my brother, and anything to do with the Volturi makes me nervous. Edward is just so overprotective, I see all kinds of things going wrong if he knows about the meeting in advance. Just take care to block it out when we're around him . . . remember, okay?" I asked, turning in his arms to kiss his neck and hug him to me.

"I'll remember. You remember that this is supposed to be a vacation for us as well. Have you enjoyed this week with our _cousins_?"

"I have. Even when they tried on different humans that night. How could they be with that many men in one night?"

"I have no idea. They seemed to be having fun though, and they didn't kill any of them. From the emotions I picked up, the men has the best night ever," my husband grinned from ear to ear.

"Jasper!" I swatted him.

"I hope you weren't encouraging that succubus behavior!"

"Darlin'," he continued to grin, "they needed no encouragement!"

"You guys ready to go?" Rosalie asked as she came through the door.

"Ready."

"Since this is our last night in Venice, we need to get an early start. Once I get to play with _my baby_ again, Emmett will be off the hook for going dancing and clubbing with me," Rosalie laughed.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Esme wants some _baby time _as well. She'll probably be hard pressed to let go of Masen once she sees him. He has really grown in the few weeks we've been away from her," I shared.

"Pretty sure there will be enough _baby_ to go around soon," I smiled,

"Alice! What have you seen?" Rosalie and Jasper said in unison.

"Nothing I haven't been seeing. I've sen twins in the future for them since we were in Orlando last fall, I just haven't shared that information till now."

"Twins!" Emmet boomed, "You're shitting me!"

"Emmett!" Rosalie and I both fussed at his language, immediately staring at each other and thinking of Esme . . . that was just what mom would have done had she heard his language!

"Nope! Not _shitting_ you!" I laughed, "And we get one of each this time!"

"Alice! A girl?" Rosalie whispered softly, seemingly astounded.

"Yep, a girl and a boy."

"Damn Eddie. I had no idea our brother was capable of all this. I still don't know how the hell he doesn't break her when he . . ."

"EMMETT!" Rosalie and I both cut him off.

"Still, just sayin'," Emmett continued, Jasper nodding his head in agreement with Emmett.

Apparently neither of our husbands thought themselves capable of being that close to a human, at least not at a moment of climax. Jasper would drain her for sure, and Emmett . . . well Emmett was probably right, he would break her.

"Come on, guys. let's go. The train leaves tomorrow afternoon so we only have tonight!"

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

"Everything packed, Petal?"

"Yes, dear. I just want to make sure and bring the things we'll need. I don't want to be off shopping when I can be playing with my grandson," I explained.

"I'm sure if we need anything, Alice will be more than happy to shop for us, dear," my husband laughed.

He was right, I knew he was right. It had just been a month since I had seen my grandson and i wasn't about to miss a moment of the time i would have with him. carlisle had unexpectedly gotten two weeks off from the hospital, some kind of bonus from the trustees for his _exemplary management during the crisis_ or whatever. Though I was always proud of him, I could care less the reason right now. I was going to see my new daughter and my grandson.

"Are you sure the house has been cleaned? I don't want the baby there if it's dirty, Carlisle," I fussed.

"I called Robert. He promised that he and his staff would have the estate and grounds spotless before we arrived," my husband snickered.

"What's funny, dear?" I turned to him, gesturing for him to finish his packing as well.

"Just the expression in Robert's voice when I asked him to stock the fridge and pantry. I made up some excuse about you're not having time to do it yourself, but he still seemed shocked. We've never asked that of him in all the years his family has worked for us."

"Well, this last year has certainly been full of _firsts_," I mused as I zipped the final bag closed.

The trip was uneventful and I honestly could not remember being so anxious to get anywhere as I was to get to the London estate. I fidgeted in the first class seats we had reserved, even asking for a blanket and pillow to try and hide my nerves by closing y eyes. No use. I was just so excited to see my family. Edward had been alone and unhappy for so many decades, seeing him with Bella and their child almost made me feel the beat of my own heart again.

The driver met us at Heathrow and we headed toward the house. London was as overcast and dreary as usual, but that worked well for us. This was where my husband had been raised, and where he had been bitten. Carlisle had this estate when he changed me, and it was here that he brought me after that first year of being a newborn. I'm sure he would have loved for us to have spent that first wild year of mine here, the estate covering hundreds of acres and quite remote, but it wasn't possible to put me on a boat or even on a plane with humans while I was newborn and not in control of my thirst. As soon as he trusted that I could manage it, we spent the next few years here . . . till I was completely comfortable with my new life, and with him. We were married here.

I wanted to get to the house a few days before Edward and Bella. Though I knew that Edward had sent a bed and crib identical to the ones he had at home but I needed to make sure the remodeled suite was exactly as I wanted it to be for them. I was told that Masen was progressing much faster than we had expected. I had altered Edward's room to be something of a suite, the baby having the room next door, but a large archway connected and joined the two rooms. Alice had insisted that privacy was needed and that I should go through to the next room and make that room Masen's . . . with a door separating it from his parents room. She suggested that the room I had planned to be Masen's become a sitting area with a sofa and chairs, somewhere Bella could lounge and read. Luckily, Edward's room had been in the East wing of the house, kind of away from our rooms to keep him from having to hear noises that couples were likely to provide. There was another unused guest room that I could cut through to, making it a room for the baby and his playroom could be just across the hall from his room. Perfect. The only other area in that part of the house was the room Edward's piano was in, more of a loft at the top of the stairs, really, so that we could all listen when he played. Anyway, other that that space, their bedroom, sitting room, Masen's room and his playroom accounted for the entire second floor of that wing of the house . . . well, including three bathrooms which I guess would now be far more useful that just the shower Edward had used. Perfect.

As we drove up the long, manicured drive through the gate and toward the house, I felt more comforted, more at home than I had felt in years. We had not even visited here in quite a long time, and we hadn't lived here in decades. I felt Carlisle's arms around me as the car came to a stop in front of our door.

"Welcome home, Petal," he purred in my ear, kissing my cheek as he hugged me to him.

"It's good to be home, dear. It's good to be home."


	121. Chapter 121 Content Times Two

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** Well, I'm Back! Thanks to all who have hung in there with me and love this story as much as I do! This chapter is shorter than my normal, but I thought I would go ahead and post it, knowing that would mean another chapter up this week!

Thanks to ALL of you for the encouragement and for continuing to contact me. It really helped!

**Chapter 121 Content Times Two**

_"I will gladly take you to dinner, love, but how about some authentic vampire first,"_

_I said as she quickly found herself naked with me in our bedroom._

_"Ah, my all time favorite cuisine . . . vintage vampire."_

**EPOV**

It was more than I ever dreamed possible.

It was twilight . . . the beginning of a new day. It was a time that came in the early mornings and again in the late evenings of each and every day of my very long existence. It had always been a time of reflection for me, a time of dread, contemplating another night of walking the darkness and killing to quench my thirst . . . choosing to abstain from human prey, or a day spent avoiding the sunlight. This morning though, my reflection was far more pleasant. My life was . . . well . . . I had gone from dreading the next sunrise to revealing in it, looking forward to each and every new day of my existence.

My thoughts this morning were of the night my wife and I had just shared.

My WIFE.

Her heartbeat against my chest had become the very beacon of my existence. I ran my fingers down the soft smooth skin of her shoulder, tracing her veins down to the delicate hand that lay resting on my chest, inches from face I adored . . .

My wife was asleep in bed beside me and my son was starting to stir, quietly playing with toys in his nursery just across the hall.

Sometimes I just had to tell myself over and over that she was real, my son was real . . . and they loved me every bit as much as I loved them. I never dreamed it possible, never considered that I could be so happy . . . never entertained the thought, even fleetingly, that I might not be damned . . .

Bella had changed all that. In less than a year she had me believing what Carlisle had spent the better part of a century trying to convince me of . . . that we did have souls, we weren't eternally damned. I knew it each time I looked into her eyes and realized she was staring straight into my soul. The unbidden smile deepened across my face.

I bent to bury my nose in her hair, to inhale the scent of her. I had carried her upstairs to bed last night, dinner forgotten. I felt some amount of guilt for not insisting she eat, but after hearing the heartbeats of the babies within her and having her confirm it I simply couldn't think of anything but having her. Then. She was pregnant again with my child . . . children. I could not wipe the smile from my face. I was unbelievably happy . . . and terrified.

We had made love over and over most of the night, my wife dozing off for occasional human moments of sleep but rallying over and over to take me in . . . hold me with all her strength and tell me how much she loved me, how happy she was that I came back to her and how she looked forward to eternity with me in my world. My wife pregnant was very nearly as ferocious and insatiable as I was . . . _that _was indeed saying something.

As I lay on my back completely still, trying to control my desire to wake her, to talk to her and make love to her again, I sensed her slow transition to consciousness. I couldn't read her mind but I knew her body well, the rhythm of her heartbeat, her breathing . . . she was slowly waking . . . again. With her eyes still closed, her hand moved slowly up to reach my neck and pull herself closer to me, though she was already lying half on me. She nuzzled my chest as her knee started to move gently against my already hardening length. Her eyes still closed, not a word spoken, she slid to cover me. Her naked body lay full on me, knowing her weight was nothing to me. Her chest pressed against mine and I felt her soft breasts, slightly full and needing to feed our son. I have no idea how she managed it, but her body knew mine well, taking my length fully into her and wiggling slightly as she settled down on top of me, her only other movement to nuzzle her face into the hollow at my throat.

I wrapped both arms around her, stroking her from the top of her head, down her soft hair to her shoulders . . . down the small of her back to the rise of her hips and down to her knees on the bed on either side of me. She was still half asleep and it seemed as though she had adapted one of my traits. She was making small humming sounds, not unlike the purring she loved to hear coming, uncensored, from me.

I was purring loudly now, every ounce of my will used to hold my strength at bay, to keep from rolling over and pounding into her. Somewhere in the night I had played her the song I had written for her, one of them at least, reassuring her that I would never ever leave her. Ever. I had played it for her in Venice on the piano, but I had been practicing something new to surprise her. Last night I pulled a guitar from its hiding place and, sitting cross legged on our bed completely naked, I played for her.

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_I wouldn't last a single day_

_I'd probably just fade away_

_Without you I'd lose my mind_

_Before you ever came along_

_I was living life all wrong_

_The smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine_

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman, come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_Like crazy, girl_

That's what it was . . . she was humming the tune to that song . . . now, with her warm body engulfing mine, my cock impossibly hard inside her.

"I love you," I said softly into her hair as I kissed the top of her head.

"I know. I love you," was her quiet response, her hips rocking ever so slightly into mine.

I rolled her over and gave in to my baiser side and she met me thrust for thrust as we tried once more to meld into one flesh. As we laid together, still joined, my thoughts returned to the children she now carried and the dinner she had missed.

"Hungry?"

"Yes, and I would like some food as well," she said, giggling.

The simple act of giggling was sending tremors of movement deep into her abdomen where a very hard part of me still occupied its space and took note of any small amount of movement, giving it the encouraging friction it desired.

"Baby, the giggling isn't helping me to let you out of bed," I whispered to her as her body shook, arousing mine to full on . . . again.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

The insistent calls of our son pulled us both from bed. Masen had learned that he got attention far quicker by calling his mom verbally than he did by quietly entreating me to come mentally. She was a pushover. His ability to speak was starting to become apparent and his voice was so enchanting, so deep and melodic that it was almost entrancing.

Whatever.

I unconsciously shook my head at the thought. His voice could have sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard as long as the word that came out was "_mama". _She was putty in his hands and I laughed at my son's thoughts as he chanted to her, knowing exactly that he was playing on her new found joy at being called "_mama"_.

"Go on, get him," I said as I relinquished my hold on her, swatting her rear as she clambered over me and off our bed.

She kissed me once more, grabbing a nightgown from the drawer and flinging it over her head as she left the room. I pulled on my sleep pants and tidied the room, gathering the scraps of the clothing we were wearing last night from the floor and putting them in the trash bin . . . I had ripped them all in my haste last night and they were unsalvageable. Maybe if they were already thrown away, she wouldn't notice. I was sitting on our made bed as she walked back in with our son. Masen was holding onto the teddy bear I had bought him in Paris with one arm and trying to help his mother pull down the neckline of her gown so that he could nurse with the other. He latched on and began to suck greedily, assuring me mentally, accompanied I was sure by an unseen eye roll.

_Yes, daddy, he would remember not to bite his mom!_

"Alice called yesterday while you were sleeping," I shared as I spread my legs and pulled her between them to lean back against me, resting my chin on her shoulder. II wanted to be as close as possible to her regardless of what she was doing and looking over her shoulder down the bare expanse of her breast at the sight of her feeding our son was not something I wanted to miss.

"How are they, did you remember to thank her for the chairs and books she sent Masen?" she asked, leaning her face toward mine and kissing me just in front of my ear.

"Did I remember?" I asked incredulously, sweetheart, when have you ever known me to forget anything? Vampire, remember?" I smiled smugly, tapping my temple with one finger.

"Yes, but you might not have thought of it. You're so used to Alice just providing things when they're needed that I think we take her for granted. I want to be sure and remember to thank her," I was told as she rubbed her cheek against me.

The phone rang on the nightstand just then and I reached to answer it.

"Alice. Yes. Yes, she's right. I haven't asked her yet but I'll call you right back. It doesn't matter if you already know . . . I want to _ask _her," I said, clicking off the phone rather abruptly and irritably tossing it to the foot of the bed.

"Edward! That didn't sound very thankful or grateful to me," Bella scolded, slowly breaking my son's suction on her nipple with a finger and turning him to offer him the other breast.

"She's just so exasperating," I complained, settling back into the pillows behind Bella.

"What is it that you're going to ask me?" she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked over her shoulder at me.

I smiled. I couldn't keep anything from her for very long and I hadn't meant to keep this from her. I had just gotten interested in . . . other things. Anyway.

"Carlisle has gotten two weeks off from the hospital, a bonus to him from the trustees for the exemplary job he did handling the crisis during the snowstorm when Masen was born," I explained, moving her hair off her shoulder so that I could kiss just behind her ear. "Anyway, he and Esme are flying to London to Carlisle's estate and Alice made arrangements to take the Express back to London. She assumes we'll go with them. Since the train stops in town here, apparently we're to join my siblings on the train tomorrow."

Her eyes lit up.

"I love the train, you mean the Orient Express, right?"

"Yes, love. We would overnight on it again and arrive in Paris and then on to London. We don't have to go if you don't want to. We can stay here just as long as you like."

"What about the boat ride we were talking about a few days ago?" she asked in an odd quiring way, as though she were putting an idea together.

"The Danube or the Rhine?" I asked her, trying my best not to let my face giveaway just how thrilled I was that she was contributing to the travel itinerary.

"Either! One is through Amsterdam and Germany and the other through Vienna and Budapest isn't it?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, love."

"Well . . . either! But Edward . . . ,"she whispered, her eyes trailing around our room and looking out the wall of windows to the snow covered mountains beyond, "I want to spend more time here . . ."

"We can spend as much time as you want wherever you want, love. Remember, this trip was about you getting to taste different cuisines before I turned you . . . you just get to enjoy food for a bit longer than we planned now, since I seemed to have managed to get you with child again," I said, bending to kiss her cheek, my arms around both she and my son.

"You mean since you managed to knock me up!"

"Bella!"

"Edward," she said, her eyes shining, "I love the old fashioned way you express things. Very gentlemanly!" she laughed, blushing the most beautiful color, covering her neck and chest as well as her face. I was going to miss that blush . . . I intended to take each and every opportunity I had to make it happen while I still could. She recovered herself from the crass remark - or my wording, I had no idea which, but she answered me.

"You're right. Edward," she said, placing Masen on the floor to play, " Let's go to London and tell Carlisle and Esme. I want to see them and Esme's face when we tell them we're having more babies." She turned to face me, hugging herself to me as she lay between my legs o our bed, "You don't think Alice has told them, do you?" I hugged her to me and brushed my lips back and forth across hers.

"No. Alice wouldn't do that . . . but that doesn't mean my siblings don't already know." She turned in my arms to lie with her back against me, watching our son scamper around the room, investigating everything. I gently rested my hands on her stomach . . . and my babies.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Alice!"

"I'm SO excited," my sister rose exclaimed as she pushed past Alice and took Masen from Edward's arms. Rose was never one to stand on ceremony, or politeness for that matter.

"We get _two_ more babies to play with!" she almost squealed.

It was a good thing we had already told Masen. There was no point in trying to keep the twins from him, he could easily pick it out of his father's mind and certainly the minds of Edward's brothers and sisters. Though he was barely three months old, his abilities were astounding.

"Auntie Rose," Masen said in his deep melodic voice, his fat little hands patting her cheeks. Though I knew it was impossible, I would have sworn my sister's face flushed with excitement at hearing her nephew talk to her by name. She looked up at me in wonder and with the oddest questioning glare.

"Yes. He talks now, Rose. I'm surprised Alice didn't tell you," I said with a sideways glance at Alice's spiky hair covered head that was trying to get close enough to get to Masen.

"I left some things as a surprise! Really. I don't purposefully look at the future . . . well, not all the time," she admitted somewhat guiltily. "You did want me to keep an eye on Bella, didn't you?" she asked, head tipped up toward Edward.

"I did little sister and I still do. Thank you," he said, grabbing her up by the waist and swinging her around, her tiny body hugged tightly to his.

From the look on her face, it was easy to see that he had never done that before. The Edward that was emerging seemed more and more like the carefree seventeen year old that I knew he hid, deep down inside and it thrilled me to see him this way. In spite of the fears he had about my being pregnant, he was on cloud nine! I was enjoying watching him like this. I knew his worry over the pregnancy would show itself soon, but for now we were just busy being ecstatic. The impossible had happened again, not for lack of trying, and my vampire husband had managed to get me pregnant . . . again.

~oooOooo~


	122. Chapter 122 North on the Orient

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: **So sorry for all the delays! I sound like a broken record, but for some reason it's difficult to get back into the characters when there are walls of cardboard boxes surrounding you and you're in a strange house! I'm still not unpacked, but I just have to force myself to plod on - I really have what I think is an amazing storyline coming into play . . . as soon as we get there . . .**  
**

Thank you to all who communicate, email and message me in addition to reviewing. Your encouragement is keeping me going! Remember, This story is the same as Heaven, Hell and Harleys minus the things that get it rated M! lol

**Chapter 122 North on the Orient**

_The impossible had happened again, not for lack of trying, _

_and my vampire husband had managed to get me pregnant . . . again._

~oooOooo~

**Jasper POV**

The door to our cabin closed and I sat heavily on the sofa in a very _un vampire like _move. "I just don't know if I can stand the amount of lust rolling off of them, darlin'," I sighed exasperated, ". . . or if you can . . ."

"Jasper!" my wife exclaimed, curling up in my lap and her arms encircling my neck, "When have I EVER complained about there being too much lust?"

"True, darlin'. You've never complained about it, but even I have limits. There is only so much I can stand before I give in to my instincts and take you then and there in front of whoever happens to be looking . . . and it wouldn't be me that was embarrassed," I shared, an eyebrow cocked upwards on one side.

"Jasper!"

"Darlin', for lack of a better way to say it, _I'm only human_!"

We both laughed at the thought as I ripped the clothes from her body and mine, too anxious to bother taking them off nicely. I had to wonder to myself if this was, in part, the reason she seemed to regard clothing as disposable. It was only a small portion of my brain that was contemplating this, the majority of my thoughts wholly wrapped up in my wife . . . and not destroying the small room they called a cabin or inadvertently rolling hard and going completely through the exterior wall of the train to find ourselves somewhere on the landscape watching the train rush steadily past us, Vampires existing in a human world did have to mind some boundaries, after all, if we wanted to avoid being discovered.

"Hey guys, give it a rest!" boomed the voice of my extremely indelicate adopted sibling. Emmett hammered on the door and showed no signs of leaving unless we answered it, giving me no choice but to search for clothing so that I could accommodate him.

"Brother . . ." I said exasperatedly as I opened the door and he stepped in, unbidden, but luckily timed during a break in mine and my wife's _activities._

"Dude, I'm starving. I haven't hunted since we were on this train last time and even then I think you and Edward had more to drink than I did, what with tunneling under the damned mountain and all," he whined, plopping down on the now unoccupied sofa.

Alice giggled from the other side of the door where she was dressing in the bathroom. "I still have visions of you churning dirt and rock like some sort of monster machine, Emmett. Edward has to be right, going over the mountain would have been so much less effort."

"True baby sister, but I have style!" he retorted indignantly.

"Style? Emmett, you wouldn't know _style _if it bit you!" my wife laughed, her head peeping around the door of the bathroom.

"Bit who?" Rose asked as she came into the room, the riotous laughter so loud she hadn't bothered to knock.

"Apparently your husband is in need of biting something," I laughed," he says he's starving."

She looked at him with distaste, hand on one hip, "So . . . you couldn't just sit and play with Masen with me, you had to come in here and complain about being thirsty?"

"You were putting Masen to bed!"

"And you don't enjoy taking care of your nephew?" she fussed.

"Sure I do," Emmett answered, "well, I kind of do anyway. I like playing with him!"

"Ah," Rose said exasperatedly, "It's like taking care of two kids only the larger one insists on doing whatever the hell he wants."

"Where are Bella and Edward, anyway?" I asked, realizing that I was free from lecherous thoughts for the moment.

"Edward is with Bells in the dining car. She wanted to eat there and he went with her," Emmett answered. "I bet he's thirsty too, unless he hunted while they were in Bolzano at his house, and I doubt he drug himself away from _losing fluids _with her long enough to feed himself!"

"Emmett!" the girls chided reproachfully in unison.

"Well said," I agreed.

"Not you too!" Alice fussed.

"Darlin', I'm just callin' it the way I see it," I said defensively, "Getting him away from Bella is almost a surgical procedure!"

Everyone laughed at that idea . . . probably because they all knew it to be almost the truth. I was happy to see it though. Edward had been so devastated during the time he had left her, thinking he was protecting her from himself. We had all been through a lot if the truth were known. The entire family had missed him desperately, his self-enforced absence creating such a void in our lives . . . especially for Carlisle and Esme. We had gotten him back, though . . . thanks in part to my wife's persistence. Though Carlisle had been with Edward the longest, having created him, Alice was the closest to him. My little pixie of a wife had been determined and had continued to call and prod him till he saw reason and decided to look for Bella. Thank God we found her. Seeing them together now, none of us could imagine either of them without the other.

"So, who's up for a hunting trip?" Emmett asked again, "The short cut through the mountains is just up ahead."

"I'm in," I told them. "Will you come too, babe?" I asked my wife.

"Sure," Alice answered, straining on her tip toes to reach up and kiss me.

"Well, I don't particularly like mountain sheep and I would rather stay here and play with Masen. I haven't seen him in forever," Rose insisted.

Just then Edward and Bella came down the corridor towards their room and ours.

"Dude, I want a rematch! Jasper, Alice and I are going to head out and cut through the mountains again and meet the train in the morning. Want to come?" Emmett asked Edward excitedly. Emmett could muster some serious exuberance and enthusiasm, making him hard to resist.

"Are you going to be reasonable or will there be another tunnel involved?" Edward laughed as he leaned on the door to the cabin.

"Oh come on . . . you know that was a blast tunneling under the mountain!" Emmett insisted, somewhat indignant.

"It was funny, I'll give you that," Edward answered, looking toward Bella.

"Go on!" she answered the look he was giving her, asking her using some type of mental telepathy. I didn't think Bella had taken up mind reading, but she could read Edward, that was for sure. "Rose and I will stay here with Masen. We have catching up to do anyway," she explained and Rose nodded.

"If you're sure then, love," Edward said as he tightened his arm around her and kissed her lips.

"Whoa! Whoa guys - stop right there! Any more lust and I'll forget all about hunting and take Alice with me!" I told them, my hands raised, palms out as I shook my head. "You guys get started and our little hunting trip is finished, Emmett will have to go all on his own!"

"Brother! You'll be back in 12 hours or less cause that's how long it takes the train to go around the mountains while we go through and over them!" Alice reassured Edward as we headed out the door.

~oooOooo~

**Rose POV**

Finally! While I absolutely loved dancing the night away with Emmett, I had really missed Masen. Emmett and I had been in Edward's room with Masen since Bella and my brother had gone to explore the cars and feed the human. I had gotten the baby, full from being fed by his mom but not yet sleepy. I had almost lost it when, while we were all three sitting on the floor rolling a ball back and forth, Masen leaned forward, pulled his feet up under himself and ran after the ball rather than crawling for it.

"Rosie! Did you see that shit?" Emmett had whispered, the look on his face comical, even for Emmett.

"I saw. I can hardly believe it . . . but I saw," I heard myself say as I sat stone still and watched my nephew bend and pick up the ball he had gone after and turn to smile at me."

"Masen, nice going little guy!" Emmett bellowed, his voice returning.

Masen smiled a wide toothy grin and threw the ball to him, clapping his hands wildly as he walked back over to where we sat.

"You little con man, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" I said under my breath.

I couldn't read his thoughts, but his smugness was evident and showing in every line of his adorable little cherub face. He walked to me and climbed up into my lap, wrapping his arms partly around my neck and hugging me tightly. The difference in this baby in little over a week was astounding.

"We are sure he's only a couple of months old, right?" Emmett asked, shaking his head in disbelief, "I mean, this is the same baby . . . right?"

"It is hard to believe, isn't it," I agreed, "Even though we were there the night Edward delivered him.

"Masen, Uncle Emmett and I are so proud of you," I told him out loud, though if Edward was right, the baby was probably already reading my thoughts. He put his hands on each of my cheeks and patted my face, keeping the toothy grin as he turned to look at Uncle Emmett.

"Dude, I'm proud of you, too! I had no idea you could do that. Keep it up and soon you can go hunting with your dad, me and your uncle Jasper!"

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Masen understood exactly what Emmett had said. We played with the ball, rolling it while we sat then gently throwing it to him as he stood and caught it almost as well as when it had been rolled to him. His reflexes were amazing, there was no hint of clumsiness . . . his movements were starting to have the precision of our kind and I had to wonder just how much of his traits would be like his father. He had a heartbeat, blood in his veins and he did eat human food, but I was beginning to wonder if those might be the only human characteristics . . .

At any rate, he soon tired of the game and it was bedtime for him. I tucked him into his crib and sang a lullaby to him, noticing that Emmett had already left. Men. If something he could watch or play with or drink wasn't in front of him, Emmett lost interest almost immediately. Masen popped back up, holding onto the side of his crib after I laid him down, something I had never seen him do before. He was such an agreeable child, he had always just laid there and gone to sleep . . . that is if he wasn't already asleep in my arms when I put him in his crib. I sang him another lullaby and rocked him for a short time till he seemed to be getting at least a little groggy. I put him back in his crib, hoping he would fall asleep. I left the door open and went to the next cabin in the car where I could hear my siblings talking.

"Bit who?" I asked as I came into the room, the riotous laughter so loud that I didn't bother to knock.

"Apparently your husband is in need of biting something," Jasper laughed, "he says he's starving."

I glared at my husband, hand on one hip, "So . . . you couldn't just sit and play with Masen with me, you had to come in here and complain about being thirsty?"

"You were putting Masen to bed!"

"And you don't enjoy taking care of your nephew?" I fussed.

"Sure I do," he answered, "well, I kind of do anyway. I like playing with him!"

"Ah," I responded exasperatedly, "It's like taking care of two kids only the larger one insists on doing whatever the hell he wants!"

"Now Rosie . . ."

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

"Damn, bro . . . I thought for sure you were going to back out on us!" I chided as I lunged for him, grabbing him in a headlock and knocking my brother Edward over and rolling down the incline by the train tracks. We ended up in a deep patch of show, only our heads showing as we stood to see Jasper standing on a ledge above us, hands on knees to help hold himself up he was laughing so hard.

"He's right, Edward. Once you started kissing her, I was sure our little hunting trip was done for," Jasper finally exploded between bursts of laughter. "Good thing we're in a slight valley or you two would have caused quite an avalanche just now!"

"Well, we wouldn't have rolled like that if my brother the clown could have waited till we got to the end of the train and just jumped, instead of leaping from in between the two cars!" Edward complained, trying to dust at least some of the mound of snow off his clothing.

"Dude, I had to get you off the damned train before you had time to give it any thought and decide to just go back and check on Bella or the kid, just one more time. You were _one more timing _me to death!" Emmett explained.

"Got to go with him on this one, bro, "Jasper commented as Alice stood beside him, her arms folded as she smiled impatiently.

"Come on you guys, a girl's gotta feed you know . . . I'm hungry!" Alice added, heading off through the trees and brush . . . what there was of it above the snow.

"Yes ma'me," I agreed. Let's get some dinner! The herds are usually on the west slope this time of night, just settling down. Lucky for us, but really unlucky for them," I yelled.

"It wouldn't really matter where the heard was, would it Emmett? If you're thirsty, you would find them in no time flat," Edward commented as he ran.

"True brother, but all the easier since I know where they hang out!"

"Honestly Emmett, t6o hear you talk you'd think you hunted in the Alps all the time," Alice scoffed.

"Well, no. I just understand the animals we're after, that's all," I explained.

"Great, then I'm in the lead when we go after buffalo, right?" Jasper quipped.

"Yep, that'll be all you, brother! All you," I swore.

We ran through the pass and around to the western slope rather quickly, anxious for our meal. After decimating the first heard, we slowed to a lesser run as we made our way over the taller spots, actually having to resort to climbing at some points. Alice showed off her lack of weight by being able to stay on the top crust of snow and literally fly over it, making much better time than us guys and standing with her hip cocked at each ledge that she came to while she waited for us to halfway dig ourselves through the drifts. It wasn't that it was difficult or that we were slow, just that she was able to speed along without the extra added difficulty of sinking below the top crust. Little pixie, she sure livened up this bunch . . . not as much as my awesome new little human sister, but she livened things up all the same.

"So, Alice. Rosie tells me that Eddie here is going to be the father of twins," I said as I punched him in the shoulder.

"I am, Emmett. Bells is pregnant and I can hear two heartbeats other than hers . . . already."

"Congratulations again, Edward. Bella seems very happy about it as well, and I can only imagine how Esme will react!" Jasper added.

"So, anyway," I said acting as though I minded that Jasper and Edward both interrupted me, "How long have you seen this coming? I never had a heads up on this possibility!"

"Emmett, you know how subjective my visions are! So many decisions keep changing. I saw the twins back when we were in Orlando at Disney, but what with Jacob around and the whole thing with Victoria and Charlie and Renee, the visions have changed so fast i could hardly keep up! With Jacob around and Sam, it's a wonder I could see anything!" Alice almost trilled.

"How does that work, anyway. You saw Masen, or Edward with him when he was born, right?" I asked Alice.

"Yes."

"Well, does that mean that you can always see Masen just like you see Bella and our family?" I paused. I heard something about the kid having the same number of chromosomes as the dog, so I just wondered if that affected you're seeing him.

"Ouch!" I yelled, Edward having knocked me off the boulder I sat on.

"Don't compare my son to werewolves!" Edward insisted, "I don't care if they have the same number of chromosomes!" he fused. He said it somewhat playfully, but the hidden threat was there all the same.

"Well, I seem to be able to see Masen as long as he is with one of us, through us really . . . but I have never gotten a vision of just him alone . . . so I don't know."

"You should try when we get back to the train, Alice. See if you can sand outside of Masen's door and see him and what he's doing when none of us are with him," Edward suggested.

"I can do that big brother. I never thought of it, it isn't like someone isn't always with him anyway . . . he is, after all, only two months old! I'm surprised you or Rose put him down often enough for him to have even learned to walk!" Alice teased, "Surely he never left someone's arms when Renee was around!"

Everyone laughed at that, it was so true. My Rosie swooped in at each and every opportunity and grabbed my nephew . . . never ever putting him down till his parents insisted he sleep in a crib rather than someone's arms and now, of course, that the little guy has learned to walk by himself.

"Did I tell you that he stood up and ran after the ball when Rosie and I were playing with him?" I asked Edward.

"No. but It doesn't surprise me. He was tearing all over the house in Bolzano before we left, even running up the stairs. He really is quite amazing. It's like he has all the strength and dexterity of an adult vampire, trapped in a small body and all he needs is the understanding of how to use it," his dad said, looking off into the distance, no doubt thinking about getting back to his son.

"I think it may be even more than that, Edward. He doesn't understand his emotions yet, but if what you say is true about his intelligence, he may have been born with all your powers and instincts, just not the knowledge of them or the fine tuned ability to use them," Jasper offered.

"I think you're right," Alice agreed as Edward and I nodded.

"I wonder if I have reception here, I could call and check on them," Edward said, taking his phone from his pocket to check.

"Dude, put that away!" I blurted out. He had seen only a bar or two and was putting it back in his pocket even as I spoke.

"Fine. I'll check it when we get to the top peak," he agreed, sighing as though he had read our minds and knew the protests that were about to escape our lips if he didn't comply.

"Actually, it would be interesting to see if they work out here," Jasper added, the electronic whiz kid side of him coming out.

"Jasper, leave it to you. Always wanting to push the limits of technology, whether for surveillance or communication," Alice said, taking his arm to hurry along with him at his side.

"That's me, darlin'. Always."

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"I thought they would never leave," Rose exclaimed, plopping somewhat indelicately onto the sofa, at least indelicate for a vampire.

I had just shooed Edward off to go hunting and looked in on Masen, sleeping cozily in his bed next door.

"Bella, I just can NOT believe the difference in Masen since just a couple of weeks ago! It's like it's almost a different child!"

"I know, he stood and walked across the room to me at the house in Bolzano and it seems as though he started running the same day," I smiled, remembering just how startled I was when I first saw him on two legs. "Remember how shocked Edward and I were when he climbed that statue in Paris, breaking out of the stroller right under our noses as we stood beside him?"

"He's much stronger than any of us think, isn't he. You just don't think of a small child as having that type of strength in his hands to climb anything," Rose added.

"Well, you guys seem to scale buildings and climb rock cliffs like spiderman, I guess he is just a smaller version. It's not like he weighs much, so there is less for him to pull up when he climbs!" I laughed. "It does make me wonder though, do you think he could be capable of doing more than we give him credit for?"

"I have no idea . . . but I bet Edward does. Has he said anything about Masen's strength?" my sister asked.

"Not that he has said anything about, other than once, the day we left Verona, apparently he and Masen were packing the car and Masen was standing on the drivers seat, playing with the steering wheel . . ."

"Edward let Masen touch something in his car? That car?" Rose asked, somewhat surprised.

"He did. Anyway, apparently Masen was asking about all the knobs and buttons and how to make the car go and if he could try it . . . pushing the buttons and making things go that is . . . "

"I bet Edward was having a fit at the idea . . ."

"Well, anyway Rose, Edward told him that he would have to wait till his legs were longer so that they would reach the pedals, and Masen bent down to look under the dash and lost his footing. Edward was cracking up telling me how funny Masen looked hanging by one hand from the steering wheel! I guess I never really thought about it, but he would have to have quite a bit of strength to hold himself dangling in the air by one hand."

"He would. I wonder just what he really can do on his own," Rose mused.

"Good thing we're on our way to meet Carlisle. I'm sure he will have a thousand questions and just think of how surprised he will be when he sees what his grandson is capable of," I laughed.

"Good grief. Carlisle will be making notes and asking questions for days. There is nothing he loves better than new information, and this . . . Masen . . .well, none of us has ever heard of anything like him before. There are legends of_Damphires_, but they are only legends and already they have proven to be wrong," Rose scoffed.

"Wrong?"

"Well, yes. You're alive. Supposedly the babies rip their way out, killing the mother . . . and _that _didn't happen. Who knows what else is true or not true as far as the legends apply to you and Edward's son. We certainly know he's capable of learning and he seems so good natured! He also seems to like all of us, that's a plus," Rose elaborated.

I must have looked at her somewhat strangely, she elaborated.

"Bella. The offspring of a vampire and a human, if they ever existed, are supposed to hate vampires. Masen doesn't act like he dislikes us, in fact, he seems to love all of us, in addition to his father."

"Hum. Why have I not heard that legend before?" I asked.

"You have, just maybe not all the details."

I gave her a skeptical look, my annoyance must have shown on my face.

"Really Bella, you were pregnant, then kidnapped, then all that with Jacob and Charlie being there and your mom coming with us . . . when was there time to sit and talk about all the old legends? What would it change anyway? Masen is growing up just fine, happy and healthy, and Edward communicates directly with him every day and certainly most of the night . . . at least, the part of it when he can pry himself away from you!" she laughed.

"I guess you're right. He seems healthy and happy, I just want to know as much as possible about the possibilities," I told her as I stood to go next door and just peek in on him.

I walked up the corridor to the next cabin, wondering just what else I was unaware of. The very idea of Masen not liking vampires, it was just absurd. He loved his aunts and uncles to say nothing of how affectionate he was toward his dad. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the legends spoke of women impregnated and abandoned, sure to have very negative feelings about the father of their child while they were pregnant. That could have an effect on the child, if the babies were anything like Masen at least . . ."

I walked through mine and Edwards room and into the room where Masen's crib stood. There was no nightlight and it was too dark to see anything. I walked back and turned on a light in my room so that it would dimly lite the other room and allow me to check on my son.

I saw nothing in his crib. His blanket was there, but Masen wasn't in his crib?

"Masen. _Masen?_ MASEN!"

Rose appeared beside me, human speed forgotten.

"Rose, he's not in his crib," I managed to say, flipping on all the lights.

"Masen! Son, if you are hiding, please come out! Mommy doesn't want to play right now!"

"Masen!" Rose called, looking under and in everything.

"Rose, he's not here! Rose! On My God, Rose, where is he?" I almost cried, my voice cracking in an effort to talk.

"Let's just stay calm. Apparently he is able to climb out of his crib now," Rose deduced.

"He can. I told him i would spank him if he ever did, though. We had a talk about not getting out of places that we put him, Edward insisted that he understood!"

"Well, he may well have understood, but that doesn't mean that kids are always going to do as they are told. I don't smell anyone else in here, so no one came and got him, Bella. He apparently just got out of his crib and has taken a walk. His bear is gone as well. He had it under his arm when I put him down, and I don't see it here anywhere. Let's search the rest of this train car before we check the rest of the train or jump to any other conclusions," Rose said logically, stroking her hand up and down my arm to calm me.

"I checked on him an hour or so ago, under two hours for sure . . . just when we got back from dinner before Edward and the guys left to go hunt. He can't have gotten far!" I insisted.

We had only had Masen in the corridor on the way to our cabin and in the cabin. That apparently helped. Rose caught his scent and we followed him down the corridor in the opposite direction, passing the room we had been in and out the end of our car. The trail stopped there. Though Rose covered the length of the train, all cars and even the freight car that was attached, there was no trace of his scent anywhere else.

"Did the boys leave towards this end of the car or towards the front, where we came into the train and back toward the dining car?" I asked.

"No, they left this way, toward the rear, Bella, I heard them jump off the train and tackle each other when they left acting like large kids."

Rose stood still as a statue, some sort of realization dawning on her face.

"Bella, he followed them."

What?" I shrieked.

"He followed them. Masen wanted to go with his dad, he didn't want to go to sleep and it was hard to get him to lie down. He had never acted like that before. I bet when he woke up, he followed them!"

"Rose, he's _two months old!_" I whispered, using the wall for support. I leaned against the wall, grasping onto the door handle for support. I knew my son was advanced, in fact, he seemed to have most of Edwards skills but not the knowledge of how to use them. He probably really did follow them."

"Well, Emmett was telling him to get big and strong so that he could go hunt with him and his dad . . . maybe Masen thought he meant n_ow!"_

"Oh God, Rose! Masen has no concept of time, no real idea of anything other than now! Rose, he probably read your mind, knew that they had all left and followed them!"

I nearly lost it.

"Let's keep searching, Rose. There could be a chance . . ."

She cocked her head at me, "Bella. I don't hear him. I can tell his heartbeat from half a mile away . . . he's not here!"

I fumbled through my purse looking for where I had left my phone. It was, after all, a satellite phone and they were supposed to get reception anywhere. The call went immediately to voice mail and though I hated to, I forced my voice to work to leave a message . . .

_Edward, call me! Masen is missing! He isn't on the train!"_


	123. Chapter 123  Complacent

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: **Well, we're almost caught up with the parent story! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thanks to all that continue to read and comment, it means more than you know that someone cares about the story and from some of your messages, you really do seem to care! I love it!

~oooOooo~

**Chapter 123 Complacent**

_So, who's up for a hunting trip?" Emmett asked again,_

_"The short cut through the mountains is just up ahead."_

~oooOooo~_  
_

**EPOV**

I had all but forgotten how much fun my siblings were on a hunting trip. Not that it was within a vampire's ability to ever forget anything, but I suppose I just hadn't thought about it. Jasper's stoic, dry sense of humor offset Emmett's boisterous playful attitude completely, and add a few curt responses from Alice . . . well, it was hard to keep from laughing. With all that had happened in the last year, I had not let my guard down long enough to really enjoy my family. We had shared some fun times out west as Bella and I drove her car home, but it was so close to my having just gotten Bella back and what with her accident and recovery and all . . . not to mention her dad and she and I coming to terms with the fears each of us had about the other leaving them . . . well . . .

It had just been a long time since I just _played _on a hunt with my family.

We decimated an entire herd right off the bat, the type of sheep that have those double curved horns on their head and insist on staying on the very steepest slopes of the mountains. Emmett was hysterical. We approached the sheep from four directions and somehow just as Emmett was grabbing for a yew, a large male ram charged at his backside, my brother only just avoiding a swift hit to his rear by jumping up slightly and allowing the sheep to pass sort of between his legs as he nabbed him, swiftly breaking his neck and scowling at the first bite of matted wool in his mouth. Alice was laughing so hard she actually dropped her meal on the ground in front of her till she could compose herself.

"I am so telling Rosie about that one, Emmett. That ram nearly knocked you across that crevice and we would probably have found you in the valley below buried under an avalanche," she laughed, barely able to get the words out.

"Ha! Well, I would at least have taken this guy with me," he boasted, his prey drained as he stood to look for another sheep.

"Brother," Jasper said as he turned to come and sit by me while Emmett continued to feed, "I haven't felt you this totally lighthearted . . . well . . . come to think of it . . . _ever_."

He looked at me as though my emotion was unexpected and his thoughts were for Bella and concern for her carrying not one, but two more half vampire children . . . and giving birth to them with all the danger that entailed.

"I know, Jasper . . . I know. There are many things I should be worried about . . . where Bella is concerned and the pregnancy I mean, and I guess I should be worried about the Volturi, but brother . . . I just can't right now. I have just never been this happy," I told him, cocking my head to one side to try and hide some of the stupid grin that I knew covered my face. "I was just thinking of how much I will enjoy having Bella along on our hunting trips, once I change her, that is."

My siblings stopped cold. Alice and Emmett turned to stare at me, their conversation stopping abruptly as Jasper stared in wide eyed wonder. His thoughts gave away the reason for the stare before his words were out of his mouth.

"Edward . . . you just spoke about changing Bella into a vampire without the least hesitation . . . In fact, you seemed to feel _happy _about it," Jasper said softly, stark surprise and wonder on his face.

I looked at their faces, each of my siblings looked stunned in their own way, even Alice. I gazed at them for what seemed like a very long time, composing exactly what I wanted to say.

"Yes," I explained, uttering each word quietly and distinctly, "I want Bella to join us. I want her to be what I am, to live with me without worrying about growing older and our finally losing each other to age or mishap. I want her with me . . . and she wants me just the same."

They didn't move. Still as statues, as only vampires can be for the longest space of time . . .

"Come on, you all had to see this coming, especially you, Alice," I chided, rising from the ledge where I sat beside Jasper and brushing the snow from my jeans.

"I have always seen Bella as one of us, brother, I have just never seen you so accepting of it," Alice spoke slowly.

"Comfortable with the thought of it . . . completely," Jasper added.

"Hell yea! About damned time," Emmett bellowed, "I'm tired of you denying me my little sister. She rocks, Edward. She even makes your uptight ass fun!"

I smiled at the thought. She did though, she did make me . . . along with everything else around her, fun. She took everything about me in stride, seeming to expect even some of my odder reactions . . . my _less human _ones. She seemed almost unshakable when it came to me. She knew me, vampire and all, far better than I knew myself. Bella anticipated reactions in me that even my family didn't see coming, family that had been with me for over 50 years and were vampires as well. She accepted me and all my instincts, reactions and quirks, far better than I accepted myself.

"Dudes, all this lovey dovey stuff is great and all, but I'm still thirsty and we do have to catch up with the train sometime, you know," Emmett insisted, rubbing his hands together excitedly as though he couldn't wait to get his hands on more dinner.

"Oaf," Alice fussed, slapping his shoulder with the back of her hand. "If Rosalie isn't here to keep you in line, don't think I won't," she glared, breaking into a laugh moments after the words left her mouth and she saw the startled look on his face.

I high fived her, Jasper shaking his head in disbelief that I would ever participate in high fiving anyone as we started off towards the valley.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

"Sam, how about a cup of coffee," I yelled from the door as I walked outside towards the rear of his truck. I carried my mug as well as his and handed the steaming brew over to him.

"Thanks, Chief Swan," he said ducking his head and accepting the cup with some reserve.

"Charlie. My name is Charlie, son. You already have one Chief in your tribe, just call me Charlie."

The boy just couldn't seem to bring himself to use my first name. I guess I should just settle for him calling me Chief, at least he had stopped always calling me Mr. Swan or Chief Swan. Charlie might be a stretch for him, but he needed to get out of his own head and do things the way others wanted them sometimes. Guess he was learning that though, what with showing up here to tend to my yard each week. I thought he would just show up in the summer, cut the grass, maybe weed eat and if I was lucky he would continue on into fall and help with getting up all the leaves that covered everything that time of year. He hadn't though. He had been here once a week, whether it was to shovel snow from my walkway and steps or to blow it off the roof or cut up some tree limb that had fallen. Hell, my yard looked better than the grounds around the station and we had a professional crew maintain that. I could only imagine the care he would give the yard in the spring when planting grass was possible and the bushes would start to grow again.

"So, how's Emily doing?" I asked, sitting on the tailgate and about burning my mouth on a sip from my mug.

"She seems well, Mr. Sw..., Charlie," He said, fumbling over the words. "I make her breakfast every morning and take it up to her but she seems to get sick anyway and only want just a little toast, if she can even keep that down."

"I remember those days, Sam. Seemed like if just a whiff of the wrong thing got to Renee's nose, everything in her stomach came up," I chuckled. "It passes," I told him, venturing to take another sip of my coffee. His face looked like there was a lot more that he was thinking, but Sam seemed a lot like me . . . kept his thoughts to himself. He nodded and fished out his blower from under the tarp in the truck.

"Thought I'd neaten up the sidewalks now that it's been dry a day or two," he explained, stopping to gulp down most of the coffee in his cup. I had no idea how he drank the stuff so fast, mine was still too hot and Sue had poured it before I had looked out the window and seen him pull up. Don't guess I was ever going to get used to all the things that _didn't _bother him, or my new son-in-law. Temperature just didn't seem to phase them, the weather or their food. It was freezing out, snow still on the ground, and Sam was wearing a tee shirt and cut off jeans. Huh. I was cold and I had on an undershirt and a flannel shirt with my jacket zipped up over them. I wasn't going to ask, though. I had learned over the last two months that it was better just to observe and let it go. Pieces were starting to fall into place that way, regardless . . . even though I really didn't want to know much more about _any _of it than I already did.

Bella was happier than I had ever seen her and Edward, well, he fussed over her and my grandson more than any man I had ever seen. He was still 17 to look at, though it was hard to think of someone as responsible and wealthy as he was as a boy . . . especially since he earned his own living and provided for my daughter the way he did. I shook my head to clear the thoughts of them, they were away in Europe and it had been too damned long since I had seen all three of them. The damned boat they had given me for Christmas, now sitting in front of me, covered in my driveway just made me miss them more.

Sam seemed to notice me staring into my coffee cup, "Everything alright . . . Charlie?"

I looked up at him and shook my head as if to throw off a thought, "Yea. Everything's fine. Just thinking about Emily and you about to become parents made me think of Masen. Guess I just really miss the little guy, that's all." I shrugged, venturing to take a sip of the now tolerably hot coffee. "Just think of all the things you get to discover, raising a baby. Nights without sleep, diapers. Ha! Guess I'm glad Bella and Edward are the ones in those shoes, not me. I just get to play with Masen and hand him back when he needs something."

Sam's face didn't change, but there was a hint of something in his eyes. I had to wonder if he was as accepting of the Cullen's - and my grandson - as he said he was, or if he was just giving the outward appearance. Jacob said he could tell the difference, I knew damned well that Edward could, but neither of them were here just now.

"I hear Jacob is flying in tomorrow, Sue was telling me she's picking him up at the airport in Seattle."

"Yea, he's due in to settle some tribal matters." Sam frowned, "and to check up on me, I'm sure."

"Well, as far as I can see, Sam, you're following the council orders to a tee. I have no complaints and I've had a look at the Cullen house as well. Nothing amiss there. Place looks great."

"Thanks Chief, uh, Charlie. I am trying," he lowered his gaze to the street and halfway mumbled, "for all the good it seems to be doing."

I stared at him.

"Emily?"

"Yea. It's like being in a deep freezer at my house and I have no idea if I'm going to be welcome there one day after the other. I wake up wondering if this is the day she'll send me away and tell me she's divorcing me," Sam said, fiddling with the gas in the blower.

There wasn't much I could say. I put my hand on his shoulder, told him to hang in there and grabbed his now empty coffee cup as I turned to go back into the house.

"Charlie," he called to me as I started up the first step on the porch. I turned around to see what he wanted but he was just standing at the tailgate of his truck, blower in hand.

"Thanks."

I nodded to him and turned to go into the house. Sue was just coming downstairs, she had gone up to dress and get ready for her day while I went out to talk to Sam. Weekends were usually days off for both of us, but she had agreed to pick Jacob up in Seattle and she had a tribal council meeting that would take most of the late afternoon. I'd be lucky to get her back by dinner time, then tomorrow they had a full council meeting. Might as well put in some hours down at the station. It wasn't like iIhad anything to do here, after all, what with Sam keeping the yard spotless and Sue after me about dropping clothes on the floor and keeping things picked up and washed up.

Sue had pretty much taken over the running of my house, ever since Valentine's Day that is, when I had asked her to marry me. I wanted to tell Bella about it but I had just wanted to tell her in person, not over the phone what with her thousands of miles away and me not seeing the expression on her face.

"Charlie," Sue called to me, having gotten to the bottom step and staring at me just standing there , still as could be.

"Charlie, you could fly over and tell her."

"What?" I jerked my head towards her in response. How did she do that? How was it that she always knew.

"Bella," she said, moving to stand in front of me and wrap her arms around my waist. "Just call Alice or Carlisle and find out where they are and go over there and tell her. It's eating away at you!"

"I can't go running off to other countries just because I want to see how she reacts when I tell her, Sue," I heard myself almost whine.

"Well, I happen to know that you have an open ended ticket to wherever you want to go and all you have to do is call that Jenks fellow and he'll make the arrangements,"

I looked at her, surprised.

"Very little gets past me Charlie Swan. Now, are you going to set something up or am I going to do it for you?"

"Sue . . ."

"Don't you _Sue_ me. It's been weeks now and I'm tired of seeing you like this. Besides, I want to talk to her about plans for the wedding and I can hardly do that if you haven't even told her were getting married now can I?"

I couldn't win. I knew it and she knew it.

"Fine, fine. I'll call Edward and see where they are and where they're headed. Maybe they're thinking of coming home soon anyway," I feebly suggested as Sue all but laughed at me.

"Fine and good. Call Edward. Between the two of you, I'm sure you can work out something . . . you have so much in common how."

I must have given her a look like she was nuts or like I was an idiot because she felt the need to explain. Just as well. I had no idea what she meant. She supped my cheeks in her hands and kissed me, smiling though I knew she was trying to look stern and fuss at me.

"Bella. You would both do anything in the world for her. Together, I'm sure you can come up with something to surprise her," she said as she kissed me softly, grabbed her coat, and backed out the front door still smiling at me. I hoped it was smiling, though it sure looked like she was doing everything she could not to laugh.

~oooOooo~

**Sue POV**

_What was I going to do with this man._

I had been thinking about it all the way to Seattle and it had been quite a long drive. Charles Swan was one of the nicest, most considerate men I knew. Of course I thought that, I was marrying him wasn't I! I shook my head at how stupid I was being. Yes, he was kind, considerate and loyal to a fault - but he was also a man . . . a man that was set in his ways, avoiding displays of emotion with almost a built in radar for them.

The last six months had seen some changes in him, some ability to adapt and adjust his way of thinking. Well, when he was forced. He had actually come almost full circle when it came to Edward Cullen. The hatred he had felt for the boy a year ago, watching his daughter fade further and further away from him had changed into acceptance. Hell, he actually liked him, and had admitted it a time or two when I could get him to confide his feelings.

I had admitted it as well. Though it was i_ngrained_ in my very being to hate vampires, consider them my mortal enemy . . . the Cullen's I liked. Really liked. I had never met a more gentle, considerate being than Edward Cullen, nor anyone who loved and protected his family so fiercely . . . though I suspected that the behavior was in part learned from his adoptive father, Carlisle. The boy even openly acknowledged Jacob as his best friend. I shook my head at that. A vampire and a werewolf best friends. Shape shifter, our tribe was full of shape shifters, not really werewolves after all. Jacob admitted the friendship with Edward as well, and quite openly. I think my opinion of Edward Cullen cemented itself when I had gone on a simple shopping trip to Walmart with him during my visit to Highlands just after Christmas. Though his quite pregnant wife had been kidnapped, his attention to detail was astounding, laying in supplies for Charlie, Sue and I as well as for Jacob and Sam so that we would have food and warmth during the blizzard that was headed towards the area. He had opened his wallet and emptied many thousands of dollars out of it and into the hands of a stranger - a woman with a little boy that was unable to provide the things money could buy for the child. He was quite selfless, in all respects.

His ferocity came out when it came to Bella, though. He had openly dared her father to so much as hurt her feelings in her own home . . . and I think the threat implied far more than just making him leave, though Charlie had no idea just how much danger he had been in at the time. No one made her unhappy if he had anything to say about it . . . and he did.

I was startled from my thoughts and into the realization that I was driving round the loop to pick up passengers at the airport and Jacob was frantically waving at me as though I hadn't seen him. I hadn't.

"You okay, Sue? This is the second time I've seen you drive around and I thought you were going to pass me up again," Jacob said, seeming concerned as he climbed into the car, tossing his bag into the back seat.

"Fine, Jake, I'm fine," I assured him as he leaned over to squeeze my shoulder.

"Preoccupied with the wedding plans then?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Jacob! How did you know, Charlie hasn't even told Bella!" I said, surprised.

"Well, that may be, but you apparently told your kids and they told Emily and Emily told me. Don't worry, I didn't let on to Bella," he all but snickered at me, "She didn't seem like she knew since she didn't bring it up to me, so I left it."

"You spoke with her?" I asked, once again amazed at the relationship the three of them maintained. Her father hadn't even called her but twice since drove back in January.

"Sure."

"Everything alright with Masen?" I asked, not able to voice what I had been wondering. Jacob knew and filled me in.

"They're all fine. Masen just started walking a few days ago and I have never heard any man more proud of a kid than Edward. He and Izzy were grabbing the phone back and forth away from each other to tell me about it," he laughed.

"Walking? Jacob, he's less than three months old!" I said, reeling at the thought. I had to make an effort to concentrate on my driving.

"And?"

He looked at me with a _so did you not expect him to be different_ smirk on his face as though he was proud of the little boy as well. It surprised me that he was still referring to Bella as_ Izzy, _I had thought that either she or Edward would have put a stop to that, but apparently Edward used the nickname for her as well.

"Anyway, Sue. Izzy was all excited because they have spent the last couple of weeks alone at a mountain house that Edward has up in the Italian edge of the Alps or some such shit. She is so excited about the house and the playroom that he had built for the baby, it was all she could talk about."

"Sounds amazing, doesn't it."

"I guess. Women always talk about the Alps like there is something romantic about snow covered mountains, I can't figure it. I would have thought she was excited about meeting Carlisle and Esme in London and riding on that damned train . . . what the hell do they call it?" he looked thoughtfully at the dash before shrugging his shoulders.

"Carlisle and Esme are going to Europe as well?" I asked, surprised. "I thought Carlisle couldn't get any more time off from the hospital."

"Seems they decided that he did such a great job during the storm, the board gave him two weeks off as a bonus. They drove into the airport with me early this morning, only their flight is still in the air. I doubt they got to London yet," he laughed.

I don't know why the extravagance of flying off to Europe still surprised me. Money was no object to any of them and didn't really seem to be considered in the scheme of things. If they wanted to do something, go somewhere, buy something . . . they simply did it without seeming to consider the monetary cost. I wondered what that would be like, absently shaking my head.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"I just wonder what it must be like, not having to worry about funding trips or paying the light bill. You and I have never lived like that, well, I guess you kind of do now, what with starting _Black Swan Racing_ and all," I smiled.

"No fucking way I'm used to it yet. I wince every time I splurge and completely fill up the tank in my truck with gas," he said animatedly. "Hell, I plan trips two weeks in advance and travel at odd hours in coach to save money but the Cullen's . . . well, let's just say that when we got to the airport, Carlisle walked up to the counter and bought first class tickets to the next flight out, handing the girl his card and not even asking the cost. I went to get on my flight only to find out that he had upgraded it to first class as well," he laughed.

"I guess they just rub off on you after awhile. I've even gotten used to the sickeningly sweet smell they give off," he admitted, looking somewhat sheepish. "Bella and Edward's house smells like home to me."

What a long way we had all come in the last few months, I thought as we drove towards the reservation and the council meeting. The council, however, was far behind us in their acceptance of any changes, but we would just have to wait and see how convincing Jacob could be. He was, after all, Chief, and he had clearly grown to fit the title.

~oooOooo~


	124. Chapter 124  Disobey

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: Remember, this story is the same as Heaven, Hell and Harleys - minus the language and sex. Quite a bit is lost, but you still have the basic storyline here! No Need To Read Both!**

Continued thanks to each and every one of you that continue to PM me and review, the encouragement is working and I am totally getting back into the story, anxious to share my next thoughts with you! Thanks to all that continue to read and comment, I keep saying it, but it means more than you know that someone cares about the story and from some of your messages, you really do seem to care! I love it!

It's hard to write "Bella and Edward" in love since I am guilty of associating them with "Rob and Kristen".

My heart goes out to Robert and my prayers for God to help him find peace in this situation, with or without Kristen.

I found this quote, and I thought I would share it . . .

_"'Mistakes are the doors of discovery', by James Joyce. _

_A similar one: 'A man can be destroyed but not defeated' by Ernest Hemingway. _

_Both remind me that our biggest mistakes are the experiences we learn the most from. _

_Hope to improving give everyone the desire to live the next day, doesn't it?"_

_ - Robert Pattinson (about his favourite quotes)_

**Chapter 124 Masen**

_"Well, I don't particularly like mountain sheep _

_and I would rather stay here and play with Masen. _

_I haven't seen him in forever," Rose insisted._

~oooOooo~

**Masen POV**

But dad!

_No, Masen. You have to stay here with mommy,_

dad told me with no room in his thoughts for talking about it or changing his mind. It didn't matter though, I wanted to go with him.

_But dad . . ._

_I love you, son_, he told me for the millionth time. I heard him, exasperated at the number of times that emotion crossed his thoughts.

_But dad, uncle Emmett said I could go with you when I got bigger . . . and I AM big! _

I tried to make him see, standing as tall as I could, my face reaching well above the railing of my crib.

_I know you're big, son. You're such a little sponge, everything I explain to you, you remember completely and even understand, don't you, _my dad said, smiling down at me as he stroked my hair.

_It's as though you were born with an adult mind, capable of understanding anything once the meaning of the words are explained to you. You're just going to have to wait till your body grows a bit and catches up, son, _ he continued silently as he bent down and kissed the top of my head.

My dad was going to get some of that same stuff they sometimes fed me in a bottle. I knew the feeling my dad was having, he was thirsty. I think that was the word he used to describe that feeling. I was thirsty, too. Mom gave me the warm stuff . . . milk?. . . yea, that was it. Milk. Mom gave me milk from her chest, and it was delicious . . . so warm and filling it made it easy to close my eyes and think of nothing. I was quiet and still when I felt like that and it seemed to make mom happy when I drank, then closed my eyes and was still. I liked making mom happy. I couldn't tell what she was thinking like I could everyone else, so I liked to do things that made her smile. I People smiled when they were happy. I wasn't very happy right now though. I wanted to go with my dad and my uncles and I wanted to drink, too.

"He's not very sleepy yet," aunt Rose commented, she and my mom sitting down to do something or other in the adjoining room. I wasn't interested in what they were doing . . . not even enough to pick it up from her mind. I just wanted to go with my dad!

_Dad! _

I tried to make him see that I really really wanted to come with him.

_No, Masen,_

he thought in answer to me one last time before he turned and walked over to my mom and kissed her. He was always doing that . . . kissing her or thinking of her like that, or having those feelings he described to me as "private between your mom and me".

Whatever.

I knew he loved me, he thought it all the time . . . and I loved him.

I just WANTED TO GO WITH HIM!

He didn't let my mom go, either. At least it wasn't just me. Mom seemed fine with it, not going with him that is . . . but I WANTED TO GO!

Dad never turned around, but pulled the door almost closed to the room he walked into with mom and aunt Rose. I thought about crying like dad had told me to do if I wanted something or needed someone to come to me, though I could just call their name now . . . But I didn't think it was going to work. My dad's mind had left no room for talking about it. He told me no and I wasn't sure how he would act if I cried and got someone else to come and give me what I wanted They wouldn't know what I wanted anyway . . . It wasn't like I could just nuzzle my moms chest and they could figure out that I was hungry. Auntie Rose looked in and saw that I was standing up though, and she got me. I had played with her and Uncle Emmett while my dad and mom went to get my mom some food but now she was making me lie down in my bed and covering me up, just like my dad did. I didn't want to sleep or even lie down. It wasn't like I ever needed to, they just seemed to like it so I did it to make them have the feeling . . . happy, they called it.

Now, I wanted to GO!

Uncle Emmett would let me. He went with my dad - I could just find uncle Emmett and he could get dad to let me stay with them on their . . . hunt. That's what they called it . . . they went for a hunt.

Someone always checked on me a little while after they left me alone in my bed, so I waited till aunt Rose came in and covered me with a blanket and left again, being careful to keep my eyes closed and my breathing kind of slow. They always noticed my breathing. Dad was the only one that could tell if my mind was quiet, he always knew - but he wasn't here and I only had to fool aunt Rose and maybe mom.

Mom.

I didn't want to make my mom upset, but she never felt upset when I was with my dad, so I didn't think it would upset her if I was with him . . . if I went and found him.

I climbed out of my bed making sure to hold on to my teddy bear. He would need to come with me. Mom and aunt Rose were laughing and talking about uncle Emmett, well, mom was laughing anyway. They were in the room that aunt Alice and my uncles had been in when they talked about going . . .

. . . around a mountain?

. . . through a mountain?

I wasn't really sure., they had said both. It was funny to them, though, and they got my dad to go with them so I knew it must be that they were going to have fun. They were all thirsty. Their throats were tingling just like dad's did when he was around mom, only not as much. I knew that tingling, I felt it when they gave me the gooey stuff from a bottle. My throat tingled when I wanted milk from my mom as well and my middle felt funny. I hadn't figured out the middle feeling funny part yet except that sometimes there was a rumbleygrowley noise from my mom's middle, so maybe I got that from her and the tingly throat from dad. Mom was always hungry when her middle growled. I could never figure out what she was thinking, but I knew her feelings. It was different when dad growled . . . purred my mom called it. He never wanted food when he made that noise, even if his throat was burning.

Well, if I was going to go find dad I had better get started while mom and aunt Rose were busy and talking to each other in aunt Rose's room. I had never gotten out of my crib by myself before, but I climbed over the rail and held on as I climbed down the other side, I would have just jumped but I knew that THAT would have been heard. My aunt Rose could hear every bit as well as my dad and I knew she was listening. I had to try and not get so excited so she wouldn't hear my heart start going fast and come to check on me. I would have to move quickly . . . so I did.

Running was so fun. It was just a short distance to the end of the car, I had listened to my dad when he left and knew that he had gone this way. When I got to the end of the car though and jumped to the other one, there was no familiar smell, not my dad or my uncles. I knew they had come this way though, so they must have jumped off the train. I knew this was coming and I wasn't worried . . . I could smell where they had been for days and I was sure I could find them.

So . . . I held bear tightly around the neck with my arm . . . and jumped.

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

"Rose, please hurry!" I managed to get the words out in a strained voice, "I'm fine."

"You promise me you'll stay right here. Promise!" she checked again.

"Yes, Rose. Yes! Now GO!" I nearly yelled as I made an attempt to push her towards the door.

Once we had discovered, or once I had accepted, that Masen really _wasn't o_n the train, and Rose had convinced me that there were no other smells near his - well, other than his aunt and uncles of course - I had called our porter and told him we would be getting off the train at the next stop, all of us, and to have the bags put out at the station.

Rose had been a little more difficult to convince. "Rose, there is NO WAY I am going to continue to move farther and farther away from my son. If he is off this train, then so am I!"

My new sister had her work cut out for her to convince me that it was a bad idea for me to climb on her back and go with her, as I was insisting that I should. She was going to head back down the train tracks and see where the hell my son had gotten off the train, and I had no intention of being left here.

But . . . convince me she did. All she had to do was explain that she could move faster by herself and explore heights and places that she could not go with me and I relented. Reluctantly, but I gave in all the same. She had stayed long enough for me to get checked into a hotel she was familiar with, Park Hotel in Liechtenstein. Vadus, Liechtenstein.. Had I even heard of Liechtenstein before, except maybe in books of fiction? The only time I had ever heard a name sounding vaguely similar probably involvied Transylvania and vampires., I chuckled to myself. Absolutely NOTHING was funny about the situation I found myself in yet I found humor. My life had become somewhat of a fairytale and this surely had to be one of the tales that the godmother told to scare the little children into obedience. The thought of my just over two month old, or anyone for that matter, vo_luntarily j_umping from a train in the middle of the Alps was just ludicrous. Things around me seemed to stand still and I supposed I was still in shock over not being able to find my baby.

I was startled to hear my phone ring. I had called Edward and the others almost non stop, and had not been able to get any of them on the phone. Surely it was one of them calling to see what was going on, but the mere ringing of the phone made me jump.

"Bella?" my dad's voice rang clearly over the phone.

"Dad. Dad. Hi!" I responded lamely, unsure as to whether to tell him what was going on or not. My contemplation ended shortly though as my dad continued.

"Bells. You okay" You sound . . . off."

"Dad, no . . . I . . . I just didn't expect to hear your voice is all," I managed to squeak out, my voice cracking.

"Well, the reason I called is . . .well, Bells the thing is. . . "

He continued to stammer along slowly, then speeding up as I heard Sue's voice in the background, "For heaven's sake, Charlie! It isn't a firing squad, just tell her."

"Dad?"

"What's wrong, Bells?"

He knew. How was it that he always knew? Was it just an inborn parent thing, something that came along with the baby like knowing when they were hungry or sick? I knew my dad and once he used that tone and started asking questions he would just never stop till he was satisfied that he had ALL the facts. I suppose that's why he was a cop, or was so good at it, he had those natural instincts for sniffing out when things weren't exactly as they should be.

"Dad," I all but sobbed into the phone, "Masen is missing."

~silence~

"What the hell do you mean, _missing_?" my dad asked, surprisingly calmly.

"He's gone!" I sobbed. Rose put him to bed in his crib, she was with me because Edward and Emmett went to hunt with Jasper and Alice . . . they were going to catch the train up by cutting off a corner around a mountain and anyway when we went to check on him to make sure he was still sleeping he was gone . . . just gone," i sobbed hysterically. I made little sense, I knew that, but in reality it was no small feat that he understood me at all between the sniffing and sobbing as well as my voice cracking.

"Now hold on, Bells. What train?"

I explained as best I could that we had been on the Orient Express, headed to London to meet Carlisle and Esme and that we had left Edward and my house in Bolzano and . . .

"House in Bolzano? Just where the hell is that, Bells?"

"Italy, dad. The train runs from Venice, Italy, to Paris, France, and it goes through Switzerland and the Alps on the way. Masen got off the train in the snow and Rose thinks he overheard Emmett talking about hunting and decided to follow them," I explained, now almost hysterical.

"Bells, calm down now, calm down, There must be some mistake, Masen is just an infant, now, and I'm sure there is some other explanation," my dad told me, sounding as though he thought i was crazy. I tried to explain to him . . .

"There isn't. Rose and I thought of them all. Rose didn't hear his heartbeat or smell him anywhere on the train except our cabin and down the hall to the exit between cars. Edward left the train by that same exit, dad. Masen must have followed him!" I told him, all but wailing.

"You say Edward isn't there with you? Where are you, I'm on the next flight."

"Liechtenstein, dad. I know, I know. I hadn't heard of it either, not really, It's between Switzerland and Austria, in the Alps. But dad," I insisted, "there is nothing you can do by coming here, Rose will find him . . . and even if she doesn't everyone else was supposed to be back on the train in just a few more hours. They were supposed to catch up with us before we reached Zurich."

"Bella, I want to be there. If my grandson is missing I have a right to be there, and to help find him," Charlie insisted.

"Okay, dad, okay. Just give Carlisle a call and plan on coming to London. By the time you get that far I'm sure Masen will be back with us and we will be headed there to meet you. Carlisle has a house there and he and Esme are supposed to be there already waiting for us. Alright?" I asked. Silence on the phone. "Alright? Dad!" I almost cried.

"Fine," he huffed out a breath as he finally agreed, "but I'm heading to London now, Bells. Right now."

"Okay, dad. I'll see you soon then," I said quietly.

"It'll be alright. Bella, do you hear me? It will be alright. That Edward of yours, soon as he finds out he'll move heaven and earth to get to that boy. You know that," he assured me.

"II know, dad. It's just that," I choked as I tried to speak, "It's just that he's so little."

There was a long silence on the phone before my dad spoke,"He may be little, Bells, but that kid is tough as nails. Takes after the men in his family, Edward and me. He'll be fine, you'll see, I'm getting off the phone , Sue is here and she can help me call the airlines and pack. You hang in there. I love you - always have, always will," he said just before he hung up the phone.

I disconnected the call, cradling the phone to me as though it were my baby, desperate to hear from Edward or Rose or any of them! I continued to ring all their phones, hoping that one of them would finally get a signal and check their messages or hear the ring . . .

Time after time I called as I paced and wore a hole in the expensive rug covering the wood floors in front of the patio doors. I could see the high snow covered peaks in the distance. I was facing east and looking at the mountains . . . somewhere out there were the two most important things in the world to me . . . Edward and Masen.

~oooOooo~

**Alice POV**

"Well, if you two are through marveling over the wonders of technology which, I might add, are not going to work till we get to the top or possibly around that mountain," I said pointing North of us, "we can find another snack before we head to the train."

We hadn't left the train but an hour or two before, finding a herd of sheep grazing on one of the lower slopes in a meadow before we even started our climb. The herd was gone now. Emmett just finished satisfying his need to tunnel under something by digging through the snow to the frozen earth below in a deep drift and shallowly burying the sheep we had dined on, leaving it so the predators could take advantage of the meat by simply uncovering the snow and small amount of dirt that hid the carcasses. I would swear that the sloshing noise I heard was Emmett, but he insisted he was still thirsty.

Jasper had occupied himself sitting out a rock outcropping with Edward, he appeared to be watching Emmett's antics, but it was Edward that caught his attention.

"Brother," Jasper said as he turned towards Edward, "I haven't felt you this totally lighthearted . . . well . . . come to think of it . . . _ever_." The look on his face was one of total amazement.

"I know, Jasper . . . I know. There are many things I should be worried about . . . where Bella is concerned and the pregnancy I mean, and I guess I should be worried about the Volturi, but brother . . . I just can't right now. I have just never been this happy," Edward replied, cocking his head to one side to try and hide some of the stupid grin that almost continually covered his face since Bella had come back into our lives. "I was just thinking of how much I will enjoy having Bella along on our hunting trips, once I change her, that is," he continued, absently tossing a snowball across the valley.

"Edward . . . you just spoke about changing Bella into a vampire without the least hesitation . . . In fact, you seemed to feel _happy _about it," Jasper said softly.

"Yes," He explained, uttering each word quietly and distinctly, "I want Bella to join us. I want her to be what I am, to live with me without worrying about growing older and our finally losing each other to age or mishap. I want her with me . . . and she wants me just the same."

No one moved, still as only vampires can be for the longest space of time . . .

"Come on," he chided, staring at me, "you all had to see this coming, especially you, Alice."

"I have always seen Bella as one of us, brother, I have just never seen you so accepting of it," I said slowly, marveling at the completely remade vampire sitting before me.

"Comfortable with the thought of it . . . completely," Jasper added.

Bella was my little sister and my very best friend. I had always realized the depth of her feelings for my brother, but now he realized it as well and had resolved to change her. I was stunned into silence as the visions running through my mind were almost endless and the joy . .

"Hell yea! About damned time," Emmett bellowed, "I'm tired of you denying me my little sister. She rocks, Edward. She even makes your uptight ass fun!"

Everyone laughed, Emmett was Emmett, but in this case he was right.

"Dudes, all this lovey dovey stuff is great and all, but I'm still thirsty and we do have to catch up with the train sometime, you know," Emmett insisted, rubbing his hands together excitedly as though he couldn't wait to get his hands on more dinner and taking off up the slope.

Edward and Jasper followed, acting like it was a race. Well, with them _everything _was a contest. I dusted off the seat of my somewhat bulky and unnecessary coat as I started to head out after them. I was enjoying the visions that played through my head, Bella and Edward with the twins, all of us on the lawn with Masen running and playing with a ball . . .

Oh God.

The vision that entered my mind was Rose. Rose was running, flying along a train track . . . alone. She was supposed to be with the baby, but this vision was a current one, I ws sure of it. What the hell was she doing running along the track instead of staying with Bella and Masen? Something must have happened.

I took off after my brothers with a speed I hadn't known I had, anxious to reach them . . . and the hope of phone reception at the top of the pass!

"Edward!" I called at the top of my lungs as I ran. He was faster than the rest of us and I knew I had no hope of catching him. If I called him, he would turn and come to me, knowing something was up. As I crested the next ridge he was there, waiting for me while Jasper and Emmett occupied themselves by hurling boulders off the edge, seeing who could throw them the farthest.

I guess the look on my face told him anything that the vision in my head didn't. He immediately took off towards the peak, phone in hand, leaving us all to follow. Playing through my head was the vision of Rose and Bella frantically looking everywhere for Masen, and then of Bella in a room somewhere off the train and Rose running . . .

~oooOooo~


	125. Chapter 125  Frantic

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: **Yes! Here is a new chapter, finally! I wanted more of a conclusion and less of a cliffie, so I tried to lessen the suspense of the ending** . . . somewhat! lol  
**

**Hope you enjoy it, and I love all of you that have been worried about little Masen!  
**

~oooOooo~**  
**

**Chapter 125 Frantic**

_"Brother! You'll be back in 12 hours or less cause that's how long it takes the train _

_to go around the mountains while we go through and over them!" _

_Alice reassured Edward as we headed out the door._

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

Surely this wasn't happening. The vision in Alice's mind didn't make sense . . . Why would Bella be in a room other than on the train where I had left her, and why the hell would Rose be running along tracks in the snow? Masen was agile that much I knew, and far more able than he let on . . . but he was still just one small baby! How hard could it be for a vampire with the cunning and abilities that my sister Rose possessed to keep up with one small baby?

I flew like the wind over the snow crusted terrain, the slopes barely slowing me down. I continued to dial Bella, though the phone registered no service. The moment it connected I stopped on a dime . . . waiting. In the instant while I waited for the call to go through to my wife, I noticed that my phone showed three dozen missed calls from Bella, Rose and . . . Charlie. Charlie?

She answered on the first ring.

"Edward!" I heard the word, but the tone that was there I had heard before and I knew. In an instant I knew that the vision Alice had shown me was true, the underlying tone in just that one word stopped me cold.

"Baby, what is it, what's wrong?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"Edward, Masen is missing . . . he's gone, just gone . . . out of his crib."

"Sweetheart, calm down and slowly tell me what you're talking about, please," I asked her quietly. She was frantic, her words were starting to run together, and I needed her to explain exactly what had happened, though had I been human I'm sure those words would have frozen my heart. My sister and brothers caught up to me and stood stock still, encircling me as she began.

"Edward, Rose put Masen down for a nap in his bed, but she said he really didn't want to go down but that she looked in on him a little later and he was sleeping. We were just sitting and talking in her cabin, listening for the baby, but he was supposed to be asleep, but we didn't hear anything Edward!" she spewed the words out becoming more and more upset as she continued to talk to me.

"What happened then, baby?" I tried to get her to give me the facts.

"When I went in to check on him, like I always do, he was gone. The crib was empty . . . well, not empty. The blanket he was covered with was still there but Masen and his bear were gone, just . . . gone, and Rose and I looked all over and in the closets and the other rooms but Rose says that she can't smell him anywhere but in our car and she can't hear his heartbeat!"

"Calm down, sweetheart. Calm down," I said soothingly.

"But Edward, He was just wearing his footie pajamas and it's freezing outside and he could fall and hurt himself or run into animals or . . . "

"Bella, stop. Stop right there. Masen isn't really affected by the cold, remember? Remember what I told you about having him outside to clean the car with me in Verona . . . remember when we took him to the top peaks near the house in Bolzano?"

". . . I remember," she sniffled.

"Well, then let's not worry so much about the temperature or the snow. As for falling and hurting himself, you know he's very nearly as indestructible as I am. He's fine, Bella. He's fine. We just have to find him, that's all," I tried to tell her, fighting to keep my voice calm and reassuring.

"Alice, Edward has Alice . . ."

"No. Alice can't see Masen. She saw Rose running along railroad tracks and she saw through Rose, a vision of you in a strange hotel . . . but she can't see just Masen when he's alone," I explained.

"It's alright, Alice," I said, squeezing my sister's hand to reassure her. She looked so guilty, as though she should have seen this coming or known somehow, "Alice, your visions are sporatic and they change, it isn't as though any of us thought there was a need to keep an eye on Masen, not for him wandering off the train anyway."

"We're going to split up and backtrack, Bella. We'll go back to where we got off the train and pick up his scent. We'll find him. Hold the phone, baby, I need to talk to Emmett and Jasper for a minute. Just hold on and if I lose you, I'll call back, okay?"

Bella begrudgingly agreed. Jasper and Emmett agreed to flank our trail, a mile or so on either side of the path we had actually traveled to get here. Alice and I would run a half mile or so to each side of the trail. I wasn't sure just how good my son's tracking abilities were, but he could probably follow our scent at least somewhat, and at a distance of a half mile or so from each other we could easily hear his heartbeat and detect his scent if he were anywhere near.

I had told Bella that we would probably lose reception and not to worry, but I knew it was useless to expect that . . . hell, I was worried and at least I was out here, able to look for him. What must it be like to be so frail, so fragile that combing the snow capped peaks and valleys out here would be all but impossible without a massively equipped rescue squad. Though I had tried to comfort my wife and tell her that Masen would be fine, I couldn't help but worry. We had never exactly tested just how tough Masen's skin was, though I had to bite through the umbilical cord when he was born, the sharpest scalpel only denting it.

We headed back down the mountain. It would only take a few hours to get all the way back to where we had jumped from the train and, assuming Rose and Bella were right and Masen had attempted to follow us on our hunt, we should pick up his scent. Rose was heading our way from the other end and I hoped she had already found him by the time we met up with her. It hadn't been that many hours, apparently Rose and Bella acted quickly to get off the train, well . . . quickly by human standards. What else could they do, really. I could just imagine the hell Bella gave Rose about leaving her, or not jumping off the train right away to follow our son, or seeing her to a hotel, or all of the above! I knew my wife. I could only imagine what it took Rose to convince her not to be carried piggy back by Rose and come with her on the search.

We regrouped at the site where we had fed. The ibex we had drained were still covered but there was a new scent here, one I would know anywhere.

Masen.

My mind flew over the memory of the animals that lived here in the high peaks of the alps. Predators. I wasn't too worried about the ibex or the chamois, even though they had horns. No, it was . . .

A loud, shrill cry rang out through the frozen mountains . . . a sound I was familiar with but hadn't heard in years. As a family, the Cullens tried to avoid endangered species, preferring to hunt species that have populations large enough to ensure their continued survival. The sound I heard made me shudder. I loved large cats, preferred them to any other thing on the menu . . . and the cry of the lynx was unmistakable.

Masen's trail was easy to follow. Other than his scent, the footies in the pajamas he was apparently wearing made large, distinct patterns in the snow. He didn't yet possess the ability to run lightly and leave little or no footprints. Periodically there was the imprint of something else, something light being drug beside him in the fresh snow. I ran with all the speed I could manage, flying along the path my son had taken. I was moving over the snow with speed I hadn't known I was capable of towards Masen, and the cries of the cat.

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

"No, I haven't heard anything about it. What the hell do you mean, missing?" Jacob asked.

"He's missing. All I know is that I called Bella to come up with a plan to go and see her and my grandson and she was upset. I finally got it out of her that the baby was missing, wasn't on the train with them," I told him, pressing the phone to my shoulder long enough to tie my shoes.

"Now just a damned minute. What train?" Jacob asked.

"Some train that runs from that floating city in Italy back to London, hell I don't know the name of it . . . some fancy, expensive thing," I gruffly replied, exasperated.

"The Orient Express. Bells called to tell me how excited she was to get to ride on that train. How the hell is the baby missing. Edward barely lets either of them out of his sight, Charlie," Jacob asked, trying to understand how something like this could have happened.

"Edward went hunting with his brothers, Jacob . . . left Rose on the train with Bella. They think Masen faked being asleep and snuck out of his bed to go hunting with his dad."

"What?" Jacob nearly yelled.

"Seems the kid wanted to go and his dad wouldn't let him," I couldn't help but smile. My grandson was gonna be a handful. Headstrong, just like his mother.

"That little shit!"

"Jacob!"

"Well, you know what I mean. I knew he was advanced for his age, strong that is, but I guess he has a mind of his own as well. When are we leaving?" the boy asked, just like that was the obvious thing to do.

"Sue is driving me to the airport soon as I get off this phone. You coming?"

I didn't even have to say anything else. Jacob took down the flight number and told me he'd find me at the airport in London, be sure to take my phone.

"Take the phone? Will it work in England?" I asked him, surprised.

"Charlie. The phone Edward and Bella gave you is satellite. It will work anywhere in the world. Take it and the charger with you, and Charlie - be sure to bring all the little plugs that came in the case. Things are different when you're not in this country."

"You have a passport, Jacob?" I foolishly asked.

"You have to have one to come and go from Canada these days. Bella and I lived in Calgary for a while and I still have it to go there and visit Dale and the race team," he explained. I should have known that. I did know that, I just wasn't thinking.

"Does Izzy know you're coming?"

"You mean Bella?" I said, frowning even though I knew Jacob couldn't see my face.

"Yea."

"She knows. She told me to call Carlisle and if I insisted, just to fly to London because she was sure Edward would have found the baby hours before I could even get there."

"Where the hell are they, Charlie . . . exactly I mean?"

"Litensten, Lichentan," I fumbled.

"Lichtenstein? Is that what you mean, Charlie?" he corrected - though I had no idea how Jacob even knew that country existed. Guess the kid paid more attention than I thought.

"Yea, the one between Switzerland and Austria with all the mountains," I added, now impatient to get off the phone and get going.

"That's all mountains, Alps, isn't it?' The kids voice kind of cracking. Guess he was coming to the realization that my new little grandson was lost out in the snow in the winter in the Alps. Damn it, I had to get there!

"Jacob. Call Carlisle, I have to go, son. I'll see you at the airport," I said as I hung up the phone. Guess I had better go grab the case that came with the phone they had given me, I thought as I ran up the stairs to my bedroom. Good thing it was in the first drawer I opened, doubt I would have taken the time to look for it.

Sue was already out warming up the car and ready to go. She looked kind of impatient as I walked out, opened the door, tossed my bag in back and sat down.

"Jacob called. He's meeting me in London," I told her.

"Good. Can't hurt to have him there to help find Masen if need be," she said. She was quiet for a long time, till we pulled out on the highway.

"Charlie," . . . silence. I wanted for her to go on and tell me whatever it was she had been going to say.

"Charlie, won't Edward and the family have found Masen by the time you get there?"

"I'm, counting on it, Sue. After I saw the lengths that boy would go to when Bella was kidnapped, I'm sure he and his family will have gotten Masen back long before I get there. If by some chance they haven't found him, it won't hurt to have me around helping and Jacob, well, you never know when a werewolf will come in handy," I laughed. "Really, Sue, I don't want you to worry. I wanted to go see Bella in person to tell her about us, you wanted me to go, remember? They will have found Masen long before I get here and they won't need any help I could have offered."

She looked over at me, not paying attention to the road till I pointed in front of her and nodded.

"Then, I don't understand. Why are you in such a hurry to get there if you're sure they will have already found him?" she stared at me like she just had no idea what the hell I was thinking.

I had given it a lot of thought since talking to Bella. I was upset and worried, anyone would be, but Edward and his family were vampires and the boy was at least half like his father. They would find him and he would be safe.

I looked over at Sue and answered her as straight faced as I possibly could, "I have to get there and protect my grandson . . . and my daughter."

She looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Sue, when Bella gets a hold of that boy, she's going to hurt herself spanking his little backside for this!"

~oooOooo~

**Emmett POV**

"Rose!" I yelled as I grabbed her and hugged her to me. She looked around frantically, as though she were counting and recounting the people in front of her.

"Did Edward find him?" she frantically asked.

I smelled Masen in the clearing where we stood, I guess we all did. Our dinner from earlier in the day had been partially uncovered and the little guys tracks were everywhere.

"He ran ahead of us, Rose. His tracks and Masen's head off that way," I pointed, "Damned _fleet foot _always manages to outrun us."

"What the hell happened, anyway, and where's my little sister?" I demanded.

"What the hell do you think happened?" Rosie said as she smacked me on the shoulder. "This is all your fault anyway you big oaf."

"My fault?" I exclaimed, but she continued before I could get another word in, "If you hadn't told Masen that he could go hunting with you when he got big he would never have climbed out of his crib and followed you."

"You think that's why he did it, he wanted to go hunt with us?"

"Yes. That's what Bella and I both think and if you're going to be so irresponsible as to give him ideas like that before he is actually big enough to act on them you can't play with him!" she fussed. I remembered what I had said to him before we left the train,

_"Dude, I'm proud of you, too! I had no idea you could do that._

_Keep it up and soon you can go hunting with your dad, me and your uncle Jasper!"_

but I didn't think the little guy was even capable of such a thing. It was just something you said to kids, telling them they could do things with you when they got big . . . guess I was going to have to watch what iuI said to the little squirt from now on.

"If you two could stop," Jasper broke in, "at least long enough for us to find my nephew, I would appreciate it."

He was right. We all took off down the path Edward had taken, listening for the baby and hoping we found him soon - though I knew Edward would have already caught up with him. I was right, but it was not the reunion scene with Masen firmly in my brother's arms that we came upon. We saw Edward crouched behind a ledge just before a clearing, hidden. It wasn't so much a clearing, well it was a large crevice in the mountain really . . . high walls of rock on three sides. In the middle of the clearing was the evidence of a struggle, the opponents both laying still, covered in blood. My nephew's bear was tucked under his arm and I could hear his heart beating thank God, his head resting on the carcass of a large dead cat.

"Edward, what the hell?" I asked as I crouched beside my brother.

"You'll never believe what I just saw, Emmett. Never," he said flatly, ever so slowly turning his head from side to side as we stood downwind from the scene before us.

~oooOooo~


	126. Chapter 126 Feeding

**************Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note: **Yes! Here is a new chapter, two in one day!**  
**

******Hope you enjoy it, and I love all of you that have been worried about little Masen!**  


**Chapter 126 Feeding**

_". . . let's not worry so much about the temperature or the snow. As for falling and hurting himself, you know he's very nearly as indestructible as I am. He's fine, Bella. He's fine. We just have to find him, that's all," I tried to tell her, fighting to keep my voice calm and reassuring."_

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

Even taking into account my very long existence, it was rare that I had ever felt this excited, this content, this . . . everything exactly as it should be. Oh, I had moments, to be sure . . .

_I felt as though I were invincible the day I made my first kill. _

_I had been overjoyed the day Carlisle asked me to marry him. _

_Rosalie and Emmett had been with me for many happy moments _

_and I was elated when Alice and Jasper joined our family. _

_The evening Edward had discovered Bella in their home and had _

_safely delivered my grandson . . . well . . . that was amazing . . ._

There was just something about today that was special. Perhaps it was that our lives seemed to be coming together, making sense. Each of us, in our own way seemed to have found our niche in the family, that place where we filled a need and gained contentment from it.

The gates and entryway were beautifully manicured, as was traditional for a large estate in England and we did, after all, employ a full time gardener. He had done his job well. It was beautiful. I could not help but throw my arms around Carlisle's neck and kiss him soundly, seeming to amuse him.

"Petal, remind me to bring you here more often," he smirked, bending to kiss me again while our chauffeur took the bags into the house, seeming oblivious to the passionate embrace I found myself in.

I had sent drawings to the contractor specifying exactly what I had wanted done in the manor, which walls were to be removed or altered and where the furnishings were to be placed. I had altered the top floor of one wing, the wing where Edwards room and piano had always been. A sitting room as well as a nursery and playroom had been added, not to mention redecorating in a manner more suitable for a woman and a baby. Edward's wing had always been strictly masculine with little other than functional dark wood furniture and chairs with deep leather upholstery, bookcases filled with literature and music and, of course, his Steinway grand piano that sat majestically on the landing at the head of the stairs.

I had used the bits of blue that I had managed to work into the décor in Edward's room and expanded on it, delighted when I had found that he ordered blue curtains, pillows and comforter for the massive canopy bed he sent ahead. Edward had beds matching the one he and Bella shared at their home in Highlands sent to all of the properties, differing only in the color of the linens adorning it. The dark wooden furniture had been there a century but it was little used, still in perfect condition and it went well with the black wrought iron bed. Since Alice had insisted I use the room I had the workers make an archway into as a sitting room for Bella, adjoining their bedroom rather than a nursery, I added feminine drapes in a solid sky blue lace to match the bed and removed the leather chairs in favor of a sofa and love seat in a floral print with a gorgeous Persian rug in midnight blues and gold.

Masen's room was much like the room I had designed for him at our current home in North Carolina, filled with dark furniture to match Edwards and decorated in creams and blues. The rooms were cheery and bright and faced the East to get the morning sun while the playroom across the hall held the afternoon and evening rays bringing the primary colors adorning it to life when ever the sun would make its appearance in the normally overcast English sky.

This was how I had envisioned it in my mind and it was reflected in the drawings I had sent and discussed in the conversations with the contractor and interior design specialist I had employed and I was not disappointed. Through the marvel of modern technology I had been able to see current photographs of the work as it progressed and even the patterned furniture as the girl shopped for it. I knew ahead of time what it looked like and the reality was no less pleasing than the photos had been.

Edward and Bella had told me of the playroom that Edward had built at their home in Bolzano and though Edward had sounded slightly frustrated, Bella had laughed through the story of how the playroom had started out as just that - a playroom for a small toddler with toys and blocks and things to push and build with, musical toys and story books to amuse him - and how, with Masen's input, it had developed into something of a juvenile "man cave", complete with floor to ceiling bookcases, upholstered chairs and a wealth of reading material . . . including some of the classics . . .

Edward had left all the toys, of course, but had cleverly build padded seating areas that were bins to keep them in, out of sight. Well, I was having none of that.

The playroom I had designed for him was indeed recognizable as a childs playroom. It was decorated in vibrant primary colors with geometric designs boldly painted on the wall and an outlandish fire engine red shag rug placed in the middle of the room covering the dark hardwood floor. There were a couple of upholstered chairs, of course, that were adult sized, but they were covered in matching fabric that boasted bright red circles, blue squares, green triangles and yellow rectangles. There was a smaller, child sized green recliner as well as a dark wood table and chairs built for children.

Bookshelves covered the bottom four feet of two of the walls. One wall's shelves were covered with toys for learning - the binomial cube as used my Maria Montessori in her theories for children learning mathematics, several types of building materials including _Steel Togs, Lincoln Logs _and a vast number of _Legos_ in a size not recommended for small children, but suggested for teens . . . along with the motors and paraphernalia used to make the models move. There were also a large variety of a toy I was personally looking forward to playing with called _Capsella_, which consisted of various parts put together to form structures that were watertight and designed to float, in fact to motor quite rapidly along when either submerged in the bathtub or taken out to one of the many ponds and fountains the estate boasted.

The shelves of the other wall were covered in children's books. Not the _Dick and Jane _or _See Spot Run _or even the_ Little Golden Books _ that normal toddlers would have read to them by their parents, but I had placed adult forms of the classic children's tales such as _Alice in Wonderland, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Tales from the Brothers Grimm _ and even the_ Wizard of Oz _and _Moby Dick_. Carlisle had recommended and obtained copies of children's bible stories and classic tales of the little folk of Ireland and the fairies of Scotland and had them sent over, along with histories of his family and of England itself.

Once Edward had convinced Carlisle that Masen could read and comprehend on a level that was fast approaching adult, my husband's excitement could not be contained and he set about making lists of things he felt it essential that his grandson be familiar with. He was adorable.

Small sculptures and works of art were also present on these shelves, along with art supplies in every form, from crayons and charcoals with unending rolls paper and stacks of parchment for his use to boxes of oils and pastels with an easel and canvases just waiting for him to show interest and fill the palate and brushes with colors.

We had only been here a day or so and I had all the final touches added, having spent the greater part of the morning in town getting last minute items. Carlisle and I were just heading off for a quick hunt but the expression on his face when I met him in the garden told me that something had happened. Worry saturated his eyes and wrinkled his brow as I noticed him clutching the phone tightly to his ear, Rosalie's voice on the other end of the receiver.

"Yes, I think so, Rosalie. Hang up and I'll call on Bella's phone. Yes, get going. No, no. I would . . . yes. Take his snow suit just in case and those packages they sell in the stores to warm your hands. Yes. Those. Well, just get several and throw them in a backpack with the clothing. No, I don't think it will be necessary, but it couldn't hurt . . . along with the first aid kit . . . yes. Yes. Go!" he said emphatically as he hung up the phone, only to quickly dial Bella.

"Carlisle!" I exclaimed as I quickly moved to stand beside him.

"Masen apparently snuck off the train to follow the boys on a hunt. Rose and Bella can't find him on the train anywhere, so they've gotten off in . . ." he stopped abruptly as Bella answered the phone.

"Bella. Yes, Rosalie called me. No, I haven't heard from any of them, just her. She'll find him, Bella, try not to . . ."

I snatched the phone from him, leaving him in mid sentence as he stared at me.

"Sweetheart, you mustn't panic," I told her as I listened to her explain what they knew so far.

"Edward will find him, dear, you know as soon as Rosalie gets through to Edward he'll move heaven and earth to find that little boy. No, no. Masen is resilient, you know that. He's a Cullen, dear. He's only half human, remember? I'm sure he's fine in the cold, and nothing has managed to even scratch him since he was born, has it? Bella . . . has it? No, of course it hasn't. He's like us, Bella. He'll be fine, they have only to find him," I told her, trying to sound confident and comforting. Carlisle extended his hand in a silent demand for the phone, and I said goodbye to her, handing him the phone.

"Where are you?" he asked, not bothering to write anything down. "Fine. We'll give them a couple of hours before we head to you, but we're heading into town now so that we can check the plane schedules and be ready. I insist. Yes. Call if anything changes or if you get through to them. We'll keep the phones with us. Yes. Bella . . . try to calm down, they'll find him," he told her, clicking the phone off and going instantly to grab the car keys.

~oooOooo~

**Masen POV**

It was just like the stuff I had played in with my mom and dad at the house where dad had built me a playroom. I was surrounded up to my neck in white powder and it felt cold, if I took the thought to notice. Now that I was off the train, I had to somehow find the smell of my dad so I could follow him. Dad and my uncles had jumped off the train with my aunt Alice quite a while ago but all I had to do was to follow the way the train had come. If I followed it long enough I would get to where they had left the train and I could smell them. I just needed their smell, not even their footprints, and I would be able to follow them.

I climbed back up to the tracks, kind of tunneling through the snow that was built up. I could move a lot faster if I could get to one of the tracks and run, without having to move through all this snow. My dad and uncles had longer legs than I did, much longer, and I knew I needed to move as fast as I possibly could to catch them up.

I didn't worry too much about smells for the first hour because it would take me at least that long to get back to where they left the train. I smelled everything though, even without trying. There were lots of smells I didn't know, but the more I thought about it, the more I recognized . . . trees, the smell of water still moving in the cold somewhere off in the distance, smoke from the fireplace of a house somewhere nearby in the mountains, and several different smells of animals like the sheep I had smelled when dad took me up one of the peaks near our house last week.

All of a sudden it was like having water poured over me when I took a bath. The smell of my dad and my family was overwhelming, not just a vague odor but it was so strong it wasn't possible to miss it. There in the snow were footprints as well, but I didn't need them. I hugged my teddy tightly under my arm. It was all going to be okay, just like I thought. I told them I was big enough! I could do this - follow them. It wasn't all that hard!

I jumped off the tracks in the direction of the footprints and immediately realized that yes, it really was going to be hard to follow. Lots harder than I had thought, cause I sank over my head in the snow. How come I sank and they only left footprints on the top? I tunneled along, hoping I was going in the right direction, till I was able to stand on teddy and reach my hand out through the top crust of the snow. Crust...that was it! I had jumped from the tracks, making a hole in the crust! I just had to find a place where I could get back on top and then not jump, just lightly touch the top crust of the snow, light enough that I didn't break it and fall through!

Knowing what the problem was didn't help all that much. I kept stepping too hard or standing in one place just a little too long and sinking. It slowed me down a lot, especially when I accidentally left teddy on top one of the times I fell into a deep spot of snow. When I got out, I had to go back and get him and I had to run really fast and grab him - fast enough that I didn't sink into the snow again. I kind of dove for him and ended up rolling way down the hill, teddy and I making kind of a giant snowball before we came to a stop against a tree. It had been a tree, anyway. I guess I hit it kind of hard and the whole thing tipped over and made a loud crash, sounding like ice breaking into a million pieces. It wasn't a really big tree, but it was kind of cool that I broke it . . .

My dad was headed up a pretty large mountain and they didn't bother to try and go around. I jumped from ledge to ledge moving higher and higher. It was easier to jump than to try and walk or run or climb and I could jump really far. The more I practiced, the farther I could manage to jump till it kind of felt like I was a bird or something. It was hard to remember that I was supposed to be tracking my dad cause I kept laughing and getting sidetracked with laughing and playing.

Snow was stuck to my sleeper and teddy, and there was so much of it I had to stop for a minute and shake it all off, picking the clumps from my bear's fur and from all around my feet. The sleeper I had on kept caking up with the stuff and I thought about taking it off, but it would make my mom mad if I ran around without anything on but my diaper. I needed to talk to dad about losing the diaper. I could go to the bathroom like my mom did when I needed to and I hated having mushy stinky stuff on me, even if it wasn't that often and it didn't stick to my skin at all.

As I was going down the other side of the mountain on a really steep part. I grabbed for a ledge of rock and lost my grip on my bear. I knew I could go and find him, so I had no idea why I was so upset. I sat on the ledge and fought back the tears that welled up in my eyes and made it hard to spot my bear on the snow covered surface below. I wasn't lost, I knew I wasn't . . . and even if I had been my dad would find me. He could probably smell things even better than me and I knew he could track all sorts of things. There was no reason to be upset about my bear, either. I could get him . . . I knew I could. I wasn't cold or hurt or any of the things that i knew my grandpa Charlie and grandma Renee worried about. I laughed out loud thinking about how fragile they thought I was, not wanting to hold me too tight and making sure that even my diaper and clothes were never tight on me and I was always warm and fed.

Fed.

Even my aunt and uncles made sure to give me bottles of the red stuff, or milk like I got from my mom.

Mom.

Thinking about her made me need her. I wanted to snuggle against her and feel warm and full and fed. Huh. I was hungry. I forgot when I left the trail that I wouldn't have anything to drink.

I wiped my eyes and nose and focused on the snow way down the slope from me, looking for my bear. I spotted Teddy and decided against just jumping down to get him, it was a long way down. I circled around the edge of the cliff and slowly made my way to him, slipping and tumbling in places. I had to go the long way kind of around part of the mountain. I was sliding on top of the snow for a little way when all of a sudden, instead of feeling like I was moving on a slope, I was falling straight down. It seemed like there was a wall in front of me and one behind me, but both of them were just out of my reach and I just kept falling till I splashed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be on the snow finding teddy!

It seemed like I was back in my mom - only it was a different temperature and there was a lot more room to move around . . . and no comforting sounds or heartbeat to listen to and feel. There didn't seem to be any sound at all even. .I kicked and kicked and after a long time I got back to the top of the water and blew water out of my nose . . . yuck! I could see the sky way up above me, like I was looking up through a crack. I don't even know how I did it, but I grabbed the side of the wall and dug my fingers into it and just started climbing.

The pajamas I had on weren't helping because the feet in them kept my toes from digging into the wall of snow. I held on with one hand and reached down, ripping the bottoms of the legs out, not even caring if aunt Alice got mad at me for it. She always had different ones for me to wear anyway. That made it much easier, and after I fell back into the water a couple of times, I got the hang of climbing. I was so mad at teddy! There had to be a better way of keeping him with me than me having to hang onto him all the time!

When I got back up to the top, I walked carefully down the hill, making sure there were no more holes for me to fall in. I just needed teddy . . . and my dad.

Finally, I was on a wide ledge next to where the trees started growing again. There had been no trees at all on the top of the mountain, only snow. I could smell my family all around. It was as if they had stayed here for a while, and it couldn't have been that long ago because the smell was strong. I smelled something else, too . . . kind of a smell like the bottle they fed me, well, kind of. It was a little like that . . . but different, too. I stopped still for a minute, knowing what this was all about. I had finally made sense of it. They had fed. This was what they had meant by going on a "hunt". The snow had been disturbed in a large area next to the rocks, and after I dug there for a little while I found large dead animals buried there. It only made me thirstier for some reason, and I smelled their tracks leading off straight in front of me towards the woods, but I still had to go around to the side of the mountain and get teddy.

I headed off, following the cliff and keeping it on one side of me. I knew my bear should be just a little way around the mountain. I was starting to wish I had just jumped straight off the ledge above and gotten down to him right away, but going around I had found more of my family's tracks and that made me happy. At least my dad wasn't that far away and i was really starting to want him. I didn't care that it was dark out . . . or cold . . . and I didn't care about the noises. I could see almost as well when the sun was gone as I could when it was out . . . I had just never been alone for this long.

Ever.

I just really wanted my dad.

Now.

I walked faster, though I was having to tunnel some of the time when the snow was deep. Jumping from one ledge to another, or even from a tree branch was helping. I saw the clearing up ahead and it looked like where teddy had fallen, my mind remembering everything it had seen. I was on a limb kind of high up by a rock ledge when I spotted my bear . . . my bear and the animal that was making funny noises at him with its nose. I watched as the animal, I think they called it a cat . . . anyway, I watched as it nudged my bear and put his paw on teddy's stomach. It looked like it was going to bite him, or at least lick him and there was no way I was letting anything happen to my bear.

As I made the decision to go get him, I sensed a familiar mind . . . dad . . .

It didn't matter, I was in the air. I didn't even take time to let dad know that I knew he was there. I had jumped off the limb, headed to save teddy.

It was like it happened in slow motion. As I got closer to them, instead of reaching for my bear, my hands clamped down around the fur at the neck of the large cat, my teeth sinking into its neck just under its mouth. I didn't even think about it as I spat out the prickly, furry stuff and bit him again.

Warm. Warm comfort filled my throat and it was like when I was with my family and they had given me a bottle, only warmer . . . better somehow. I felt us rolling around and the animal trying to make me let go, but the feeling was too good, the taste was too good. I just held on and kept drinking, filling up with the warmth and taste. I didn't even know I was so thirsty . . . but I guess I was. I was so full, it was all I could do to grab teddy and drag him over to me as I nuzzled next to the animal's still warmth and dozed off to sleep.

~oooOooo~


	127. Chapter 127 Reassurance

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to all the followers that have not given up on me! Each and every one of your pm's, correspondences and reviews encourage me and I love getting to know all of you! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me!  
**Do remember that this story is the SAME as HHH, with sex and language modified! If you're reading Heaven, Hell and Harleys, thee is NO NEED to read this story!**

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 127 Reassurance**

"We'll keep the phones with us. Yes. Bella . . . try to calm down, they'll find him."

~oooOooo~

**Carlisle POV**

No sooner had I gotten off the phone with Bella, the phone rang again with Bella's father, Charlie, booming on the other end.

"Carlisle, have you heard from Edward?" he asked, seeming out of breath.

"No, Charlie, I haven't," I answered his question, knowing that wasn't really what he wanted to know. "I have only heard from Bella and Rosalie. In fact Charlie, I just got off the phone with Bella. She still hasn't been able to reach any of them and Rose is backtracking the train to find Masen's footprints and follow him from the point he left the train."

Charlie was out of breath, but sounded somewhat calm . . . something I hadn't expected.

"I'm at Seatac, Carlisle, and the fastest way to get there seems to be to fly to Atlanta, then on to London. Bella said to check with you when we got there," he explained.

"I'm on my way there now, Charlie."

There was a pause on the line, like the inhalation of a breath, before Charlie continued.

"I thought you were already there, Carlisle. It'll take me almost 9 hours of fly time to get there. London can't be that big!"

I couldn't help but smile at his one, "No, Charlie. The city of London isn't any bigger than Seattle or Atlanta, but the estate is a few hours away out in the country."

"The whole damned island isn't all that big, Carlisle, if my high school geography was right. Your family has never been known for following speed limits anyway, have you?" he chuckled.

"What in heaven's name," Esme commented, turning her head slightly to one side, "Is he really laughing, dear? I thought for sure he would be just as irate as he was when he burst into the house in Highlands after Bella's disappearance."

She was right. The attitude that Charlie's voice was conveying was all wrong . . . or at least, not expected.

"Charlie . . . are you alright?" I asked tentatively.

"Fine, fine Carlisle. Just a little winded. I hauled my suitcase in here at a dead run to make sure I got it on the next flight out. Guess I'm getting old and losing it," he joked.

There was an awkward silence.

"Carlisle. I know your family. Little Masen is tough as nails and that boy of yours would move heaven and earth to make sure he was alright, right?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. We all would," I answered him quietly, but with a note of surety in my voice.

"Yep. That's what I thought. After the lengths I saw you all go to to find Bells back in January, I'm sure calling out the CIA and cavalry wouldn't even start to measure up. Don't get me wrong, I'm plenty worried about the little guy . . . but I'm more worried about Bella."

"Bella?" I questioned, staring at the puzzled look on my wife's face as she stared at me and listened to the conversation and seeming as confused as I was.

"Ha! Carlisle, my daughter could easily hurt herself spanking that kid's but when she gets her hands on him. I need to be there to protect her," he laughed.

Laughed.

The twinkle in Petals eyes told me that she agreed and the smile that overtook her face made me realize that they were very probably right. Though I had not fully tested Masen's physical makeup, not knowing exactly how many vampire qualities he had inherited, from what my son had told me in conversation during the last month or so, the child probably was in no danger from either the elements or the animal inhabitants of the Alps. I had taken no time to think about it, jumping immediately into _doctor mode_ and thinking _human_, because of Bella.

"I hadn't thought of that, Charlie. I hadn't given that a single thought," I smiled in spite of myself. "We'll either be at the airport to meet you or have a car waiting, Charlie. There is the odd chance we might fly on to Lichtenstein, depending on what word we get from the kids," I told him.

"Fine, fine. I understand," Charlie said, and added, "Just so you know, Jacob will be coming, too."

"Understood. I'm sure we'll know more when you arrive," I answered.

"Got to go, they're calling my flight, Carlisle. Keep me in touch. Jacob says these damned fancy phones work anywhere."

"They do, Charlie. We'll keep in touch. Goodbye," I said, clicking the phone off as I reached for my unnecessary jacket, Esme already having swung on her coat and headed to the car.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

We were having a late lunch at a little pizza place that my girl loved. I came down to visit her during the week as often as I could, Clemson really wasn't very far from Highlands, maybe an hour and a half drive considering all the damned curvy roads. It was worth it. There was no way I could go the entire school week without seeing her, it was hard enough to skip a single day.

I had much more sympathy for Sam now, or should I say understanding. I knew I had that damned stupid smile on my face and the look that I would do absolutely anything for the girl I couldn't take my eyes off. I knew . . . and I didn't give a damn who else knew either, and better that they did. It wasn't like I was here with her all the time and other guys needed to know she was mine.

She was nibbling pizza and I was woofing it down, my foot unable to break contact with her under the table, and standing in to touch her while my hands were full of food. I was obliged to put the pizza down as the phone in my pocket rang and I answered it.

She knew something was wrong before I even hung up the phone, the tension in my shoulders, the tone of my voice . . . maybe even the way I probably sat just a little taller while I talked. Anyway, she knew.

I stared at my plate for a minute, deciding what to say.

"I have to go to London, baby. Will you drive me to the airport in Atlanta?" I asked, taking her hand and squeezing it.

The hesitant look on her face told me she wanted an explanation, but all she said was, "Sure. How will I get back here, though, after I take you?"

She didn't have any more classes this afternoon, that's why I had picked today to come down for a visit. She was just so damned cute, sitting there thinking I would leave her abandoned like that at the airport. She should have known better.

"Drive my truck back here. I don't know how long I'll be away, but the first place I'll come is to see you anyway," I told her, bending across the table to kiss her lips after I nodded for the bill from the waiter.

I told her it had been Charlie, Bella's dad, on the phone and that there had been some sort of confusion on the train in Switzerland leaving Bella not knowing where Masen was.

As we walked to her dorm I explained that I wanted to use the computer to make the flight reservation and check the times. I also wanted alone time in private with her . . . but I left that part out. We got to her room and popped on the computer, a flight leaving Atlanta tonight and from the look of it, one from Seattle would have arrived an a\hour or so before. Charlie was probably on that plane. I logged in and typed all the info, cringing in spite of myself when I saw the cost of buying the ticket this close to take off. The part I didn't expect was her jumping up from the desk and grabbing her checkbook to check for funds and telling me to book the flight for two.

"Bree. I need to do this by myself, we have no idea just where Masen is and we may need to be back in the woods searching for him," I stalled. I had yet to tell her about the whole wolf thing, much less the damned vampire thing. She was thinking three month old baby being taken, not capable half vampire wanting to hunt with his dad. I must have chuckled because she rounded on me, letting me have it full force.

"You listen to me Jacob Black, Bella and I survived being taken, beaten and held by that psycho and her boyfriend and she saved my life. If you think for one minute that I'm not going to go with you when her baby has disappeared, you're out of your mind. I know how much she adores that little boy and she has to be going even crazier than she was when we were in that basement," she blurted, her face reddening.

She was on her feet now, holding her checkbook in hand and I would have sworn she stomped her little foot.

"I'm going," she demanded in no uncertain terms. Her determination was nothing short of the infuriating way Bella demanded things, and meant it.

I sat there staring at her like an idiot. I had to go and I was damn sure not going to tell her the mythical shit right now then leave, letting her come up with all sorts of questions and fears while I wasn't there to answer them for her. No way. I ran my fingers through my hair, both elbows on my knees as I tried to think. I took a chance . . .

"Do you have a passport?" I quietly asked her, my elbows still on my knees and my hands clasped.

"Passport," she said, somewhat stunned into stillness. "Passport. London. Shit, Jake. I don't have a damned passport!" she said, her knees buckling as she sat hard down on the edge of her bed, understanding crossing her features.

"It's okay, sweetheart," I told her, moving to sit beside her and put an arm around her. We'll get you one as soon as I'm back. You'll need it for trips to Canada and Mexico with me racing, anyway," I tried to console her, all the while taking a fucking deep breath that I had been saved on this one by circumstance.

~oooOooo~

**Bella POV**

I sat and stared . . . walked and glared out the window . . . held the phone and stared at it some more. I knew Edward would find him . . . I knew.

All our suitcases sat by the door in the sitting area of this ridiculously large suite Rose had insisted on getting. I grabbed my bag, opening it on the stand in the bedroom. I would take a hot shower - water always helped me to calm down, why shouldn't it help this time . . .

It did.

The phone still had not rung as I finished drying off, slipped into fresh jeans and a turtleneck, and pulled out a sweater that Edward had insisted on buying for me on one of our outings in Bolzano . . . it was soft and warm and comforted me, like having his arms around me.

He would find Masen, I knew he would.

Carlisle had called again, he and Esme were in London and waiting on my dad's plane to land. They had been laughing, telling me the story Jacob had relayed to them of the near miss he had with Bree and her insistence on coming here to help. Jake had called and told me the same thing so vividly I could almost see him sweating as he tried to think of something to tell her, some reason she couldn't come. I could imagine how insistent she was - how she had been with me when Victoria had us locked in that basement. She wasn't one to give up or let go of things and I knew that if she had a passport, Jacob would not have been able to keep her from coming here to be with me.

I hadn't called her. What would I say? I needed to wait and see what happened before I made up a story to tell her. Jake was just going to have to find a way to explain some of the _mythical creature_ things to her, but apparently he was still scared . . . afraid that he would scare her away. Huh. Even I knew her better than that. Once Edward and I got back to Highlands we could invite Jake and Bree over. I chuckled to myself at that. Jacob had used Edward as a spy when Bree had been in the hospital, having him read the girls mind to see how she felt about the boyfriend she had at the time . . . and about him.

I put on thick wool socks and stood, crossing my arms and staring out the picture window back towards the mountains where I knew my family was. My chest was tender. I had pumped a bottle for Masen earlier and the warm water of the shower had made them feel better, but I would need to make him another bottle soon - that or waste the milk. I wasn't willing to do that, Masen was probably hungry. I was counting on Edward finding our son and briningg him home safe. He had to.

I had been standing there a minute . . . or an hour, I had no idea. The tears had just started again, though I tried to stop them. It was the early hours of the morning, sunrise wouldn't be long off. I knew my vampire family wasn't afraid of the dark, out in the wilderness at night, but somehow I didn't want to think of my small son out in the dark and all alone. We had no idea how developed his sight was, or his abilities . . .

I shouldn't worry. Vampires were never afraid of the dark, after all, they were at the top of the food chain. But Masen . . .

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang . . .

Edward. It was Edward's ringtone.

I reached for it, my finger trembling so badly I could hardly touch the button to answer the call. I lifted it to my ear in what seemed like slow motion . . .

"Edward," I said, my voice seeming to stutter and argue about working.

"Mommy!" Mason's voice rang out clear and strong through the phone.

"Baby! Are you alright?" I nearly gasped, reaching for a chair before my legs gave way.

"I'm fine mommy," he said adding quietly, "but Teddy got dirty."

"We'll wash him, baby, or we can go back and get you another one," I told him, tears streaming down my face as I struggled to keep my voice strong.

"NO!" he shrieked, "I want Teddy, not a different bear!"

"All right Masen," I heard Edward telling him, "we'll clean up Teddy. Don't worry. Tell mommy you love her, she's been worried about you, then give me the phone please."

"I love you, mommy! Daddy wants to talk to you," he said, handing the phone off to Edward before I had a chance to reply.

"Sweetheart."

"Edward," I replied.

"I thought hearing his voice would be the best way to convince you that he's all right. I found him, well, we all did," he explained, "just a few minutes ago, but we had to cover a little distance to get the phones to work."

"You're headed here? He's really alright?" I asked tentatively.

"He's fine. We're all fine, Bella. We're still some distance away, though. I expect it will take a few hours for us to get to you. Try to rest . . . I know you haven't slept and you'll want to be awake when we get home so that Masen can explain," he said soothingly. "And sweetheart, you're never going to believe this unless you hear it from our son," he laughed.

"If you say so," I agreed, "But tell that young man he's in more trouble than he will know what to do with from me AND YOU!"

"I know. I agree, I'm just happy to have him safe with me," he said, letting out a long held sigh.

"Me too," I whispered, "me too. I'll be waiting for you. I love you."

"I love you," he said, hanging up the phone as I heard Emmett in the background chastising him saying ". . . enough mushy shit, bro, lets finish hunting."

~oooOooo~

It was light outside when I felt the bed sink slightly with Edward's weight. He laid Masen beside me and pulled my sweater and shirt out of the way so that he could nurse. I woke to the dark eyes of my son staring at me and the soft feel of Edward's breath on my face, his arm around us both. I became fully awake and clutched my son to me, stroking his cheek and holding him close, tears streaming from my eyes almost instantly. Edward leaned over and kissed me softly, tasting the tears with his tongue as he did and trying to comfort me. I had the only comfort I needed, though, right there in my arms.

Masen was safe. Edward was safe.

I ran my fingers through the damp curls on my sons head, the smell of shampoo and baby soap coming from him as he lay beside me, freshly dressed in clean pajamas.

I turned my gaze to Edward, lying behind Masen and softly stroking his hand from the top of my head down the length of my back.

"You were sleeping so soundly, sweetheart, that I went ahead and showered us both before we came to bed," he smiled, his lips curling up at the corners as though he was trying to keep a straight face, "Your son is a messy eater."

I must have looked at him as though he had either lost his mind or spoken a foreign language because any hope he had of being serious crumbled and a grin split his face from ear to ear as his eyes twinkled at me.

"Edward?" I stared at him.

Our son had finished his meal, his lips losing suction and my nipple lying against his slack lips, milk still visible in his cheek. Edward raised a finger to his lips telling me to shush as he gently lifted our son and took him, presumably, to the other bedroom in our suite where a crib had been set up. He was back in bed beside me before I could manage to roll over and swing my legs off the bed, a lap blanket still thrown over me.

I laid back willingly, his arms around me and bare chest pressing me into the soft mattress as he kissed me . . . softly at first, no apparent destination, just sharing the fact that he loved me and was glad to be back with me.

He knew I wanted to talk . . . wanted to know what had happened, how they had found Masen, what he had done and most of all what in heavens name our son had been thinking to get out of bed without permission and go jump off the train to follow his father!

He knew.

But he also knew, I reasoned, that all of the explanations could wait. Masen was asleep and he had shown me that our son was alive and unhurt.

For now, he wanted time with me.

I wrapped my arms around him and tasted the sweetness of his lips and felt the warmth that lingered on his skin from his shower. He moved against me, his hands finding their way under the sweater I was wearing as he paused to lick the tear stains off my cheeks.

I shook off the blanket tangled over my legs and ran my foot up the back of his shin, my heel digging slightly into his thigh as I pulled him closer to me, one hand tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Vampire speed was never more evident than in that moment. We were both naked, the covers of the bed turned down and us under them in the time it had taken me to notice the new sweater I had been wearing, now folded carefully over the back of the chair in our bedroom. I held him to me caressing his neck, his shoulders and back and reaching down to grab the hard muscles of his rear as he kissed me with such intensity, such passion that I could hardly breath.

"I missed you, too, sweetheart," I said quietly, biting his ear as I spoke.

He stilled, as only a vampire can and took my face in his hands, his eyes intent on mine.

"Bella . . ." he breathed, as though he meant to crawl inside me, for us to become one flesh.

I met him with the same intensity, continuing on and on as sweat started to make small suctioning noises between us and we rolled, taking turns circling our hips and trying to drive the other mad with pleasure. He cried out first, uncharacteristically, and the feel of him took me over the edge as I screamed his name, his lips covering mine to muffle the sound.

We must have both slept then, because the next thing I remembered was waking up on my back, Edward's shoulder partially covering my chest as he lay, face down with his arm across me and the back of his head tucked neatly against my cheek, his face turned away from me. I bent the elbow of the arm that was under his neck and gently stroked his hair, willing him to wake up.

As he turned his head towards me, his eyes inches from mine, it was not me he stared at, but his gaze looked over me. I turned my head slightly, wondering what he saw only to be struck by the sight of cheery, alert little eyes. My son, his chin propped up in both hands as he lay on his stomach, his legs bent at the knee and ankles crossed, looking at us.

It took me a minute.

In that moment, he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen with his auburn tinged curls so long that they lay in spirals, reaching the length of his forearms and down to make soft puddles of hair on the bed and his bright green eyes twinkling with some hidden laughter.

"Morning mommy," he said in his high pitched version of Edward's voice.

"Not in a million years, son," Edward said softly . . . too softly, the definite edge showing through.

I turned my head to look at Edward who was regarding our son with the most stern look I had seen on his face since he had flung Tanya out the window of our hotel in Venice.

I turned my gaze back to our son in time to see him stare at his dad, mouthing the words,

_"uhhh oooooh . . ."_

_~oooOooo~_


	128. Chapter 128 Consequences

**Author's Notes: **I thank all of you that are still there - still wanting to hear more of the mischief that goes on in my head where Bella and Edward are concerned! lol I think I'm going to enjoy the escapades of the small new additions to the Cullen family just as much as any of you! Please reviews to this chapter, even if you're not normally a reviewer - I would really like to know your thoughts and know that you are still there! I am trying desperately to get back to a post on each and every Friday, and things seem to be moving in that direction!

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 128 Consequences**

_I turned my head to look at Edward who was regarding our son _

_with the most stern look I had seen on his face since he had flung Tanya out the window of our hotel in Venice. I turned my gaze back to our son in time to see him stare at his dad, mouthing the words,_

_"uhhh oooooh . . ."_

~oooOooo~

**BPOV**

Edward's arm reached out, lightning fast, and grabbed our son by the wrist as he had apparently intended to get away from my husbands glare. Masen stopped, statue still with one arm straightened, his father's fingers circled around his wrist, his palm against the bedsheets as he had started to push himself up and off the bed.

"Go and get back in your crib. You did not have permission to get out of it," Edward told our son sternly, an icy cool in his voice.

To look at his face, you would have thought the little boy had been threatened with torture, some terrible ancient lashing with a whip or bamboo under the fingernails. His eyes were round, white showing in all directions from the brilliant green centers. His eyebrows were raised in stark contrast to the chin that was dropped, leaving his perfect little mouth somewhat open, teeth glimmering both from in the light from the window and from the rainbows shimmering off Edward's skin. His curls still swayed back and forth in front of his shoulders from the quick movement of his attempted escape.

His wrist released, it took only a "go **NOW**" from Edward to send him scampering away, his movement blurring his small form.

I felt Edward's head drop slowly back to the pillow above my shoulder, his hand dipping under the covers to snuggle me closer to him as his leg crossed over me to rest between mine. I brought a hand up to stroke his cheek and kissed his face lightly, hugging him to me as he let out a long sigh.

"He's going to be a handful, isn't he, in spite of the mind reading connection you two have," I asked. The answer came with the merest whisper, yet the force of thunder.

"Yes."

"Have you talked with him about why we're upset with him?" I whispered, as though that would make any difference to Masen's ability to hear what I said.

"Every single step of the way back here, and all through our shower and clean up," he sighed, seeming frustrated. "He just doesn't understand that he's a baby . . . insists he isn't, in fact."

"Well . . . apparently he can do quite a few things that much older children do, even adults," I commented, contemplating exactly what that might mean.

"That's the problem. He can. He seems to have gained all the experiences I've had, like you gave a baby the knowledge it took years of growing up and existing to obtain. How do I tell him he can't use it, can't display it?" he frowned, nuzzling his face into the hollow of my neck, just above my collarbone as my arm under him held him to me and stroked his hair as though he were a small child.

"You can't," I said firmly.

Edward lifted his head slightly to look into both my eyes, his head cocked slightly as though he were questioning that he had heard correctly.

"You can't," I stated flatly, pulling his head back down on my shoulder. "We just have to teach him that it can't be seen or noticed by humans. And," I added resolutely, "that he _has_ to mind his parents."

"Bella . . ."

"Edward, I would love to keep him as my little baby, swaddle him in blankets and sing him to sleep every night after burping him and changing his diaper . . . and if he were human I would. But he's not. He's more and more like you everyday and . . ."

"I'm so sorry about that, Bella. I wish he were..."

"No. Never say that," I insisted somewhat harshly. I turned my head and he shifted slightly so that we were looking at each other, his face surprised, " I love that he's you. When will you ever learn Edward Cullen that I love you just as you are and I love our son for himself, not something he should have been or not been."

He kissed me then, long and soft, his hand cupping my cheek and his leg hugging me to him.

"God I love you," he murmured in my ear, "I never deserved you but I will spend the rest of eternity thanking God for you."

"I love you, too. Now, tell me," I said as I squirmed to get comfortable, my body touching his from head to toe, "what in the world was Masen thinking getting out of bed to follow you and what happened since he did?"

He drew a deep, unnecessary breath, as though he was trying to decide where to begin. His hand absently rubbed circles on my belly, just above where our twins lay still too small to be evident.

"Apparently uncle Emmett told him that he could go hunting with us when he was bigger," he chuckled, "and _your_ son decided that he _was_ bigger and wouldn't be kept from showing us that."

My eyebrows shot up, but I smiled in spite of myself.

"Bella . . . he fed."

"He what? Don't you think he is a little young . . . or small . . . or whatever," I said flustered, my body going somewhat stiff at the thought, "don't you think it's too early to let him feed from an animal? Which one of you killed a sheep and let him have some, why I'll . . ."

I sat bolt upright in bed and started to fling off the covers, determined to at least verbally fuss at whoever had done it. I felt his hand on my shoulder, gently pulling me back down on the bed, his hand moving the covers over me as he propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me.

"Bella . . ." he said looking as though he willed me to believe something that was quite incredible to him as well, "he hunted for himself. No one killed for him and let him feed, he did it himself."

I was stunned. Nothing could have been further from my thoughts than the image of my sweet little newborn actually hunting . . . killing something and feeding from it. He drank blood of course, I knew that. He had since he was born, but to kill something himself . . .

"Edward . . ." I barely murmured, astounded, "but, but, aren't those sheep larger than he is? Don't they have horns?"

I thought for a minute and realized, no. No, I must have jumped to that conclusion all by myself. Edward had never said _sheep. _There must be squirrels and rodents, rabbits for sure somewhere in the mountains. He was possibly quick enough to catch one of those . . . but I would have thought he would play with it, pet it . . . that's what small kids did, they played with little animals like that, they didn't eat them for heaven's sake. I had to remind myself, before I spoke, Masen was no ordinary human kid . . . my son was half vampire, and I had to expect things like this. Not only would his abilities show, which I could plainly see, but the resultant behavior that would follow those abilities.

"Bella," Edward hesitated, "his first kill was a lynx."

"Lynx?" I asked, knowing in the back of my mind what it was but needing to make sure.

"Lynx. Somewhat smaller than a mountain lion but every bit as ferocious."

He must have felt me tense, or saw my face loose all its color. His arm around me tightened and he hurried to try and comfort me.

"Bella, remember I told you he was _fine. _Bella . . . our son is unhurt, not a scratch on him, sweetheart. He is completely whole, do you hear me?" he said, his lips were moving and I heard the words, they simply did not register.

"Come on, let's get you some hot tea and something to eat. You look as though you need it," he said as I found us both dressed in sweatpants and tee shirts in the dining area of our suite, thick wool socks that I had been wearing the night before pulled onto my bare feet to keep me warm.

Edward made hot tea and about the time he finished and handed a mug to me, the porter arrived with a large tray of breakfast. Edward must have ordered one of everything, especially eggs and pancakes . . . but then I remembered . . . Masen ate food as well.

"Mama, mama, mama . . ." the chant came from our son's room.

I looked at Edward and he shrugged his shoulders slightly, answering our son, "Alright then, Masen. You can come have breakfast with your mom."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, our son was climbing into the chair beside me at the table. Edward left for a minute, returning with books he had taken from the shelf in the living room and placed them in the chair so that our son could sit on them, making him tall enough to eat at the table with us.

I cut up bites of pancake for him, putting it on a plate with scrambled eggs and sausage and put it in front of him . . . with a fork.

"I know your dad has been giving you eggs and chicken and bites of other foods, son, but you need to learn to use a fork to eat them. If you think you're big, you need to start using forks and spoons to eat, like I do," I said, placing a napkin by his plate.

He stared at me, then picked up his fork and neatly stabbed a sausage and started taking bites off of it, seeming to enjoy it. We watched as he ate all the meat and eggs we gave him, but spit out the pancake when he had only a small bite. I should have known, if I had taken the time to give it any thought. Masen might be willing to eat human food, but that only seemed to extend to things that were produced by animals . . . or meat.

"Sorry I made you upset, mommy. I told daddy I was sorry. I just wanted to go with him, that's all," Masen told me timidly, his fork absently stabbing at a sausage.

"Well, mommy was worried that you would get too cold out in the snow, or hurt. I don't ever want you to get lost from us, Masen, we love you," I explained.

"Dad told me. I didn't mean to cause trouble," he said, his head dipping so that he stared at his plate.

"Your grandpa Charlie and grandpa Carlisle are headed here, they were worried as well, son, and grandma Esme and your uncle Jake. My dad and Jake flew halfway around the world to get here and help find you. Worrying them was unfair, Masen, and unnecessary,"I said as sternly as I could, continuing to eat my pancakes as well as the one Masen had left on his plate.

"Daddy explained about spanking," he said, looking up to meet my gaze as I pushed his curls back behind his shoulders. "Are you going to spank me?"

I glanced at Edward. We hadn't had a chance to discuss punishment. I had been so worried at first that I hadn't even thought of it. During the night though, after hearing that my dad was actually coming to keep me from hurting myself by spanking my son's hard bottom, I had given it some thought. Edward would go along with me, so I ventured ahead, telling him what I had planned.

"No. I'm not going to spank you," I told him, seeing his face relax. "Your father may though."

His face tensed and it was as though he shuttered. From the look on both their faces, I would have to guess that Edward had already told him he was going to spank him.

"I think it may be partly your dad's and my fault that you left on your own," I said, watching my husbands face look actually startled at what I was saying.

"Son, your dad and I have just been so happy to have you and so happy to hold you and care for you and watch you grow that I think we may not have explained to you in enough detail _exactly_ what we expect from you."

Edward cocked his head, mirroring the exact look I was getting from our son.

"I know we have given you some rules - rules that you broke last night, like getting out of your bed without permission. There will be punishment for that, and I know we have told you how you should act and what you must not do in front of humans . . . but I don't think we ever explained exactly what a _normal human baby_ your age would be capable of," I paused long enough to clear away some of the dishes and for him to think about that for a minute. It was obvious that he and Edward were exchanging thoughts a mile a minute.

"You changed your fathers plans for the playroom at the house in Bolzano, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am. I wanted books and to read things and dad had planned toys," he answered.

"Well, then I think we can do two things at once. You can improve your reading and you can learn what a human baby of your age, and other ages, is expected to be able to do."

Edward and Masen continued glaring at me with puzzled looks.

"Your father taught you to read a couple of weeks ago, right?" I asked, knowing the answer. Edward had been so proud of his son, surprised that he had wanted a "reading room" that resembled a den much more than he had wanted a "playroom" with toys, but taking advantage of it. With Masen's photographic_ vampire_ like memory, books could only be read to him once without his being able to repeat it before you read it for him and that had led Edward to just set about teaching him to read for himself.

Masen didn't answer, but just looked at me expectantly.

"I ordered a set of books, one for each year through the age of twelve in human years, and you have to spend three hours each day reading them, start to finish. You need to know exactly how you should be acting, should we be out and around humans for whatever age your body appears to be. Once you're twelve or so in appearance, we'll see if we need to continue the books."

Edward's jaw dropped some small bit as he leaned over and kissed my cheek, saying "You're amazing, sweetheart."

Our son sat stock still, his little forehead furrowed, brows almost touching. It was odd to see such a frown of concentration on such a small child. Finally he looked up and met my eyes.

"Can I act normal around you and daddy and my aunts and uncles and grandpa Carlisle and grandma Esme?" Masen asked, seeming worried.

"Of course you can. We don't want to change you, son, you just have to be aware of the humans and what they expect . . . in order to keep our secret," Edward explained, reaching to stroke his head and comfort him.

"And grandpa Charlie, he's a human?"

"And grandpa Charlie. He is the only human, other than your mom and members of the Quilette tribe, that you can act like you are something other than human around. Understand?" he continued.

"I understand, daddy," he answered, starting to get down from his chair.

"I'm not through yet," I said.

He froze.

I continued as sternly as I possibly could.

"And since you seem to think you should be allowed to do things that older children do, you need to pay the dues that older children, and adults, have paid," I said, the corner of my mouth giving away the smile I was trying to hide.

Masen started to speak, but I cut him off.

"I ordered a complete set of home school books and materials, starting with per-kindergarten and going through eighth grade. If you expect to be treated older, you need to have the information and knowledge that older children have . . ."

"But . . ." Masen all but stammered in his high pitched baby voice.

"Three hours a day. Everyday until you complete every single lesson," I told him, my arms crossed and my jaw set.

"Both things? But that's lots of time every day!" he stammered, "And daddy is still going to spank me?" he asked, tears starting to show in his eyes.

I looked to Edward as he sat rigid at the table, his hands clasped together on the table in front of him.

"Yes, son, I am," he said, resolutely. "If you're through eating, you can go to your room. Your toys are on the chair, as well as the books you brought on the train. I need to talk to your mommy," Edward told him, expecting him to jump at the chance to get away from me.

He was just ridiculously advanced for a three month old . . . barely even that old! I sighed. He was an individual, that was for sure, and there were no guidelines for how to deal with him, or his needs. We just had to love him and do the very best we could manage and hope it was enough. After he got down from his chair, Masen walked over to Edward and put a hand on his father's leg, staring at him. They were having one of those unnerving silent conversations, and I had to complain.

"Enough you guys, you're not allowed to communicate without using words I can hear when I'm in the room with you!" I insisted as I watched my son try to hid the fact that he was rolling his eyes.

"Masen just wanted to know if I cleaned up Teddy yet, baby," my husband told me, turning back to face the little monster standing by his leg, "No, Masen. I haven't cleaned him up yet. Mommy and I were sleeping," he said, making sure not to catch my eye and loose the stern look on his face, "I'll go and see if we can fix him right now, okay?"

Masen toddled off and I think we both breathed an unwitting sigh of relief. Edward shook his head slowly side to side, staring at me . . . pulling me to my feet and hugging me tightly to him.

"Bella, that was brilliant. You never cease to amaze me. I hadn't even thought that maybe part of the fault was ours. You think of things so differently than I do," he whispered, holding me to him and stroking my hair.

"You're male," I said, apparently confusing him.

"Now, where is Teddy?" I asked, looking around to see if he was on one of the sofas or chairs.

"In the bathroom. I didn't want to put him on the furniture," he said dubiously.

"Edward?" I questioned, giving him a sideways look as I headed towards the bathroom.

The sight of the teddy bear wet, splattered with blood and dirt was no more than I had expected, well, I expected the dirty and wet part. It was the clothes . . . the footed sleeper than my son had been wearing when he had been put to bed in his crib on the train. There really weren't_ feet_ in it anymore, just tatters of the plastic soles ripped from the fabric . . . what fabric there was. I held up the little sleeper to see where sharp claws had ripped it to the point that I would never have guessed what it had been if I hadn't known. Lynx? Had Edward told me that my son had killed a small mountain lion? I felt myself shiver, as though I was cold, and I saw the startled look on Edward's face . . . but that was the last thing I remembered.

~oooOooo~

I heard, rather than saw them. Edward's siblings were standing by the bed, Edward sitting by me with my hand in his, gently stroking my knuckles.

"Dude, are you serious?" Emmett glared in disbelief, "I thought the little guy was protecting himself or that the cat growled at him or something."

"Well, he _was _protecting Teddy. When he saw the cat with it's paw on his bear, his mind changed," Edward explained.

"What changed," I asked, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Bella," are you alright baby?" my startled husband asked.

Impossible.

Unusual at the very least, but he was seemingly caught off guard at my having been awake. He must have been caught up deeply in thought for that to ever have happened. My breathing and heart rate were second nature to him, and he would have known I was waking up . . .

"I'm fine, Edward," I said more sharply than I had intended. Pulling myself to a sitting position, my back resting on pillows against the headboard. "I really am fine, baby," I said more softly, squeezing his hand to apologise.

He let out a breath he had seemed to be holding and answered me.

"Masen's entire mindset changed," he explained, looking somewhat puzzled. "It wasn't just that he took on the thoughts of a predator, like we do," he said, gesturing to his siblings, "There was something more. He sensed more."

He stopped there, becoming silent and thoughtful as everyone stared at him, contemplating what in the world he meant. Shaking his head slightly, a very human trait he had adapted, he continued.

"I have to think about it and spend longer with Masen to try and understand. He's just . . ."

He was cut off by the calls from our son.

"Daddy! Daddy can I please come in there with you guys?" he called out.

"He's been asking for the last ten minutes," my husband chuckled, "He finally decided to use his void\ce thinking that one of you might give in and give him permission to join us."

"Well, it isn't like he hasn't heard every word," Jasper said. "Can I go get the little darlin'?"

"Sure," Edward and I said at the same time, but Edward continued. "No, it isn't like we can keep anything from him. He hears as well as any of us and I have yet to find an effective way of guarding my thoughts from him."

"He really is going to be a handful," he said, looking at me.

Masen appeared looking almost smug in his uncle's arms as they entered the room.

"Son, mom doesn't want us talking without speaking when she's in the room, remember?" Edward told him.

"I remember, dad."

"Masen, just because your big oaf of an uncle told you you could go hunting with him when you got bigger," Rosalie explained, pausing to smack Emmett on the shoulder, "doesn't mean that you can disobey your mom and dad. What they say goes, above anyone else."

"If your parents tell you 'no' to something, you can NOT come and ask one of us and get the answer you want. If you do, you'll be in trouble with us as well as with your mom and dad. Understand?" Alice asked, sympathetically.

"That's right," Emmett agreed, rubbing his arm," "You'll get us in trouble too, doing that!"

Jasper turned his face to the little boy in his arms, smiling as he added, "You wouldn't want to see your mom have to spank uncle Emmett would you?"

Masen's eyes lit up and Edward rolled on the bed, laughing almost uncontrollably.

"You _reall_y shouldn't have said that, Jasper!" he managed to blurt out, "Now I have to keep tabs on the games he's going to play getting each of you to do what he wants by threatening to get you in trouble with his mom!"

I sighed, reaching out my arms to take my son and hold him, running my fingers through his curls to try and tame them as he looked up at me with his little cherub face, eyes smiling sweetly. It was a good thing he had aunts and uncles with inhuman abilities . . . they were going to need them to deal with their nephew. I looked at Edward, laughter still apparent in his features as he lay sprawled out on the foot of our bed, arms outstretched above his head and a smile on his face.

Masen really was going to be a handful.

~oooOooo~


	129. Chapter 129 Explanations

**Author's Notes: ** Sorry this wasn't up on Friday! Ha! I'm still resolved to keep with my updates every Friday, it's just that my computer decided to go nuts, and was repaired this morning! lol

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 129 Explanations**

_"Carlisle. I know your family. Little Masen is tough as nails and that boy of yours would move heaven and earth to make sure he was alright, right?" Charlie asked._

_"Yes. We all would," I answered him quietly, but with a note of surety in my voice._

_"Yep. That's what I thought. After the lengths I saw you all go to to find Bells back in January, I'm sure calling out the CIA and cavalry wouldn't even start to measure up. Don't get me wrong, I'm plenty worried about the little guy . . . but I'm more worried about Bella."_

_"Bella?" I questioned, staring at the puzzled look on my wife's face as she stared at me and listened to the conversation and seeming as confused as I was._

_"Ha! Carlisle, my daughter could easily hurt herself spanking that kid's but when she gets her hands on him. I need to be there to protect her," he laughed._

~oooOooo~

**Esme POV**

Laughter rolled throughout the room, so much so that it was hard to contain my own joy. Edward had just finished his account of Emmett tunneling under one of the mountains in the Alps and explaining it as the reason they had made a path over the tall peaks in the first place, Emmett needing a challenge of some sort to keep him from pulling that particular prank again. Rosalie seemed to be the only one not laughing, but then she was the one who had dealt with Emmett when he had come back to the train that first time, mud covered and dirt encrusted from head to toe. I laughed with them, but had to agree with her . . . Emmett was just a very big kid. I observed the room in amazement watching vampires, one small half-vampire, humans and even a shape shifter interact and enjoy each others company.

We had spent the last couple of days at our estate in London, well, outside London. After the tense couple of hours at the airport following Charlie and Jacob's arrival, the phone call from Edward had stopped our departure for Lichtenstein and we had all released unnecessary breaths, our fears quelled with the safe recovery of my grandson.

"They've found him, safe and sound. They'll board the train late tonight and be on their way here," Carlisle had announced after getting off the phone with Edward.

"Bella's alright then?" Charlie had asked, but Carlisle assured him that, while Bella had not been specifically mentioned, if there had been anything at all wrong with her, Edward would not have been joking and cheerful on the phone.

"That's right . . . I know that's right, Carlisle," Charlie had snickered. "Your boy gets worked up if she as much as sneezes."

Jacob nodded his head and we had all laughed . . . he was right, of course.

After their long flight, Jacob was starving and we had taken them to a famous fish and chips restaurant not far from the airport. Rather than doing any amount of sightseeing, Jacob and Charlie had wanted to just go back to whatever house we had there and get settled in and a good nights rest, waiting for "the kids" to arrive tomorrow. I hadn't minded. Rich in history though the city was, I had seen all the sights in London countless times and wanted the opportunity to just go over my renovations to Edward's wing and the decorations in the nursery one more time.

It had been the middle of the night when they had returned, Charlie and Jacob sound asleep in the guest rooms. I had immediately taken my grandson in hand, hugging Bella at the same time as everyone poured into the house and set down their bags.

"Well, young man, you certainly had us all in an uproar," I told the little one in my arms, holding him slightly away from me as I looked directly into his eyes, "I haven't seen you since you've learned to get around on your own, but I have a present for you."

He looked at me quizzically for only a moment before saying, "Grama Esme, thank you for making me my own room!"

The small childlike voice, words as clearly enunciated as any adult, brought me up short. I was taken aback with the sudden realization that I had NOT mentioned to him what the present was, or that I had prepared a special room for him.

"Grandpa?" Masen said, squirming to turn in my arms to look at Carlisle.

"Masen," he had answered, coming to put a hand on the little boys head and ruffle his long curly hair, "You had us all worried."

"I'm sorry," the child had answered, somewhat sheepishly as his eyes cut to his dad, "Thank you for all the books!"

We looked to Edward, who only smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. Carlisle stared at me as I returned the look - neither of us able to believe the difference a few weeks had made in our grandson. Regaining his composure, Carlisle had assured Masen that it was his pleasure to help choose things for the playroom and that he hoped he enjoyed them.

"Do you mind if I take him upstairs and put him down for the night?" I asked his parents, "You two can get settled in and Edward, I know you'll be wanting to talk to your father. "I'll be back down and I want to hear all about this adventure my grandson just had as well as the vacation in Paris and Italy."

They nodded and I headed off up the stairs, not bothering to bring any of the suitcases. After all, I had checked with Alice as to his size and shopped for him. Everything needed was neatly in the closet in his room and I had a bottle ready for him, having hunted earlier in the evening . . . though I wasn't really sure if it was still appropriate. I wanted to change him into a sleeper, give him a bottle and rock him to sleep like I would treat a human infant . . . like we had been treating him the weeks before Bella and Edward left for Europe.

In hindsight, as I left his room, I realized that the little fiend had read my mind and given me just what I wanted. He had allowed me to change him after giving him a warm bath complete with bubbles, curled up in my arms and drained the bottle I held for him, and gone to sleep, squirming into the soft pillow as I covered him in his crib. I just shook my head. I had thought often what it would be like for vampires to raise a child, a human child. Carlisle had offered, we had talked about adopting many times over the years and decided against it because of the heartbreak of watching that child grow to an old age and die - neither of us willing to change another human and have them endure immortality, even if asked.

This . . . this half human and half vampire child though, this was different. I suspected there would be quite a different ending in the story of Masen Charles Carlisle Cullen.

~oooOooo~

**EPOV**

I had not until this moment realized how much my wife and my mother were alike. I loved my wife beyond all reason, and I adored my mother. Time and time again they had both surprised me with their faith, loyalty, and unwavering care and dedication to me.

Esme had the ability to make each and every one of the six of us that she now called her children feel special . . . and loved. Her fierceness when one of us was in danger I had never seen the equal to, even comparing her to grizzly bears and their cubs.

_When I was moody and brooding she loved me anyway, always trying to make me smile._

_When I fell in love with a human, she supported me, believed I could make it work, and accepted my choice without question._

_When I asked her to pick up and leave Forks, she did - leaving everything behind._

_When I hid in the closet and then left home to avoid painful reminders of Bella, she stood by me, by my decisions no matter how much she hated them._

_When I sat unmoving in a meadow covered in snow, she came to me and refused to leave._

_. . . and on the worst night of my existence, when I headed to Bella's and my home in Highlands believing Bella had died in a fire, she alone followed me - knew where I would be headed . . . and when she found me there, her faith in me never wavered, trusting that I would have the control and ability to deliver my son safely._

Any opportunity that arose, she helped me, cooked for Bella, tended to Masen, and now she had flown to Europe to spend time with all of us, all of her children. If I had read her thoughts correctly, she had redone the entire west wing to accommodate my new family and enjoyed every single minute of planning and completing it.

I watched and heard her as she came back downstairs to find us all laughing and bubbling over, telling Carlisle about the tunneling under the mountain and looking for Masen.

"He fed, Carlisle."

My father looked at me like I had lost my mind. I knew from his thoughts as well as my mothers that they had not fully understood what I was saying, or rather their minds were refusing to accept the truth of my words.

"It's true," Alice chimed in, "We all saw the carcass."

"Carcass?" Esme said, her head tilting to one side. "Are you telling us that you killed something and let him feed from it, Edward?"

She said the words, but it was easy to tell that she had no mental picture of it. To her, Masen was a very human like infant, incapable of fending for himself. I could only suppose that some memory of her own infant son was being conjured in her mind, and the helplessness of that infant that she had lost to sickness before he was a year old.

"No, I didn't kill it for him," I told them as plainly as I could, trying my best to stifle a smile from showing on my face. Bella and my siblings had already had me explain this to them several times, but Esme and Carlisle had not yet heard the story.

"Masen killed a lynx . . . by himself, and fed from it," I told them, delivering the information in the most certain, unwavering voice I could think to use. I let that soak in for a moment, waiting till their thoughts cleared and questions started springing into their minds. "I found him in a clearing, clutching his teddy bear and his head on the dead animal . . . asleep."

"Well for heaven's sake! How in the world did that happen, son?" Esme asked, verbalizing Carlisle's thoughts as well.

"After Bella told me what happened, that Masen had left the train, we all backtracked and I got to him in time to hear the lynx scream."

"Was he stalking the cat," Carlisle asked, "actively hunting him?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. He was looking for me, but in the meantime he had dropped Teddy . . ," I stopped for a minute to explain that "teddy" was a stuffed teddy bear that Masen had grown attached to since I had bought it for him in Paris on one of our father and son outings. "Anyway, teddy had somehow slid off a ledge much higher up the mountain and Masen was retrieving him when the cat made the mistake of sniffing his toy and putting a paw on it."

My parents both had equally blank expressions on their face, sitting statue still and unblinking as my siblings watched them, amused. I snickered, Bella stepping toward me to scuff up my hair in admonishment of the obvious look of pride on my face.

"You needn't be so smug," she chided, "he was just protecting his bear."

"He was," I agreed, but as he headed to rescue his bear, something changed," I explained.

"Instinct," Carlisle said decisively, though in a whispered voice.

I nodded.

"I was close enough to hear his thoughts as he sprang. Somewhere during the leap to grab the bear, his thoughts change and he grabbed the lynx, neatly holding onto its neck as he spit out the fur and proceeded to feed, completely ignoring the cat's struggles."

"Why that little fiend!" Esme exclaimed, "He seems to have inherited quite a bit from his father."

"I wondered if he would inherit your characteristics predominantly from before you were turned, son . . . or from what we are now. Vampire qualities I mean," Carlisle queried.

"Well dad, he has a photographic memory, is seemingly impervious to heat or cold, and can survive on human food . . . though he prefers blood. It seems that my son has been born with all the abilities and reasoning skills that I have now, as an adult," I returned Bella's stare for a moment before I continued, "He not only reads minds though, he has the ability to plant new thoughts in the minds of others, or change their thoughts completely."

Carlisle was stunned. Completely still in mind and body . . .

"Carlisle," I quietly added, "He's venomous."

"Well, you thought that all along, Edward, ever since you bit through the umbilical cord after his birth," Carlisle reminded me.

"True, I suspected it, but he used it to subdue the cat without breaking its neck to feed," I added, "He has amazing control to be able to do that when needed, yet nurse from Bella without hurting her."

"Well, I've never questioned that my grandson was special!" Esme remarked, matter of factly, as she headed upstairs with Rosalie and Alice to help them unpack their bags and show off the changes she had made to the estate.

~oooOooo~.

Coffee had just finished brewing and I was placing scrambled eggs onto Masen's plate when Charlie strode into the kitchen. His surprise was evident as he laid eyes on his grandson, perched on books in a chair to reach the table and a plate of food that sat there waiting. He hesitated only a moment before walking over and lifting the child over his head, swinging him around and telling him how much he missed him, how big he had gotten, and how glad he was to see him.

He very nearly dropped him, though, as Masen responded by patting Charlie's cheeks with both of his nimble little hands and saying ,"I missed you, too, Grandpa!"

Charlie's mind reeled. He had suspected that Masen would be somewhat advanced . . . crawling perhaps and maybe eating solid food. He hadn't expected to hear his grandson speak, let alone form sentences and enunciate his words clearly. He had hoped for some small sort of version of _grandpa_ . . . but nothing in any way equaling what he had just heard. It had always been difficult for me to discern my father-in-laws thoughts, and now was no different. Something about the way his mind worked had, after all, been passed to Bella . . . and I couldn't read _her_ mind _at all!_

"Well now, at least you know who your grandpa is, don't you little fella," he told him, sitting him back down on his make shift high chair, but looking skeptically at the plate of food in front of the child.

"All that for him?" he asked me, indicating the plate of eggs, "or is that for me?"

"No, this one's for you," I said as he walked over to me, clapping a hand on my shoulder in what was for Charlie, an overt show of affection, "Masen eats all kinds of solid foods now."

He lifted an eyebrow, but took the plate none the less and headed to the table to sit beside his grandson, anxious to watch him eat and equally skeptical that he could manage it by himself. Mason read his thoughts, snickering at him with a coy smile as he lifted his spoon and neatly ate a bite of eggs, then a strip of bacon. There was still no point in giving him toast, if it wasn't animal in origin, he wouldn't eat it. Charlie was trying hard to process all the changes in the boy since he last saw him, and make conversation in the meantime.

"So, how is it that this little guy got away from his mom, anyway?" he asked as I filled his coffee mug.

"I wanted to go hunting with my dad," Masen explained before I had a chance to answer Charlie. The look on the Chief's face was priceless. He chatted back and forth with him, asking him how he liked the snow in the mountains and if he had gotten in much trouble with his mom for running off like that without permission. While they ate their breakfast together, Charlie even threatened that he'd punish him himself if he ever worried his parents like that again.

Masen excused himself saying, "Sorry grandpa. Mom is making me read books on how I should act and aunt Rose is calling me." "I love you," he said, his arms reaching up for Charlie to take him and let him hug his neck.

As Masen scampered out of the room, disregarding human speed, Charlie looked to me with the most astonished expression on his face.

"I know, Charlie," I said, unable to keep the frown off my face, "He prefers to speak for himself . . . and do things himself for that matter."

"Bells is making him read as a punishment?" he asked, head cocked to one side and seeming thankful that his daughter hadn't hurt herself spanking the little rat.

"Yes, she's making him read developmental books about what a human baby should be able to do at certain ages so that he can imitate those abilities when he needs to, depending on where we are and who we're with. He has to read three hours a day," I smiled.

He shook his head in disbelief, and I pulled out a chair and sat at the table across from him.

"She also ordered a complete set of homeschool materials and told him that if he thinks he's so big, then he could just as well do school work and learn like every other child does." I couldn't help smiling as I turned to face him full on, "What she doesn't know is that he likes it."

"Huh. Well that's just somethin that is," he said looking like there was more . . . and forgetting that I could read his mind.

"You're not interfering, Charlie . . . and yes, I did spank him," I said decisively.

He startled for a second, taking a gulp of his coffee and setting the cup down. "Good for you, son, good for you. Hardest thing you'll ever do but it comes back to you in spades," he said, patting my shoulder again familiarly and chuckling as he headed out of the room. At the door, he turned to me and shook his head, "You've got your hands full son."

I laughed, knowing that it was Bella, not just Masen, that he was referring to.

We spent the day at the house, neither Jake nor Charlie having any inclination to do anything other than hang out with Bella, or_ Izzy_ as Jake insisted on calling her, and Masen. They laughed, watched a movie, looked at Masen's new playroom and helped him look over all the books and toys. They played hide and seek - a game that Charlie had no chance of winning, and Jake had to rely heavily on his enhanced hearing and smell to find the little squirt. Masen, on the other hand, delighted in jumping from the tops of closets and high shelves to startle his grandfather and cause Jacob to move faster than a human was capable of to grab him from time to time. Bella was ecstatic, thrilled to have both her father and Jake here with my entire family. She even seemed to adapt to being called_ Izzy_, accepting the name in a good humored way, knowing it was meant affectionately. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a good thing she accepted it with such grace . . . because the name seemed to stick, and I found myself using it as well. We decided to break the news of the twins after dinner tonight, and I had an extra surprise in store for her.

Esme had left my piano, and Bella had been wanting an encore of the song I wrote for her in Venice when we stayed at the _Hotel Cipriani_. As Esme was getting dessert for everyone, I excused myself and quietly started playing. I played Esme's lullaby first, knowing that she wanted to hear it, followed by the one I had written for Bella, then for my son. Everyone came out to the foyer, as usual . . . my playing was still something of a novelty after all the years I wouldn't go near a piano, and it was a new thing entirely for our guests.

I started into the lyrics of the song I had written for Bella after our first fight and saw tears in my wife's eyes. Tears always slayed me, happy or otherwise, and I motioned for her to come and sit on the bench with me as I played. It made the lyrics all the more real . . .

_Baby why you wanna cry?_

_You really oughta know that I_

_Just have to walk away sometimes_

_We're gonna do what lovers do_

_We're gonna have a fight or two_

_But I'm not ever changing my mind_

Bella's father looked at me like I had lost my mind. He had no idea how people showed that much emotion in public - he was mortified, even though we were in our own home with only family and friends present. He stared, his jaw hanging slightly open,

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_I wouldn't last a single day_

_I'd probably just fade away_

_Without you I'd lose my mind_

_Before you ever came along_

_I was living life all wrong_

_The smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine_

Jake rolled his eyes and his thoughts were of being sick - a result of listening to all this mush, spoken in front of everyone. It wasn't for Jake's benefit I was doing this, though. Masen sat upright in his grama's arms, his hands pressed together and his mind flying through all the emotion he was sensing from his mom. His mom, my beautiful wife had tears streaming down her face and her hand clung to my upper arm with a ferocity that would have drawn blood from a human. She understood. She knew what I was about in singing this song before we made our announcement.

_Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you?_

_I wouldn't dream of going anywhere_

_Silly woman, come here let me hold you_

_Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl?_

_Like crazy, girl_

_Like crazy, girl_

"Thank you all. Thank you for coming together so quickly to help find our son when he wandered off earlier this week," I said as soon as I could turn away from my wife, having kissed her thoroughly in spite of being on display in front of my family . . . and hers.

"I wasn't lost!" Masen chimed in insistently.

"Shhhh!" Esme and Charlie said, almost simultaneously, as Masen endured both laughter and stern looks from all of us.

"Anyway," I said when the riot calmed, "as you know it can be difficult to keep secrets with Alice around, and I apologize that some of you already know about this, but Bella and I would like to announce that we are once again expecting."

Charlie's jaw dropped and Jake's mind instantly dropped to the gutter. Surprisingly, the look on Charlie's face was mimicked almost identically by my father. His thoughts told me that he hadn't thought it possible, that he regarded my having gotten Bella pregnant the once to be a fluke, a one in a million long shot that had happened. Esme's thoughts were smug . . . she couldn't wait to say "I told you so" to Carlisle and reiterate that

_"quantity would win out_!"

~oooOooo~


	130. Chapter 130 Gatherings

**Author's Notes: **Okay . . . PLEASE humor me. Maybe it was the green suit, I don't know. I'll explain in the next author's note, I don't want to give this away. My story is still on track, just having a little fun at WHERE the meeting will occur . . . well . . . you knew the Volturi had to happen eventually! Bear with me, while the events about to take place will be quite serious, pull out your sense of adventure . . . and humor!

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 130 Gatherings**

_. . . Bella and I would like to announce that we are once again expecting . . ._

_~oooOooo~_

**EPOV**

I paused to look individually at each of the faces of my family. Esme was smiling, grinning really, having elbowed Carlisle who sat on the arm of the sofa beside her. His mind was reeling.

"Edward . . . you're serious?" my father said quietly, almost to himself.

"Listen closely, Carlisle," I said, pausing for a moment while everyone was completely silent, my family not even bothering to breath. I reached to put both my arms around my wife.

"Hear them? Do you hear both heartbeats?" I asked, unable to keep the smile off my face.

"Alice saw them last fall, just after we found out that Bella was pregnant with Masen," my gaze turned towards Alice who was grinning widely as she gripped Jasper's hand, "I think she showed me the vision to calm me about Bella being pregnant in the first place, but she showed me a young coppery haired child running in the yard and me on a blanket laying with two small children, just able to sit up."

"I had to show it to you then, Edward, you were so uptight about having a baby at all," Alice scoffed, "If the truth be told, I've had that vision in kind of a fleeting way ever since you first met Bella, years ago."

My jaw dropped. Bella had risen to stand behind me and I felt her hands massaging my shoulders and neck, or appearing to. I was completely sure that she was actually holding me up at that point, at least keeping me in a sitting position.

"Ha, Eddie! You were doomed from the beginning! The little pixie had you drowned in dirty diapers and spit up since day one," Emmett boomed, Rosalie giving him a particularly nasty look and walking over to swat him on the head.

"We heard of the vision, Edward, but none of us were willing to believe it . . . to be that hopeful that something so amazing could happen," Rosalie explained, reminding everyone with a cocky turn of her head, "Vampires can't have children."

"Yea," Emmett continued in spite of her, "Who knew you had the balls to knock up a human without breaking her or having her for lunch . . . much less TWICE!"

"Emmett!" my mother and Bella exclaimed at the same time.

"No ragging on my husband, thank you very much. You should have accepted all along that he was amazing," Bella chided, my hand reaching up to my shoulder to hold one of hers.

"But," Jacob managed to get a word out, but just a word before Charlie chimed in.

"Another baby, Bells? So soon I mean . . . you know, I thought it was dangerous. Hell it was dangerous," Charlie bellowed, his voice growing strength and volume as he spoke."

"I thought you guys just lucked out and all with Masen being able to read minds like Edward does, Izzy, but to try it again . . . ," Jacob questioned, "Are you sure?"

"Jake," Bella stared at her friend, pausing to look to her father instead.

"I want this, dad. Edward and I have been trying very hard to get me pregnant this last month," Bella explained. If there had been blood in my veins, I would have turned beet red. As it was, I stared at the floor, unwilling to meet Charlie's eyes but forced to hear his thoughts.

"Yea, I'll say," Emmett snickered, putting a hand up in advance of the slap he knew would be coming from Rosalie.

"One certainly couldn't say you hadn't tried, darlin'," Jasper added,smiling at Bella and not managing to contain a smirk himself. Grinning, he turned to look at his wife, "Alice can vouch for that."

"All right, all right you guys. Enough!" my wife insisted, hugging me to her as I buried my face in her side. "You all knew that was the plan, that we were trying for another baby. Yes, Alice sees twins, but even one would have been amazing. It's not like I can afford to remain human for long, now is it?" she questioned, cocking her head to one side in challenge.

"Not human? Now Bells . . ."

Charlie stood, gesturing to . . . I wasn't sure just who, and neither was he.

"Dad stop," she said, walking toward her father who had been seated on the couch, "I told you in my room in Highlands, just after Masen was born. You knew I wanted to be with Edward, dad"

"I knew, I knew." he relented, but Jacob interrupted him.

"He knows, Izz. So do I. We both spoke up for Edward to be allowed to turn you without breaking the treaty, remember?" he recalled, wanting her to understand, "It's just kind of different to talk about it and then to have you say it's gonna happen . . . that's all."

"I just never had the chance to ask you about the dangers involved . . . it is dangerous, right? The Quilettes I've talked to say that you guys kill the person as often as not," Charlie faltered, "human's being your natural food source, after all."

"Charlie. Jacob. This surely is not the time to talk about turning her, or getting upset. Apparently we're going to be grandfather's again, Charlie, and I think that calls for a celebration," Carlisle said, rising to go to the bottle of whisky kept in the room. Carlisle was nothing if not thorough and all English households in his time had whisky for drink in the front parlor.

Charlie and Jacob stood, dumbfounded, as Carlisle poured drinks.

Ten of them.

He handed one to Charlie, one to Jacob, and he brought over glasses for Bella and me as well, taking one himself.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's disgusting to drink this stuff," he said, looking at what was undoubtedly extremely expensive, rare Scotch," but sometimes a toast is warranted where perhaps, in my day, a blood vow would have been used.

"To Edward and Bella. They share our love, loyalty and protection," he spoke clearly, "as do their children." "To You," he gestured towards us, then drank, as did the rest of us.

Charlie's mind registered the quality of the drink, as did Jacob's. Bella strained not to cough and Carlisle and I (along with all of my siblings) winced, knowing that this particular substance was just as bad coming back out as it was going in.

After appalled looks, avoiding the spirits like they were capable of striking out and grabbing them, my family drifted off in different directions. We were going sightseeing tomorrow and Alice apparently had lists of stores that she wanted to visit and Rosalie had nightclubs to call as Alice was unsure if her favorite ones were still operating. It had been several years, after all, since any of us had been to London to spend any time.

The ladies left in a cluster, insistent on planning the day with Bella,. I stayed in the parlor, sensing that both Carlisle as well as Charlie had things they wanted to talk to me about. The question I sensed running over and over through Carlisle's mind was, how much could be said in front of Charlie . . . and even Jacob for that matter. I turned to them, having kissed my wife goodbye, regardless of how briefly she would be away from me, and answered his unspoken thoughts.

"Please, let's all sit down," I said as I did so myself, choosing one of the high backed chairs near the fireplace. "I know there are lots of," I paused, wondering how in the world to start this discussion, "I know there are lots of uncertainties where Bella and I are concerned . . . the children, her carrying them, what vampire traits they will have inherited, the birth, the Volturi . . ."

I stopped, folding my hands with my elbows resting on my knees. It was interesting that both my father and Bella's minds were empty, waiting. Jacob's, however, was not. His was filled with one question, and one question only - which he voiced with no prodding from me, before I could continue.

"Dude, are you ALWAYS going to give her anything she wants?" he asked, staring at me like I had lost my mind, "Seriously. She may _think _she knows about being one of you, but you go to extreme measures to be careful with her, to contain yourself around her. Edward, she doesn't know . . . she _really_ doesn't know what those babies could do to her."

"You mean she doesn't care," Charlie added, wiping his face with his hand.

~oooOooo~

**Aro POV**

"Aro, the time is now," Caius demanded, unwilling to wait any longer, "They will all be there, gathered in London."

"Patience, brother. Demetri has informed me that he is unable to discover the culprit," I calmly explained.

"But Aro!" my brother all but shouted, his glare boring through the members of the Volturi that had returned with news.

I held up my hand to calm him, but it did little good. My brother had become impatient in the last few hundred years, intolerant of things he thought . . . inappropriate, or dangerous in any way to our secret.

"It has continued, not growing weaker as all of you thought, but gaining strength and followers," he snarled, "followers that, for humans, are more intent with their feelings than any that even the likes of Chelsea have seen in centuries, is that not true Chelsea?"

I turned to my pet, gently lifting her chin with my hand and beckoning her to answer. I knew . . . of course. She had informed me already, and my touch let me feel it for myself.

"Answer!" Caius bellosed.

"Yes. Yes, the beliefs held by a large number of the humans have developed very close bonds . . . like that of a brotherhood," Chelsea said in a whisper, her eyes on the stones at her feet.

"So. You would have me do what, brother? Shall I set us against hundreds of the humans, thousands. Shall we annihilate them and have the rest of the world wondering why?" I asked, moving to sit at the head of the room, my hands folded meditatively.

There were rumblings of agreements and support and those of apprehension, all standing together in the large chamber. We could, of course, wipe out all that were devout followers. It would be a simple matter . . . but quite unexplainable since, according to all information, their numbers were significant in most major cities around the world.

I got up, hands clasped behind my back as I slowly circled the ancient turret that was the area behind our thrones. There was only one solution.

"We have to know where this came from, brothers. We have had our best," I gazed at Demetri as well as Chelsea, "investigating the phenomena, and they have not found the culprit." I stopped and turned to face the room, and the dozen or so vampires that stood there . . . waiting.

"I will go," I told them, their eyes widening.

"I will go," I said decisively. "Gianna," I called, but she came through the door answering as though she had already been told to approach me, "Make arrangements for me to be invited to this . . . this . . . premiere. The woman will be there, will she not?" I asked.

"Yes, my lord. She will attend," the girl answered.

"Fine. I will go and meet her there. I have only to touch her hand and we will know who of our kind informed her, gave her information so near the truth," I said, grimacing somewhat. "I will know where the woman, this _Stephanie Meyer, _came up with the ideas for these books. The books were the beginning," I said dismissively, "I suppose that I should have taken more care to quell them . . . before they became popular."

I just could not believe that a human had come up with all that she knew . . . and wrote about, without one of our kind to direct her - inform her. I had to know who the traitor was. WE had to know, if our kind were to remain safe, and the secret be kept.

"Let the arrangements be made. Chelsea and Demetri will accompany me," I announced.

"My lord Aro," Gianna hailed, "It has come to our attention that the Cullens are all in London at this time. Shall I contact them and arrange for your party to seek lodging with them?"

I considered this. It would be good to see my dear friend Carlisle again . . . even if he did have odd habits. It had not gone unnoticed by me that the writer of these newest books and movies also knew about the Cullens - even if she used a different name for them, she knew. How could all of this be just a coincidence . . .

"No, Gianna. I will surprise Carlisle in my own way. Make the travel arrangements, if you please, for the London premiere."

She bowed and left, as did the rest, save Caius.

"Will that satisfy you, brother?" I asked, turning to stare directly at him as he sat, fuming on his throne.

"It will suffice for now, brother . . . for now . . ."

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

I walked for hours, managing to run all the way into the city first. Somehow the night seemed darker here, or at least it seemed to get darker earlier in the day than it did back home. maybe it just felt_ older_ here. It was hard to put my finger on it . . . or paw, I laughed at my own joke. I had developed a sense of humor about the whole shape shifter thing, and turning into a wolf wasn't really such a bad thing. It had it's advantages. I was fast . . . really fast, and I never ever got cold, or minded rain or snow or any other type of weather really. The only thing I did mind was being away from Bree.

I had spoken to her earlier, of course. I talked to her a couple of times every day, saw her as many days as possible. I just didn't know how I was going to manage being away from her, living away from her while I did the circuit racing bikes and she finished up her courses at college. Well . . . that was my problem. Thank God I didn't have to worry about breaking her the same way Edward had to worry about Izzy, damn. What the hell would that be like anyway, handling my girl like she was cotton candy and easily crushed or torn apart. Yep, I had the better end of the deal being a wolf than those guys did being vampires, that was for sure.

I was surprised to see Rosalie and Emmett just getting out of their car and heading back into the house at this time of night. I shouldn't have been surprised, of course, it wasn't like the leech slept or anything. At least Edward slept now, I thought to myself, justifying in part, my deep friendship with him and trying to rationalize that he was different, even from the other members of his_ vegetarian_ family.

"Dog," Rosalie nodded to me as she held the front door, beckoning me to come on in.

"What has you out this late, scaring up some prey no one else will eat?" I asked, trying to get on her nerves.

"As a matter of fact, pup, I was out getting tickets to the hottest thing in London," she sneered.

"Like . . ." I questioned.

"Like, I got us tickets to the opening night of the newest in that series of vampire movies that Bella loves so much," she beamed.

Emmett looked as though he would toss his cookies if he could, and I know it only mirrored the look on my face.

"Oh, hell no," I exclaimed, "Izzy made me sit through one of those, the one where the dude left the girl . . . she made me sit through that movie half a dozen times, and she cried through half of it! Why in the hell would you want her to go see that?"

"She loves vampires," Rosalie said like I was the biggest idiot ever to breath air, "duhh."

_"She had a point . . . Bella really did_ love vampires . . . "

~oooOooo~


	131. Chapter 131 Families

**Author's Notes: ** A chapter for you! I think the dry spell may be over, my head is full of ideas and I find myself compelled to get to the computer! I even have a sequel in mind, that is, if you really like the characters of Bella and Edward's kids!

Please accept my apologies for not keeping a schedule and not updating. Not sure what the reason was, just could NOT bring myself to commit to a path for the characters . . . till now! Tell me if I get too wordy, I just sat down and this is where my mind took me!

**Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Chapter 131 Families**

**BPOV**

Spending time with my sisters as well as my new mother in law was amazing and I loved each one of them, enjoyed my time with them . . . but there was something now that just, well, called to me . . . bound me to Edward.

I needed him . . . wanted him in a way I had not experienced before.

I was lost in my thoughts, absent mindedly pulling back the sheer curtains in our bedroom, anxious for the sight of him returning from the forest. Esme was taking a turn supervising Masens lessons across the hall in the playroom and I had just a quiet moment to myself.

It wasn't that I wanted sex, though my desire for him was still there in spite of the fact that I had him repeatedly, staying awake till almost daybreak this morning. It was as though I wasn't complete without him, uncomfortable even existing in the world at large unless he was with me, not necessarily touching me . . . though there was always that . . . but communicating with me, responding to me . . . just _being_ with me.

I simply _had _to be with him. Maybe I was beginning to understand the natural instinct among vampires, once they were mated, to be absolutely inseparable . . . sometimes for years on end.

I was starting to long to join his world, to be completely with him in every way possible. His control was amazing, holding himself back each and every time he was near me . . . touched me . . . but I longed for more. I was only just beginning to realize just how powerful he was - they all were. The story of Emmett tunneling under the Alps just for fun had somehow concreted the image of their strength for me. Even my son, though only a few months old was already much stronger than I was . . . and far more indestructible.

"Would you like some lunch, dear?" Esme asked, standing in the doorway to my room with Masen beside her, "I hear Jacob downstairs preparing something."

"Sure. Just let me grab a sweater and I'll be right down," I answered, knowing that the temperature in the rest of the mansion was cooler than here in our rooms, drafty in fact.

It was actually part of the charm of the place, castle like in some ways and the stone walls holding little or no warmth in spite of their frequent tapestry coverings. One of the improvements that Esme had made to Edward's wing of the house had been to install an updated boiler system to insure that the humans were comfortable - guest rooms being on the lower floor of the same wing. Given that it was England and winter, I was thankful she had thought of it. The rest of the family, of course, were oblivious to the temperature of the room and only had the heating system on and functioning to keep up appearances with the caretakers. It would be odd for the Cullens to have them open the house and not either turn on the heat or the air conditioning, depending on the season.

"Morning dad," I said as I came into the dining room.

Jake had already busied himself making lunch for both of them and had a sandwich plate ready for me as well as choice bites of last nights left over steak for Masen.

"That kid ever eat anything but meat, Bells?" dad asked, eyeing Masen as he climbed into his high chair and started forking bites of his lunch.

"We keep trying, dad." I sighed, "but he takes after his father. If it didn't come from an animal in some way, he has no interest in it."

Masen smiled cherub like at my dad, tucking his curls behind his ear and continuing to devour his plate of food.

"Just his nature, Charlie," Jake shrugged, "It isn't like he needs to eat it anyway, after all."

"Jake!" I exclaimed gesturing toward my son, "He needs to eat human food as well."

I hadn't meant to be so harsh, but I wanted Masen to continue to have human food and as many varieties as we could get him to eat. No one was sure yet whether he _needed _the food or whether he was fine on a diet of blood, like his father. As long as he had blood in his veins and a heartbeat I was determined to treat him as somewhat human . . . including what he ate. I glanced at my dad, an almost unreadable expression on his face. I wasn't sure if it was worry, disgust, or if he was just anxious.

"Don't worry, Grandpa," Masen chimed in, looking straight at my father, "I'm fine." Laughing, he added, " . . . and no, I'm not going to drink human blood. Daddy says we don't and so does grandpa Carlisle, grama Esme, aunt Rosalie and Alice and uncle Emmett and Jasper . . . well, uncle Jasper isn't totally sure, but he tells me not to anyway."

"Masen!" Esme chided, "of course we know you would never!"

"But grama, grandpa Charlie was wondering and I just wanted to answer him do he would stop worrying," Masen pouted, obviously unhappy about being scolded.

"Don't sweat it little guy, we all know you're cool with not hurting humans. Grandparents just always worry," Jake explained. "Especially human ones," he added, and I did not miss the look he exchanged with Charlie.

"Mom called," I shared as I brought my plate over to the table to sit down, trying for a change of subject, "Phil is doing well, but it seems he is a difficult patient," I laughed.

"Most men are, dear, even vampire men are no exception. Remember how difficult Edward was while his arm was healing?" she reminded us, causing even Carlisle to look up from his paper and nod in agreement.

"You were difficult, at best, after your wreck, sweetheart," Edward chimed in, appearing out of nowhere to stand beside me, the rest of his siblings walking in at human speed behind him.

"We'll, I guess so," I agreed, "it is hard to deal with not being able to do all the things you normally do."

"Well, just think little sister, if you're carrying twins you won't be able to tie your own shoes or get up out of a chair alone way earlier than last time!" he laughed.

"Tie her shoes? Edward didn't even let her walk by herself if he could help it, did he darlin'?" Jasper asked, directing the question to me but obviously waiting for his brothers response.

"He might not have let her walk by herself, but he damned sure let her fuc..."

"Emmett!" all the women in the room said in unison, Rosalie smacked him hard across the shoulder to punctuate the point, "Bella's father is sitting right here you big oaf!"

Though I was sure I was crimson, the blood pouring to the surface with my embarrassment, my dad was seemingly becoming accustomed to the Cullens . . . well to Emmett.

"It's alright ladies," he said, looking up from his food, fork in hand. He seemed to reach for his coffee in slow motion as I waited for his response - only to find the need to hide my face in Edward's chest when he finally did speak.

"I have had sex before, remember? And, if you think about it, don't you think it should worry me more if they _could_ keep their hands off each other? After all, they've been married less than a year," Charlie explained.

"Stop, all of you! How did all of this come up when I just wanted my son to have some lunch?" I asked, but my dad continued as though I hadn't spoken.

"Don't get me wrong, Bells. I'm not thrilled that you're pregnant again . . . given the, well, the circumstances. It isn't like Edwards human, or isn't still human . . . and you're only 19 after all. You already have one child between you," he said, ducking his head as though to select his words thoughtfully. "I'm just worried."

"Dad, I..."

"No Bella, let him finish," Edward added, his hands still gently rubbing my back to comfort me. His face was stern, but something in his eyes told me that whatever my dad was going to say wasn't making him angry . . . and I was grateful for that.

"Do we have to have this discussion in front of our son?" I asked, looking up to meet Edward's eyes.

"Sweetheart, he would read it in everyone's mind but yours the minute he saw us, whether we talked away from his ability to hear or not. He can handle it, I promise," my husband comforted me, hugging me to him. I glanced over my shoulder and slowly turned in Edward's arms to face my dad who was still seated at the breakfast table, both hands holding onto his coffee cup as though to help him cope.

"Bells, I love you. Always have, always will," he said dismissively, as though I should know that already - which I did. "That boy there, Edward," he said, grimacing like he used to when he mentioned Edward's name, "that boy loves you like I have never seen - and you him for that matter. I don't doubt that the two of you will survive all of this, emotionally that is, it's just that . . . well, last time you had a baby Edward talked about being ready to change you if it went badly. It's that change that I'm worried about. I talked to some of the guys in the tribe back home and well, rumor is that you have to be . . . um . . ."

"I have to bite her, Charlie. Yes, that's true," Edward stated flatly, his body rigid and completely still.

"Well son, some of the Quileutes, they say you guys kill the person as often as you manage to change them . . . they say it's a dangerous business and frankly, it scares the hell out of me," he added, looking directly at Edward.

"It scares the hell out of me, too," Edward admitted, his faced etched in worry.

"I've done it four times, Charlie, first with Edward, then Esme, then Rosalie and Emmett. Four tries and four successes. Does that help?" Carlisle offered, giving up any attempt to continue reading his paper and neatly folding it and placing it on the table in front of him.

"It helps . . . if you're going to be the one doing it. That's not the case though, is it?" he asked, his head cocking to one side as he continued to stare at Edward.

"No, Charlie, it isn't. Bella wants me to be the one," Edward told him quietly.

"And how many times have you done this before?" dad asked.

"None."

"None?" dad repeated, his face shocked.

"Never," Edward stated flatly.

"I'm sure Edward is completely capable, Charlie. It's all about control and Edward has more control than I ever hope to have. He can do it just fine, I'm sure of it," Carlisle tried to comfort him.

Charlie continued, becoming animated, "Never? And you want the first time you try this . . . this . . . this whatever it is you call it . . ."

"_Turning her_," Edward interrupted, "We call it _turning_, when we bite a human and it results in their becoming what we are," he explained.

"You bite her. Like . . . Count Dracula and all that in the movies?" dad asked, his face becoming grim as he softly spoke, ". . . like we saw that boy Riley bite that girl in Atlanta?"

"Yes."

The room was dead quiet. Edward's family had ceased even breathing after he answered, waiting to see what would be said next.

"It's just the same, Charlie, except that not all her blood is removed and venom is injected into her to start the change. You saw Riley feed. He bit and drank from the girl, draining her. That won't happen, though that's the danger that the Quilettes speak of," his face bore no expression, unlike the horror stricken look on my dad's face, but he continued. "Once we start to feed, it can be difficult to stop. To change someone into what we are, some of the blood must be removed, but enough has to be left so that the heart can circulate the venom throughout the body . . . and enough venom has to be injected."

"Venom. You're poisonous then?" Charlie asked, looking absolutely white with shock.

"Yes," Edward answered . . . and the room was as still as a tomb. Masen had stopped eating and was looking from his father to his grandfather, depending on which one of them was speaking. He was staring at each one in tern.

"Our venom paralyses our victim so that we can feed more easily, though it is unnecessary to use it. We can inject it at will, once some of the blood is removed, and the victim will become unconscious and wake a few days later as one of us."

"So, that . . . that's what you want, Bells?" dad asked.

"I want to be with Edward and my children, dad. Forever," I told him. "Having me join his world is the only way that can happen."

"Venom," Charlie repeated, "Like, I don't know, like snake venom do you mean? Poisonous?"

"Yes, Charlie, something like that," Carlisle agreed.

"But poisonous kills you doesn't it? Like rattlesnake poison?" dad tried to clarify.

There was a long pause before Edward answered, but the answer came.

"Yes. It causes the heart to eventually stop beating, killing the victim," Edward explained coldly, no emotion whatsoever in his voice.

My dad's face turned even whiter and for a minute I was afraid he was going to pass out. Then the color began to rise in his cheeks . . .

"And you want this, Bells, you want him to try this, to do that to you?" dad asked flatly.

"Dad, yes. I want Edward and I want to be with Masen. I don't want to grow old and look sixty and my husband still look like a seventeen year old and my son always remaining a young man as well . . . well, if that's even what's going to happen to Masen," I explained. We had no good idea just how much of forever our son would share with us.

"Daddy is going to kill my mommy?" Masen asked, becoming frantic.

I was beside my son almost as fast as Edward was, this had gotten out of hand. Tears were running down his cheeks as he struggled to cope and understand what was being said around him. What should NEVER have been said around my son!

"No, sweetheart. Daddy would never hurt me, he just needs to make me more like you and him so that I'm not so breakable, that's all. I promise, baby," I soothed, stroking his curls.

"Son, you know how I feel about your mom. You're in my thoughts everyday. I would never do anything to separate her from us. Ever," Edward explained, staring straight into the bright green eyes of his son.

"Enough," I demanded, turning to face everyone else in the room, "This discussion is over. I would appreciate it if each of you would assure our son that his father would never hurt me. You all know it to be true and he needs to see that in all of your minds. I won't have him worried or scared that his father would ever hurt his mom."

I turned to my dad and let him have it, "This discussion should never have happened, not in front of Masen. I appreciate that you want to make sure I'm okay and I know you're scared, but my husband will take care of me just like he always has and I trust him completely. No more discussion of this today, does everyone understand?"

I insisted somewhat ferociously, well, as fierce and ferocious as a human could get in a room full of mythical creatures. Jake was grinning wildly, as was Alice. I didn't know if it was that they were proud of me or if Alice had seen something, but the discussion was over regardless.

I picked up my son and hugged him to me and Edward apparently picked us both up into his arms because I suddenly felt wind in my hair and saw that we were outside.

~oooOooo~

**Jacob POV**

"What the hell was that?" I asked aloud, eying Charlie with disbelief.

"What?" he answered as though he were the wounded party.

I tossed the dishes from the table into the sink somewhat harder than necessary and roughly grabbed his empty plate from in front of him.

"You knew damned well she planned to join him, she told you just after Masen was born . . ."

He cut me off, abruptly standing and shoving his chair aside.

"She told me, but I had no idea what that meant."

"You could have asked any of us, Charlie," Carlisle added calmly, obviously trying to defuse whatever was happening. "I'd be happy to answer any concerns you have now . . . let's go into the study," he offered quietly, rising and gesturing towards the door to the rest of the house.

"Oh hell no, Carlisle," I demanded, "I want to know just why the hell Charlie chose to ask other members of my tribe instead of asking me."

"You?" Charlie scoffed. "You're his best friend, dammit," he said as he gestured towards the door Edward had left through.

"I'm her best friend, too, Charlie! I have been her best friend through all of this, "I said gesturing around me to all of the Cullens, the room, the house . . . the situation . . ."

"You think I would sugar coat it? Lie to you? You think the idea of him sinking his teeth into her neck and drinking her blood doesn't scare the hell out of me?"

Charlie stood dumbfounded. Apparently I was getting pretty adamant and I knew the veins in my neck stood out and my face was red. Hell, my entire body was strained and starting to vibrate.

"Jacob, I . . ." Carlisle reached toward me, trying to sooth me. I knew what he thought, what they all thought but I was NOT about to change into wolf here and now. No danger of that!

"It's okay, Carlisle. I'm not going to phase. Charlie here just needs to understand that he isn't the only one worried about Izzy."

I turned back toward Charlie, giving him my full attention, "She wants him, Charlie. You saw how she was without him . . . how she was in the hospital after the wreck. I tried to be there for her, tried my hardest, but it's HIM she wants. She'll die without him, Charlie. I know you're worried, we all are, but she won't survive without him . . . or him without her for that matter. You see it, you'd be blind not to."

He looked at his shoes for a full minute, "I see it. I know it's true."

"Talk to Carlisle, Charlie. No one here is going to lie to you or soft sell anything. We all love her, Chief," I said, reaching a hand toward him.

"That's right, I know that's right, son. It's just that Paul . . ."

"Paul?" I asked, incredulous, "You asked Paul?"

Charlie looked at me, determined to defend his actions.

"Yes, Paul."

"Charlie, Paul HATES the Cullens, just like he hates all vampires. He makes no distinction," i explained.

"I know that, son, that's why I asked him. He would give it to me straight and as unflattering as possible . . . and he did," he added, eyebrows going up and a scowl on his face. I started to rail him but he wasn't finished yet, "I asked Sam as well."

"Sam?" Carlisle questioned, "I'm not sure he feels any less hatred for us than Paul does."

Charlie stared at Carlisle, "You'd be wrong about that, doc. Sam said that Edward was a good man, and that I shouldn't get so worked up. Told me to think about it, that boy had gone to every available path to find Bella, had saved her life himself inspite of all the blood at the motorcycle wreck . . . had stayed with her regardless. He told me how Edward had to be kept from running into that burning house when he thought she was inside . . . and he told me about how it was with Edward, I mean how he sat motionless in that meadow in Forks for weeks when I told him she had left town with Jake."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sam? Sam backing up Edward?

"No, son, Sam told me the same thing you and Carlisle are saying. He said that boy would never do anything to risk losing her," he looked back and forth between us, "It's just that, well, I'm her father dammit, and I'm supposed to protect her!"

Carlisle put a hand on Charlie's shoulder, "Come on Charlie, let's go for a walk and talk, one dad to another."

Carlisle and Charlie left, Carlisles arm around the Chief, and I felt myself take a breath finally.

"Damn, dude, I didn't know you had it in you to stand up to Charlie like that!" Emmett high fived me. Even Rosalie smiled and nodded her head in my direction. Alice, well Alice was bounding up and down and clapping her hands together. I must have looked at her like she was nuts because she stopped and cocked her head toward me.

"Jacob, really! Someone needed to set him straight, and more importantly Masen needed to be able to see this in our minds. That whole thing really scared the little guy and his attitude toward his family, toward vampires, needs to be kept as a positive thing," Alice told me, somewhat ominously.

"What the hell? Why wouldn't Masen be positive towards his own family? What the hell are you talking about, anyway?" I asked, sensing there was more to this.

Everyone in the room looked antsy. Vampires don't shuffle around or fidget, and they were doing both.

"Alright, somebody spill. What the hell aren't you telling me?" I all but demanded.

"_Dhampyres"_ Esme said quietly, "That's what you're getting at, isn't it Alice?"

"Yes," Alice looked surprised.

"Carmen and Elezar came to visit us in Highlands last week, and Elesar was telling Carlisle and I something about them," Esme explained.

"Just wait a damned minute."

_(Esme interrupted with her normal "language" remark)_

I rolled my eyes, "Just what the hell is a _Dhampyre?"_

"It's the name our kind give to something we all considered, well,_ mythical. _The offspring of a human and a vampire. Most of us regard their existence as only a fairytale, not something that is real . . . or even possible," Esme spoke quietly.

"Huh," I scoffed, "well tell THAT to Masen cause he sure as hell seems real!"

"ANYWAY," she continued, "_Dhampyres _supposedly have all of our abilities, and none of our weaknesses . . . making them something sought after by those who want power. They are supposed to be extremely adept at detecting and killing vampires and unusually intolerant of them." She looked embarrassed, "At least that was what Elesar told us."

"That's what most of our kind think," Alice added, "So you can see where it's important to keep Masen's attitude toward vampires very positive. We have no way of knowing if the stories are legends or rumors or fairytales, but if they're true and he has a natural tendency to dislike us, then we need to do whatever we can to change that."

"You're getting all worked up over something that just isn't even possible," Emmett bellowed, "Little dude loves all of us, especially his uncle Emmett."

"For now," Jasper added, his brow furrowed.

"What have you heard?" I asked.

"Rumors - just rumors," he replied. "I didn't have the same . . . upbringing that the rest of the Cullens had, Jake. I was . . . involved, shall we say, in some of the vampire wars and territorial fights in the South, after the Confederate War. There were rumors, fears . . . something that was stronger even than the vampires that surrounded and fought against us . . ."

"Well, enough of this rubbish," Esme insisted as she rose to stand and gather the remaining items off the table. "I'll not tolerate this kind of discussion of my grandson. He loves all of us and I for one intend to make sure that continues. Jake made lunch, so I'll clean up. Rose, I did Masen's school lessons this morning with him, you have everything ready for his lesson tomorrow?" she asked.

"Sure. I just need to print a couple of things off the internet," she said hesitantly, but took the opportunity to get the hell out of the room "I'll just go do that!"

Alice was still standing still with her arms crossed, and the smile the little pixie continued to wear was just fucking annoying.

"What?" I blurted, turning to her.

"Don't you see?" she smirked.

"See what? See that everyone is now worried and upset not only about Bella, but Masen?"

"No, dog," she smiled. "Don't you see that this family, you and Charlie included, are stronger than ever?"

I thought about that. We had just shouted and glared at each other, humans, vampires and werewolf alike, and there was no blood . . . not even property damage. huh. Everyone had spoken their peace and there was no bloodshed.

"Bella stood up to her dad, and everyone else. Haven't you noticed the confidence she has gained, and the trust she shows for all of us? And Masen needed to see and to know just how strong this family is!"

Well, damn. I guess the little pixie was right.

~oooOooo~


	132. Chapter 132 Dad

**Author's Notes: **

First of all, Thank You to all that continue to pm me and try to keep me motivated! **_ Ardana_**, thank you, hang in there and keep me going with the pm's! **_Savannavansmut_** - I know you're caught up, and here is something though miniscule to all the pleasure you give me with your stories, **_ Dazzled eyes_**, ah my dazzled eyes . . . I do so LOVE your thorough reviews and suggestions - I look forward to seeing your name on a review. Surely I would be nowhere without my**_ Fanette_** - for she is the one who continues to prod and poke me and keep me moving forward with her friendship. Thank you . . . all of you that read, have read and continue to review and let me know how the story makes you feel, and your suggestions to me for improvements. I send you this short chapter just to get myself started again - I have been unable to clear my mind and have the words flow. **_Kismetian_** tells me that "Edward hasn't been talking to me" - and she's right. Heard from him in my sleep last night though, and the ideas are flowing, along with the words. Apologizing for it having been months since a post seems inadequate. I'll just do better from here to the end!

**Disclaimer:**

All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

~oooOooo~

**Chapter 132 Dad**

_"No, dog," Alice smiled. "Don't you see that this family, _

_you and Charlie included, are stronger than ever?"_

_Jacob thought about that. We had just shouted and glared at each other, humans, vampires and werewolf alike and there was no blood . . . not even property damage. Huh._

_Everyone had spoken their peace and there was no bloodshed._

_"Bella stood up to her dad and everyone else. _

_Haven't you noticed the confidence she's gained and the trust she shows for all of us? _

_And Masen needed to see and to know just how strong this family is!"_

_"Well, damn," Jacob thought, "I guess the little pixie was right."_

~oooOooo~

**Charlie POV**

"You're right Carlisle. All the way over here on the airplane I wasn't really worried about Masen. I knew your boy would find him. Masen is lots more durable than the average kid. It was Bella I was worried about," I explained as I stood there fidgeting. This wasn't like me . . . I was the damned Chief of Police for God's sake, not some teenager talking to an authority figure. Hell, Edward hadn't acted this nervous when he told me he was marrying my daughter . . .

_"Well, best get it out then,"_ I thought, so I continued, moving to take a seat on one of the fancy leather chairs in his office, "Truth be known, Carlisle, I was coming over to find her anyway because I had some news to give her and I wanted to tell her face to face. Guess I just started thinking about her as a kid again and worrying about her and well, I should know that Edward would never let anything happen to her that he had any control over."

I stood and went to face the window, hands braced on the sill, "This _turning her_ he called it, if he's the one doing it I know he would never have agreed to it if he thought for one minute that he might not be able to do it." I knew that, I really did. I turned to face him.

"All this mythological stuff is just so, so . . . weird, Carlisle. I've lived my whole life with Billy Black as my bestfriend till the day he died and I never knew. Till the day he died . . . It just doesn't seem right. His whole life and I never knew," I sat down hard in the chair again, facing him.

"It's not a secret that was his to tell," Carlisle explained. "When they say they _can't_ tell, they mean it quite literally. It's forbidden, and if you're a member of the pack, the alpha command is followed . . . no matter what. It's physically not possible to break it for them, though I have no idea if Billy was a member of the pack or not," he told me looking quite reflective, as though he was remembering things from long ago. After a moment he continued, "I would suppose he was the closest thing to an alpha they had during that time, since apparently no one phased into wolf form during his generation."

"Well that's somethin', it sure is," I muttered, my mind completely not willing to have me let go of Billy, his possibly being a very large dog when he chose to, my daughter becoming what Edward was and the danger involved, and still . . . how to tell Bella about Sue.

I sat, not saying anything and just kind of staring at my hands on the arms of the chair. Finally I noticed that Carlisle was just patiently sitting, still as a statue, waiting. His eyes were on me and his face held an expression of several things, but it seemed the most like he was sympathetic. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he had been alive a half dozen times as long as I had and never wasted any of that time sleeping - surely he had things figured out by now. I had lost my father long ago and right now, Carlisle felt like the closest thing I had to a father figure, or even a peer. I took a deep breath, breaking the stillness in the room, and let the floodgates open. I told him how I felt about Billy, about being his best friend and still not really knowing him, about raising Bella the last couple of years after having lost her when Renee left me all those years ago, about how I felt about Edward and her having married him and the baby and the immortality that she had chosen . . . and about the loneliness I felt . . . and how I had found someone to fill it.

I told him about Sue.

He sat, never moving, hands clasped with elbows on his desk. Hell it didn't even seem like he was breathing he was so still - unblinking. When I had finished he stood, walked over to what looked like a very old cabinet, opened it, and poured two drinks of an amber liquid that had been stored there in one of those fancy cut crystal vases. He handed me one of the glasses as I stood to face him and, with the slightest hint of a smile, said "It's an amazing world God made for us, isn't it. I've spent literally years contemplating many of the same things you're troubled over, and I won't pretend to have all the answers." I couldn't help the "humph" that came from deep in my chest, but I met his eyes again and he continued.

"Trust in God, Charlie," he said quietly, "that's all I have. That, and an abiding trust in my family. You're a part of that family now, Charlie." "Tell her, she'll be happy for you as I'm sure they all will be," he continued as he put a hand on my shoulder, "and when it comes to Bella's safety, trust in Edward." His eyes seemed to glow in a strange way as I stared at him. I never realized before that he didn't even blink, didn't move at all when he chose not to . . . guess he had decided to just act himself around me and drop some of the human characteristics he mimicked in front of other humans.

"To faith, Charlie," he offered as he raised his drink.

"To family," I replied . . . and we drained our glasses.

~oooOooo~

Bella and Edward didn't return to the house the rest of the day.

I paced.

Starred out the window.

Paced.

Damn.

The last thing I had wanted to do was to upset my daughter . . . or my new son either one for that matter. Well damn all things, what was I supposed to do now. I had only just started feeling close enough to the Cullens that I could say what was on my mind . . . not that I had any inhibitions about it before, I just felt . . . well, damn it, I had started to accept them for what they were and they were accepting me. Carlisle had even said I was considered a member of the family . . . and I felt like I was.

Damn it.

"Charlie, you okay?" Emmett bellowed.

I hadn't even heard him enter the room. I had paced late into the night, must have dozed off in the chair, and it looked as if it was mid morning. I hadn't even heard him come in - not that any of them made noise, but Emmett usually tried to stomp of something so that I would know he was coming. I turned to answer him, regardless.

"No. Hell no, I'm not okay, Emmett," I snapped, "Have you seen Edward? Bella or Masen for that matter . . ."

"Not this morning, Charlie. They're asleep in their rooms," he answered, seeming wary.

"Now how the hell would you know that? I've been standing here at the window since yesterday afternoon and most of last night and I haven't seen hide nor hair of them, not one step was made up those stairs by anyone except Jacob," I insisted.

He smiled, a look on his face like I was missing the elephant in the room or some damn thing,

"Charlie, they have windows in their rooms. No need to pass through here, and if you were looking for them, Edward might have avoided you. He would have heard you in here, you know." he said somewhat smugly.

"He . . . they . . . ," I stammered, looking stupidly at the stairs and having to rethink who I was dealing with.

"Anyway, Charlie," he said as Jasper appeared at the door, trailed by Carlisle and Jacob, "we mean to go fishing this morning and you're coming with us."

"Fishing?" I said stupidly, "FISHING?"

I paused for what seemed like a damned long time, trying to get my thoughts around anything other than my daughter, "Now you know I love fishing better than most, but right now I want to find my daughter and settle things with her. I don't want any hard feelings with her or my new son in law."

"There's no hard feelings, Charlie," Jasper added, "Edward is quite peaceful right now, peaceful enough that he's asleep with his family."

"Yea, the wimp is _sleeping _for God's sake," Emmett said shaking his head, "If I had my way he would have lost his man card at the first nap - if not the first kiss with her his singer and him not having her for lunch!"

"EMMETT," everyone said in admonishment.

"Well Hell, you know it's true!" he defended, looking like this was something they had gone over countless times, "The only thing saving him is the control it must take to be with her, let alone get her pregnant!"

"EMMETT!"

"Anyway, Charlie," Carlisle cut in, giving Emmett a stern fatherly look that had him quiet in nothing flat," we came to see if you wanted to go fishing with us this morning."

"There's fishing this time of year? Here?" I asked, letting the idea sink in. It was spring, I'd give um that, early spring though and it wasn't like we were right on the ocean or anything, at least I didn't think so.

"Loads of fishing right here on the property, Charlie," Jacob smiled, "I was out for a run last night and you wouldn't believe how big this place is."

They wouldn't take no for an answer. Not a single damned chance. I realized, too, that if Edward and Bella didn't want to talk to me, I might be better off to wait them out a little. Jasper had said they were alright and I had to just concentrate on that and let it go . . . for now. Good thing I did, too. They weren't lying about the fishing being good. I wasn't used to the type of fish we were going after, but a fisherman is a fisherman. I made do just fine, considering, My mood was better when we returned. I'd have to say I was in a fine mood, having listened to Carlisle correct the boys, Emmett run off at the mouth and Jasper's calm reassuring voice telling me that everything was going to be fine. He must have had an inside track on that, too, because as we entered the house, the sound of Edward's piano met us.

He was seated at the piano, Bella leaning over the side of it, watching him as he played. The song was for her, of course, that much I knew. I listened to the words, unable to help myself regardless of how bad I wanted to interrupt and get a word in with them. Esme and the girls were seated in the living room downstairs off the entryway and they were listening as well. It was hard not to. The boy had a voice and his playing, well, I guess he had years to practice after all. It was the words, though, the words sunk in even to my thick head as I listened . . .

_I've waited a hundred years_

_But I'd wait a million more for you_

_Nothing prepared me for_

_What the privilege of being yours would do_

_If I had only felt the warmth within your touch_

_If I had only seen how you smile when you blush_

_Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough_

_Well I would have known_

_What I was living for all along_

_What I've been living for_

_Your love is my turning page_

_Where only the sweetest words remain_

_Every kiss is a cursive line_

_Every touch is a redefining phrase_

_I surrender who I've been for who you are_

_For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart_

_If I had only felt how it feels to be yours_

_Well I would have known_

_What I've been living for all along_

_What I've been living for_

Damn.

Before I even realized it, Edward had finished and he and Bella were standing there locked in an embrace, right in front of me. He knew I was there, he knew we all were if their "_spidy_" senses were as good as I kept being told they were. Bella disappeared back into their wing and I headed towards the stairs to follow only to find Edward standing just in front of me. I had only thought to take a step and he was there, I hadn't seen a damned thing that could be called a _movement _on his part either.

"Good morning, Charlie," he said, greeting me warmly, "No, I'm no longer upset with you."

Damn. The boy answered my thoughts. Well . . . of course he did. When the hell was I ever going to remember . . .

"It takes time," he told me, clapping a hand on my shoulder as though he were the parent. Well, hell . . . he was at least double my age after all. "I'm sorry if I seemed to overreact yesterday, Charlie. Anything that upsets Bella I just don't handle well . . . but you already knew that. She can't read your mind and know that your intent was not to hurt her, or me, but I have told her. I read your thoughts last night when we came in and she and I talked about it for a long time," he said quietly.

"So, you understand?" I asked, "You know it wasn't anything against you?"

"I understand it's a _dad thing_, Charlie. How could I not understand that you are at least as protective of her as I am of Masen . . . and you've had way more practice and years of being a dad than I have."

Huh. He was right about that. He might be twice my age, but I had been a dad almost a hundred times as long as he had. Well, that was somethin. The boy seemed to understand anyway, and to have forgiven me for upsetting my daughter. She was _my_ daughter, after all.

"Bella will be down as soon as she changes Masen," Edward said with a smile, "I'm afraid my son is in a bit of trouble with his mom."

"Again?" Esme called from the other room, quickly joining us.

"I'm afraid so," he answered, "but I'll let them tell you all about it when they come down."

~oooOooo~


	133. Chapter 133 Fathers

**********Disclaimer:** All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's note:** Sorry I'm such a slacker! I am trying to do better! HUGE thanks for all the encouragement! Remember, this story is just the Heaven, Hell & Harley story without the sex and bad language - tamed down to T rating and sometimes, such as this chapter, it is just the same!

~oooOooo~

**Chapter 133 Fathers**

_"So, you understand?" I asked, "You know it wasn't anything against you?"_

_"I understand it's a dad thing, Charlie. How could I not understand that you are at least as protective of her as I am of Masen . . . and you've had way more practice and years of being a dad than I have."_

_Huh. He was right about that. He might be twice my age, but I had been a dad almost a hundred times as long as he had. Well, that was somethin. The boy seemed to understand anyway, and to have forgiven me for upsetting my daughter. She was my daughter, after all._

_~oooOooo~_

**Charlie POV**

"I appreciate that, Edward," I said, patting him on the shoulder in what I hoped he took as a fatherly way. "It's hard to let go of them, let them grow up," I told him, seeing the hint of irony on his face.

"You know, I didn't come over here to help look for Masen . . ."

My son in law's eyebrows pricked up at that and Esme frowned, excusing herself after hearing Carlisle call from the other room. I continued . . .

"I came over to make sure Bella didn't hurt herself wearing out his little rear when you found him and brought him back," I explained. The corner of his mouth twitched and it looked to me like he was trying to keep from smiling. Damned mind reading. I liked saying my piece, not having it taken from my thoughts. Since when did I fidget like a teenager when I spoke to somebody.

"Charlie, I. . ."

"Now just hold on, son, and let me say my piece."

I released my grip on his shoulder, my fingers twitching awkwardly at my sides as I spoke, "I knew you'd find my grandson. I saw the lengths you went to when Bella was kidnapped and I knew you'd move heaven and earth to find him. Since he seems nearly as indestructible as you guys are, I wasn't too worried about him, just worried about the upset that his being missing was causing you and Bells."

I chuckled to myself and he looked at me like I was nuts. I stared straight at him though, hating the fact that he was a couple of inches taller than me but, if I thought about it, the fact that he was immortal and pretty much indestructable should have intimidated me more than just the fact that I had to look slightly up to meet his eye. I shook it off. It didn't matter, I would have my say.

"Glad she has you around to discipline the little twirp, she might break her hand spanking his butt. I remember how "hard" you guys are," I smiled. Then I saw his face, the look of pain that flashed across my son in law's eyes was so intense it hurt me just to see it . . . What the hell was I thinking bringing up something as painful as her being taken by Riley and Victoria. I had only thought about how "hard" their bodies were, remembering breaking my hand when I hit that guy, Riley, that had kidnapped Bells. I had to watch my thoughts around him, that was for sure. I regretted mentioning that just like it had come out of my mouth.

"Sorry, son," I said, at a loss for words, "I didn't mean to bring all that up and make you remember. Hell, I don't even want to remember," I squared my shoulders, "I just meant that I knew you'd find Masen. I wanted to be here for Bells . . . in case she needed me and you both to calm her."

He just stood thee, waiting. Probably knew exactly what I was thinking but at least he was respectful enough to just stand thee and wait for me to get it out. I was quiet for a long while, till I got kinda edgy in my skin.

"Edward, I wanted to tell her some news in person," I put my hand up to stop him from speaking. "I know you've already pulled it from my thoughts and your Alice has probably already seen," _including the dress if she hasn't already bought it I thought to myself_, "but I want Bella to be the first one I tell. I wanted to do it in person."

"She'll be thrilled, Charlie," the boy said, seeming like he meant it with a smile as wide as his face. "Alice has seen most of it, though she can't see the parts that involve the Quillette tribe, and she and I have talked about it."

"You have, huh," I muttered, frowning. I was never ever going to get used to people knowing what I thought much less seeing my future. I was trying to accept things without asking too many questions about how it worked and all, and now was not the time. A thought dawned on me though and I wanted to ask before Edward just answered my thoughts . . .

"So, Alice has seen me married to Sue?"

"Yes, for quite awhile now," he answered with that damned smug smile on his face.

"Well that's somethin', that is," I said, trying to take it all in. I had known that Edward had read my mind as well as Sue's and figured out that something was going on there. He had explained that was why I could know about him and his family, why that didn't get them into trouble for breaking their "secret" with the damned Volturo . . . Vulture . . . their damned vampire police, whatever the hell the name for them was.

"Volturi," Edward answered, the smile vanishing as he answered my thoughts rather than my words.

"That's right. Me and Sue being together put me in with the Quilettes, knowing about vampires from their being mortal enemies with them and all," I said.

Jacob picked that moment to head through the room toward the kitchen, stopping to say, "Morning! You guys all sorted out then, no need for the werewolf to keep the human from assaulting the vampire?" he said, laughing and sticking his hands in both front pockets of his jeans, "or did I not just hear something about_ mortal enemies_?"

"You and I mortal enemies, pup, not Charlie and I," Edward explained as he shoved him, making him take a couple of steps to keep his balance as they both grinned. Jacob just nodded like that was old news, which I guess it was.

"You eating human this morning, dog, or you want to take a run with me?" Edward gestured toward the back yard..

"You leaving right now?" Jacob asked, his nose sniffing toward the scent coming from the kitchen. Even I knew the smell of those cinnamon rolls . . .

"No, pup. Go woof down some breakfast, then we'll go get me something to drink," he told him, giving him another shove. Damn, the boy moved so fast you couldn't really see the shove, just the effect. Anyway, Jacob left, headed for the kitchen.

"So, if Alice has seen me married to Sue," I looked directly at him, "then has she seen Bella as one of you?" He didn't answer right away, hell he didn't even move enough to breath. He just stared straight at me with those odd amber colored eyes and I could have sworn that I saw black swirl into them just before he spoke.

"Yes, Charlie, she has."

"Huh. For how long? How long has she seen Bells as one of you?" I asked, astonished both that he was answering me and that I hadn't thought to ask that before.

"Alice has seen Bella as one of us since before I met her, over two years ago," he smiled, "She encouraged me to trust my control and try to be around your daughter from the very first."

I knew I was looking at him like he was nuts, but this was all just . . . just weird, that's all.

"Charlie, Alice saw me with Bella, being able to control myself around her, even me playing with the twins since the very beginning," I smiled.

"Well, you wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't shown you my visions, Edward, would you?" Alice cut in, standing beside Edward out of nowhere, "Really," she scoffed, " You should know never to doubt me." She looked at him like a hurt little sister chiding a big brother - or rubbing it in.

"Alice . . ."

"No, now, son. She's right. Bells always says_ never bet against Alice, _and I've even heard it from Carlisle," I added. "Thing is . . . if Alice has seen me with Sue and you with Bella . . . and the two of you having little Masen and then twins," I was thinking as I spoke, "then if Alice sees Bella as a vampire, that means you were able to do it, she was able to, I mean she didn't . . . well that is you didn't . . ."

"I'll be able to turn her without loosing her, is that what you mean?" Edward added.

"Yea. That's it. She makes it . . . becomes one of you, you don't end up killing her," I said, a little bolder than I had meant it.

"Of course she becomes one of us, Charlie, why ever would you be questioning that?" Alice asked, looking shocked.

"It's just me being scared, Alice. Not rational, if anything about ANY of this could be called _rational,"_ I explained, "It's just when he said he was poisonous, venomous or whatever you want to call it, and then talked about her heart stopping . . . well, it's just a lot to take in. A lot of words that have a different meaning than I'm used to."

I heard Alice muttering to herself about how stubborn humans were and why she even bothered as she apparently grabbed something from Carlisle's office and headed back upstairs. Edward was looking down, obviiously deep in thought before he spoke.

"I want to be honest with you Charlie, always. That's why I told you, technically, the poison stops her heart. From a medical standpoint . . . she's dead, Charlie. It has to happen that way for the venom to do it's work - to make her immortal like the rest of us," Edward stated, coldly and matter of factly as though the words were hard for him as well.

"And that's the only way," I started as my new son-in-laws eyebrows lifted, knowing what I was about to say, "that's the only way she can stay with you, live as long as you I mean. And Masen?"

"We have no idea about Masen, Charlie. Alice can't see him at all by himself and we have no idea what part of him is mortal or how much he takes after me as an immortal. We just don't know," he explained. It didn't take a mind reader to see that he was worried about that himself.

"There's my little guy," I smiled as Masen lept off the stairs, kind of blurring as he landed in his father's arms. Bells was right behind him and came to stand with her arm around Edward, going up on her tiptoes to kiss him right there in front of me. She just had no regard for kerping things like that private, hell they both showed their feelings for each other plain to see.

"Want to have breakfast with me, Grandpa?" he asked, his little hand patting his dad's shoulder as though to console him. You had to wonder what the two of them were saying to each other that none of us could hear. I knew enough not to talk, or even _think _about the conversation we had been having . . . not in front of Masen, not after yesterday. I might be old but I learned . . .

"Sure do, sport," I said, taking him from Edward and heading to the kitchen, "and you better not eat up all of your grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls before I get some."

"Don't worry, grandpa," He explained, hugging his little arm around my neck and reaching to brush the hair out of his face with the other, "I don't like them."

"What? Esme's rolls are the best I've ever had, kid, and that's saying a lot!"

"If it ain't meat, it ain't fit to eat!" the little boy said, as though he was trying to copy the way someone else had said it to him and not bust out laughting at the same time.

I gave Bella and Edward a surprised look as they had obviously heard what he had said.

"Emmett!" they both exclaimed, frowning.

"Really son, teaching your nephew such things," Esme chastised him as though he was in the room with us. As quickly as that . . . he was. I was never going to get used to this vampire thing - hearing people whisper from a mile away, moving faster than the wind. It was just . . . weird, that's all.

"Well," Emmett defended, "the little guy needs to know what's up, doesn't he?"

Esme had walked in to catch the last part of the conversation, probably just heading in to tell us that breakfast was ready. Carlisle joined us as well, frowning at Emmett and explaining to him that Masen needed to keep trying all forms of food and not to discourage him from eating vegetables as they were good for humans. Huh. I always heard that too, growing up. Always eat your vegetables, like Popeye eating spinach to get strong. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about that! I suspected that this kid was already WAY stronger than I was, though he had never shown me.

"Emmett, Jaz and I were just going out for a hunt," Rosalie explained as she appeared beside Emmett. "The least I can do is get this big oaf out of here before he gives my nephew any more bad ideas. Honestly Emmett," she scolded as she smacked him on the shoulder.

"What?" he held his hands up like a kid getting scolded, "What'd I do?"

"Give it up, Emmett. Even I can't keep them calm if you keep this up," Jasper said as he shook his head at Emmett, backing away from Rosalie towards the front door. "Alice is getting Masen's lesson ready for this morning, so whenever he's through with breakfast just send him up, okay sis?" the blond vampire told Bella, like she was talking to a little sister.

Bella smiled and thanked her. Edward turned down the invite to go with them, but he had already asked Jacob to go for a hunt with him after we had breakfast.

"Who is Popeye?" Masen asked, his chubby little hand patting my shoulder as we followed Esme into the kitchen.

"Popeye is a cartoon character that is supposed to be really really strong," I explained as Edward pulled out the chair with books stacked on it so that Masen could sit and be tall enough to reach the table. He stared at his father for a minute, then burst out laughing.

"Edward! Masen! WORDS!" Bella glared as both my son-in-law and grandson continued to laugh.

Esme gestured for me to sit next to Jacob as Bella took a seat next to Masen. The way Jacob was shoveling food in, I hoped there was some left. I should have known that his appetite was expected, though, and Esme put a tray of steaming eggs, sausage and bacon on the table complete with toast, biscuits and a whole platter of those cinnamon rolls of hers. It was amazing that even the woman's coffee was delicious, and she didn't even eat so I didn't think she would have been taste testing the food.

"Sweetheart, Masen was just seeing a Popeye cartoon in my mind and laughing that humans couldn't really punch down brick walls like in the cartoon. Well, he was making sure by asking me if they could and laughing at how hard it is for him NOT to break things . . . even walls," Edward explained.

Huh.

"Best not break your Grandma's house, kid. She goes to a lot of trouble to make things just so," I said, turning my attention to Esme. "You always do have things really pretty, Esme, the way you decorate I mean. The house I Forks, Highlands and now this," I said, gesturing to the room I sat in and in fact the whole estate.

"Thank you, Charlie," Esme beamed, "I love decorating and making things comfortable for our needs."

"She always makes things lovely, everywhere we go," Carlisle added, putting his arm around his wife and hugging her to him. Guess showing affection could have been something Edward picked up from his father. Carlisle pulled up a chair and sat at the table with us while we ate, stuffed our faces I should say. Even Bella was having seconds and I was glad to see it. She still looked thin to me, but she always had.

"I owe all of you an apology," I said as we all finished up, "I'm sorry about the upset I caused at the table yesterday." "Bella, I already squared things away with Edward, here, but I want to apologize to you, too. I know Edward would never do anything to hurt you, not for anything in the world," I said as I reached for the last cinnamon roll, making sure my grandson was listening to me.

Jacob reached for the roll at the same time and I was startled to see Masen crouching on the table, setting the cinnamon roll on my plate.

"No, uncle Jake, Grandpa wants this and you already had lots of the sticky things," he said in his little childish voice.

"Ha! Well that's somethin', that is!" I laughed, looking at the surprised face of the boy sitting across from me with his mouth hanging open and his hand still outstretched towards the now empty platter on the table.

Everyone laughed, though I saw my daughter frown at her son for a moment and Esme picked him up by the waist, lifting him off the table and setting him back on the books in his chair.

"Masen Cullen! You will NOT stand on my table, do you understand?" she fussed as he looked sheepish.

"That was nice of you, knowing that your grandpa Charlie wanted another roll, son, but you mustn't put your feet on the table," Edward told him.

"Dad, my arm wasn't long enough to reach it, and uncle Jake is faster than grandpa. I had to get it for him," he explained, looking upset like he was in trouble.

"Well I'm bailing you out this time, kid," I said as I scooted my chair out and gestured to him to come sit on my lap, "Thanks for looking out for your old grampa."

"You're welcome grandpa. You and mom and uncle Jake sure do like those sticky things," he commented as I put an arm around him, the other one bringing the warm sticky cinnamon roll to my mouth.

"You don't like cinnamon?" I asked, offering him a bite.

"No, thanks. Dad agrees with me that it tastes like dirt," he smiled, glancing kind of sideways at his father, doubtless to see his reaction now that he had thrown him under the bus. Edward just shrugged as Bella laughed.

"Can I be excused?" the boy asked.

"One bite of fruit first," his mom told him.

The face he made was hysterical, especially after he put the blackberry in his mouth. You would have thought it _was_ dirt the way he gagged and spit it out.

"Fine, fine, go on then," she said, coming over to me to pat his back and give him a napkin to wipe his face. The little boy scampered down and headed for the door, just as we heard Alice calling him.

"It was time for his lesson anyway," Edward explained, "Alice called him a few minutes ago, just not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"So, the kid has your hearing, too," it wasn't a question.

"He seems to have inherited everything from Edward in terms of abilities, Charlie, and I'm sure we haven't seen everything yet," Carlisle said thoughtfully.

"Well, he's a special little guy. Seems happy and healthy enough. Growing like a weed, that's for sure," i commented encouragingly as I could.

"Yes, he's growing at an incredible rate . . . we just don't know when it will stop, Charlie. We don't know how long it will take him to be fully grown," the doc added, looking worried.

"What he's worried about is that once Masen is a grown man, will time stop for him, like us, or will he continue to age at such a rapid rate," Edward explained. Bella just looked worried and Edward's arm tightened around her.

"The kid has the same number of chromosomes as us, the tribe I mean, right doc?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, that's true," Carlisle confirmed.

"So maybe he'll just grow up and . . . stay, kind of like how the pack members don't age as long as they're phasing regularly," Jacob commented. Esme and Carlisle both turned to stare at Jacob.

"They don't age?" Carlisle asked, surprised.

"Nah, not as long as we continue to phase into wolf, "he said using the napkin that esme had passed to him. "Not sure how long it lasts, but legends make it out like it could get us into the hundreds of years old," he laughed.

"Jake, thats wonderful!" Bella exclaimed, "Then you'll be around for a long time!"

"Yep, Izzy, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon. Not sure how that works with the people we imprint on, but some of the elders are researching the old tribal stories to find out for me. It's been a long time since the tribe was exposed to vampires continually," he looked up from wiping his fingers, "Usually Carlisle and his family live in Forks for a dozen years or so, then move till everyone that might have known them has passed away."

"But, Carlisle, couldn't something like that be what's going to happen to Masen?" Bella asked, looking hopeful. "Not the phasing, of course, but isn't it possible that he could just grown to be a full grown adult, like a man in his twenties or something, then just . . . stop. Stop and stay there I mean?" Bella asked, looking excited and hopeful at the same time.

Edward and Esme had the same hopeful, half startled expression on their faces as well.

"Well, could be, Bella. It's a possibility. I think only time will tell, that and perhaps if we research some of the legends about _Dhampyres," _ Carlisle said, folding his hands on the table.

_"Dhampyres?" _I asked.

_"_A human mated with a vampire, a _hybrid_ if you will, Charlie, that's what our kind call them," Carlisle stared at his clasped hands for a moment as he sat with us, "There are rumors, legends really, of vampires impregnating humans."

"That's great doc, then Bella wasn't the first! Can we find these other moms and kids, give us something to compare everything to?" I asked, excited.

"Well, Charlie . . ."

"What dad doesn't really want to say, Charlie," Edward started, Bella grabbing his arm tightly and looking worried, "What he doesn't want to say is that though there may indeed be other _Dhampyres _in existence, though I doubt it, there are no other mothers. The infants rip their way out of the mother's body when they are ready to be born, killing her."

Took me a minute for that to settle in . . . before I panicked.

"No, not ever going to happen to Bella," he assured me. "I can read the infants mind and know what's happening and Masen can calm them and allow them to be born naturally, the same way he was."

I stared at my son-in-law. None of them even breathed they were so still, just staring.

"Yes, I'm sure. Very sure, or I would NEVER have agreed to try for another child," Edward assured me, answering the unspoken question and panic in my mind.

"Dad. You know as well as I do that my overprotective husband would NEVER agree to do anything that could be dangerous to me. Besides, if anything goes wrong, he'll just change me," Bella smiled, leaning against Edward.

"That right, doc? Is it that simple?" I asked Carlisle.

"It seems to be, Charlie," he laughed - although I detected a hint of his nervousness, something he never normally had - "At least, where these two are concerned."

~oooOooo~


End file.
